Zimbabwe Broiler Vaccination Schedule: 2025 Guide
Vaccination is not optional in Zimbabwe's commercial broiler industry. Newcastle Disease (ND) and Infectious Bursal Disease (Gumboro/IBD) are endemic and can devastate an unvaccinated flock within days. This schedule follows AGRITEX recommendations and is the standard used by commercial integrators including Irvines Zimbabwe.
Day 1: Marek's Disease Vaccine
Administered at hatchery via subcutaneous injection. If sourcing from an independent hatchery, confirm vaccination certificate before accepting delivery. Marek's is incurable, prevention is the only option. Cost: already included in day-old chick price from reputable suppliers.
Day 7: Newcastle Disease (1st dose)
Live attenuated vaccine via eye drop or drinking water. Products available in Zimbabwe: Hitchner B1 or Clone 30 (Intervet/Highveld Biologicals). Withhold water for 1–2 hours before vaccination. Ensure water is cool and free of chlorine. Administer within 2 hours of mixing. Cost: approximately $0.04–0.06/bird. Critical: do not vaccinate birds that are already showing respiratory signs, get a vet diagnosis first.
Day 14: Gumboro/IBD (1st dose)
Intermediate strain IBD vaccine via drinking water. Products: Nobilis Gumboro (MSD) or Bursine-2 (Ceva). Maternal antibody interference is the main risk, vaccinating too early renders the vaccine ineffective. Day 14 is the optimised timing for Zimbabwean flocks with standard maternal antibody levels. Signs of Gumboro reaction: brief 24–48 hour depression, reduced feed intake, this is normal and indicates an immune response.
Day 21: Newcastle Disease (2nd dose)
Second ND vaccination via drinking water. Same product as Day 7. This booster is critical, many Zimbabwean flocks skip this dose and suffer ND outbreaks at days 30–35 when maternal and first-dose protection wanes. If you're selling birds at Day 28–30, still administer Day 21 ND, the protection window matters.
Day 28: Gumboro/IBD (2nd dose)
Second IBD vaccination. After day 28 the bursa of Fabricius is fully mature and the bird can respond strongly to vaccine challenge. This dose locks in IBD immunity for the remainder of the cycle. Do not skip even if birds look healthy, Gumboro can strike between days 25–35.
Cold Chain Compliance
All live vaccines must be stored at 2–8°C. This is the single most common failure point for Zimbabwean operators: vaccines left unrefrigerated in transit lose potency within hours. Buy only from reputable veterinary suppliers with cold storage. Ask for storage temperature logs. FarmIQ's vaccination module tracks scheduled vs. completed doses and records the administering staff member, critical for traceability.
FarmIQ Platform
FarmIQ auto-generates this schedule for every new batch and sends reminders when vaccinations are due.
This guide is maintained by the FarmIQ team based on real operator data from Zimbabwe farms. Last reviewed: April 2026.