In preparation of the breeding season there are several things we should consider every year. The birds should be good and rested and should have gone through a good moult.

A few weeks before pairing, I suggest vaccinating for PMV and paratyphoid. Also treat for worms, coccidia, and trichomonas. Preventive antibiotics is counterproductive and not recommended.

Antibiotics have no preventive properties, only therapeutic, so if theres nothing to treat, dont treat it. Indiscriminate use of antibiotics encourages resistant strains and may, indeed, make the birds more susceptible to infection by disturbing the normal flora of the gut.

Give the birds time to recover from the treatments and vaccinations we put them through, and you will notice a rebound effect, where they ascend to a higher level of health than before the intervention.

The vaccinations peak their immunity; and these higher levels of immune globlulins are then passed to the offspring via the yolk and crop milk, resulting in more vigourous offspring.

The treatments we give for trichomonas, cocci, and worms may not all be necessary. Usually the trichomonas treatment is needed, but if a fecal examination shows no worms or just a low lever of coccidia, then these treatments can be omitted. If no fecal examination is done, then treat to be safe.

Dr. David E. Marx D.V.M.