7 Choose healthy chicks

A chick’s health status can be hard to judge. Check thoroughly, if possible, as to their health, their living conditions, and those of the parents.

Commercial chicks will be vaccinated against Marek’s disease and salmonella in the hatchery. However, this protection only works if the chicks are isolated in clean conditions from older birds for at least a month afterwards.

If you are buying in day-old or very young chicks that still need heat, their immune system will not be fully developed and there’s a real risk of them getting sick. Moving them onto your property will expose them to disease. You may have disease organisms typical to your area that birds – even adults – coming from a different source may have no immunity to.

While some breeders will say their birds are selected for immunity to various diseases, chicks from these birds that are then transported to another area where there is a different range of diseases will still be prone to infection.

Immunity takes time to build. Young birds are gradually exposed to new sets of infective agents as they grow.

Basic hygiene is essential and it needs to be in place before chicks arrive. •

Don’t put day-old chicks into areas already soiled by other poultry or wild birds. Keep them separate while they are in the brooder, and preferably in an area away from your other poultry for a few weeks after this.

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Make sure all the equipment they come in contact with is new or very clean. If it has been used for birds before, scrub it well to remove all traces of dust and faecal deposits. Rinse it in a sanitiser such as Virkon S (available from your vet or farm supply store) which works against bacteria, virus and moulds. Most normal disinfectants are only suitable to kill bacteria. •

If you have other poultry, always tend to the youngest birds first so you avoid trekking dirty shoes or equipment into their area. •

The disease challenge is always present. Your role as a chicken carer is to understand what threats your chicks may face as they grow up.

Gradual exposure to the environment in which they will eventually reach adulthood is important. A chick living in a home or lifestyle situation is far more vulnerable to catching a virus or bacterial disease inadvertently introduced by the family.

Contrast that with a chick living in a commercial environment. They are vaccinated against several very common diseases as they grow up. They are (mostly) protected from contact with disease vectors like wild birds, predators and visitors, and are also regularly monitored via blood sampling or swabbing to ensure they remain healthy.

Make sure all equipment is new or very clean