The most important disease in small-scale chicken production is Newcastle Disease because it is responsible for most deaths and economic losses in village poultry production. As a general biosafety rule, do not consume the meat of any chicken (or other animal) which is sick or which has died of disease and always remove sick birds from the rest of the flock and keep them in a separate dedicated area.
Below is a vaccination schedule that farmers can adopt.
Age |
Disease |
Vaccine examples and route |
---|---|---|
1-3 day |
Newcastle disease |
|
7-14 days |
Infectious bursal disease |
Bursine-2 via drinking water |
14-21 days |
Newcastle disease |
|
14-21 days |
Infectious bursal disease |
Bursine-2 via drinking water |
8-10 weeks, then every 3-4 months |
Newcastle disease |
|
5-8 weeks |
Fowl pox |
Poxine via wing stab |