Lead image for Regular vaccination key for healthy birds.
Whether you keep five chickens in your backyard or 5,000 birds on a commercial farm, vaccination is one of the most important investments you can make.
It does not matter whether your birds are indigenous, improved kienyeji, layers, or broilers raised for meat.
Every flock needs protection from common poultry diseases found in your area. Healthy birds grow faster, produce more eggs, and give farmers better profits.
Vaccination has been used successfully for more than 200 years and remains one of the most effective and affordable ways of preventing disease in both animals and people.
Instead of waiting for birds to become sick and spending money on treatment, vaccination prepares the birds' immune system to fight diseases before they occur.
Prevention is always cheaper than cure. The first vaccination many chicks receive is against Marek's disease. This vaccine is normally given at the hatchery when chicks are one day old.
Farmers should, therefore, buy chicks from reputable hatcheries that follow proper vaccination programmes.