Should I get my birds vaccinated?
Whether to get vaccinations for your flock or not is a personal choice. In most cases, a vaccination is consistent with organic management practices, but local regulations vary, so you will have to check with your local regulating agency.
Keep in mind that the vaccines offered by hatcheries are not for diseases affecting people (we get asked about that a lot). We offer the Marek's Disease vaccine , for example, which is a neurological disease afflicting birds, and you can choose to have your birds vaccinated or not. Avian metabolism is very different, and there are very few things that affect both people and chickens (even the type of lice that bother chickens don't bother people).
The vast majority of infections people get from chickens come from improper cooking or preparation of chicken eggs or chicken meat. You might consider purchasing The Chicken Health Handbook, which we sell, in order to inform yourself about health issues more completely.
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