No vaccine at the hatchery: your area's veterinarian decides

NEXTEKCI coloured and hybrid chicks are not vaccinated at the hatchery. At the hatchery, only the red laying pullets receive a vaccine, against Marek's disease.

Coloured chickens are vaccinated on the farm, according to the protocol of your area's veterinarian. As the flock stays longer, ask them for a protocol suited to the length of your flock (8, 10, 12 or 14 weeks) and tell them whether your chickens go out on a run.

Contact them before the chicks arrive, not when the first chicken falls ill. Record every vaccine and every treatment on the flock sheet.

Biosecurity for a long flock

Prevention always costs less than treatment. Over 8 to 14 weeks, every lapse has time to become costly.

A single age group per farm, all in, all out. Do not place new chicks next to a flock in progress: the older birds pass their germs on to the younger ones.
Fenced farm, few visitors (with a register), footbath at the entrance, clothing and boots kept for the house.
No backyard poultry or other animals around the house; rat control.
Dead birds collected every day and destroyed far from the house.

Source: Cobb.

When to call the veterinarian?

As soon as you see sick birds, abnormal deaths, or a drop in water drunk without any change in heat. A drop in water consumption is often the first sign of disease.

Keeping records to the end

When	What to record
Every day	Deaths, feed, water drunk, minimum and maximum temperature, treatments
Every week	Average weight and uniformity
For the flock	Chicks received, vaccines and medicines, feed delivered, sale weight and price

Source: Cobb. On a long flock, these figures also help you choose the right selling age (lesson 3 of this track) and compare your flocks with one another.

Preparing catching and sale

In the last days before the sale, shorten the night by one hour a day.
Remove the feed 8 to 12 hours before slaughter; leave the water until catching starts.
Catch at night or early in the morning, in dim light, calmly, to avoid bruising and fractures.
Put fewer chickens per crate in the hot season, and transport in the cool hours.

Source: Cobb.

A uniform flock sells better

Customers who buy per bird want chickens of even size. Weigh before the sale and sort by weight: you offer even batches and you know exactly what you are selling.

After the sale, the house is emptied, cleaned, disinfected and left empty and dry before the next flock (downtime).

For the entrepreneur

›Before the chicks arrive, contact your area's veterinarian for a protocol suited to the length of the flock.
›A single age group per farm: no new chicks next to a flock in progress.
›Inform your buyers and book the transport before the sale date, not on the day itself.

For the technician

›Apply the veterinarian's protocol to the letter and record every vaccine and every treatment.
›Collect and destroy the dead birds every day, far from the house.
›Remove the feed 8 to 12 hours before slaughter, leave the water, catch at night and calmly.

The 3 questions to ask your technician this week

What is the next step planned by the veterinarian, and on what date?
How many deaths since the start of the flock, and is this week's number normal?
At what time do we remove the feed before catching, and at what time does the transport arrive?

Key points

•Coloured and hybrid chicks: no vaccine at the hatchery; vaccination on the farm according to the area's veterinarian.
•A protocol suited to the length of the flock and to the run, decided before the chicks arrive.
•A single age group per farm, footbath, few visitors, no backyard poultry.
•Feed removed 8 to 12 hours before slaughter, water left until catching.
•Catching at night or early in the morning, calmly, transport in the cool hours.

Health of a long flock and preparing the sale