[Chookster]

Hi guys

I have young chickens and quails. DEFRA seem far less worried about my quails than my chickens on the whole.

Can anyone tell me in full what i need to do inorder to cover myself for selling eggs andmeat to people outside my family and friends?

I need to vaccinate against salmonella - how much should this roughly cost guys? Is it the one you add to feed over approx 5weeks??

is there a jab against bird flu for them?? I'm sure one of my older birds was bought with it?

does it work out better to buy POL hens than to rear chicks and pullets cost wise re health bills??

thanks for any help guys

[Aunt Sally]

How many birds do you have chookster ?

[Chookster]

well i'm registered for 12 chickens and 30 quails per year but so far have hatched 4 quails and got 3 10wk pullets, bless em all LOL. We're all at the groing stage.

I have 6 chickens at the museum all seen to before i bought them though so i didn't have to deal with any of it.

[Chookster]

  When am I supposed to do it? I had the impression they had stuff added to their food for about 5 weeks??? Do I get that from the vets?

[Aunt Sally]

The vaccinations come in batches of a size to treat 1000 birds. 

Small scale breeders like yourself don't vaccinate.

[Aunt Sally]

This page contains a time table for vaccination - just for your (and other's) interest.

Vaccination of Laying Hens

[Chookster]

oh ok, thanks for that i shall have a nose...

am i supposed to do anything to my birds then? Are they ok for people to eat later on etc?

[Aunt Sally]

Just keep them healthy and happy in good clean conditions and correctly fed and watered and they'll be fine 

[Chookster]

will do  thanks sal

[cathangirl]

That Vaccination Table has always puzzled me, Aunt Sally.
When I purchased my first lot of hybrids, I asked about vaccinations.
"Oh, they've been vaccinated at a day old for Everything," said the Farmer, who buys his stock in from 28 or so breeders across the Southern half of England.
Often wondered, was he telling porkies?
cathangirl

[Aunt Sally]

Definitly telling porkies    Day olds get a spray for Marek's and that's all !

My local supplier (brilliant) tells me that any bird under 18 weeks old can NOT have had the full vaccination programme.

[Chookster]

well i'm wondering then if i've been told porkies also - when i purchased birds from 2 different breeders (the third was a friend who was honest and said she didn't vaccinate) both breeders told me the birds were vaccinated and it was done over several weeks. Is it worth getting hold of vaccine for salmonella or anything anyway?? defra told me to make sure my birds had the outside area covered with a roof to help guard agains bird flu if they weren't free range

[cathangirl]

Thanks, Aunt Sally.
It figures, because they were sold as P.O.L., lovely birds, but we waited a looong time for our first egg.
Having learned a lot on this wonderful site, on my last visit to him, I looked at the new pullets and asked,"What are they, about 14 weeks old?"  (All intelligent-like  ) and he said,
"15 weeks, they'll be 16 weeks on Friday."
cathangirl.