Vaccination is the cheapest treatment there is. This article summarises the basic programme from the vaccine pages in the encyclopedia — each vaccine has its own page with full details and the diseases it protects against.

Educational content for breeders — not a substitute for a vet. The doses here are general figures from product leaflets; the actual programme must be set with a vet according to your flock and your region.

1. Paramyxovirus (Newcastle)

The most important vaccine by far — the disease is highly contagious and hits all ages with nervous, respiratory and digestive signs.

  • Route: subcutaneous injection at the base of the neck.
  • Dose: 0.2–0.5 ml per bird depending on the product, two doses four weeks apart after six weeks of age.
  • Booster: yearly, preferably before the breeding or racing season if more than ten months have passed since the last dose.
  • Storage: refrigerated as per the manufacturer — never frozen.

2. Pigeon pox

  • Route: wing-web stab with the double-needle applicator, or brushing onto feather follicles on the upper thigh/breast.
  • Checking the "take": 7–10 days later a swelling and scab appear at the site — that is the sign the vaccination worked, and it drops off within 2–3 weeks.
  • Booster: some sources recommend a dose at 18 weeks and a yearly booster in July–August.
  • Note: with the combined vaccine (paramyxo + pox), pox is usually given two to three weeks after paramyxo.

3. Salmonella (paratyphoid)

  • Route: subcutaneous injection at the base of the neck (some products offer oral/drinking-water alternatives).
  • Dose: 0.1–0.5 ml depending on the product, two doses 2–4 weeks apart; yearly booster.

General rules before any vaccination

  • Never vaccinate a bird that is sick or under stress (transport, racing, extreme heat) — every vaccine page says the same.
  • An opened vaccine is used immediately; refrigerate as the leaflet says.
  • Record the vaccination on the bird's page in the app — the next due date is calculated for you from the age and interval.

Combined and regional vaccines

Combined vaccines (paramyxo + herpes, or + adenovirus) are available in limited areas with no standard protocol — and some specialists doubt the effectiveness of the herpes component. Read their encyclopedia pages before relying on them.

Full details for each vaccine are in the Vaccines section of the health encyclopedia. If you have a bird that has just joined the loft, read The first 90 days: quarantine, settling in and the first vaccination programme for the full context, and log every dose in the loft diary.