Most people in Kenya are adopting commercial poultry keeping as a means of generating additional income. In the past few years the commercial poultry production has been on a steady growth despite the numerous challenges. These challenges include rising cost of poultry feeds, fluctuations in the supply of day old chicks, low quality poultry health inputs, insufficient knowledge in poultry diseases management and poor access to market due to unsynchronized commercial poultry production.

One of the major challenges that cut across both the exotic and indigenous poultry farming is the issue of disease control and management. Most farmers have not adopted the practice of disease control interventions such as vaccination and proper poultry management practices. This is especially so amongst indigenous poultry farmers who think that vaccinations should only be for exotic commercial birds. This article will focus on the management of New Castle disease.

Effective and proper vaccination programme in poultry is necessary to prevent mortality and losses from many dreadful poultry diseases. Vaccination programmes are available against the major poultry diseases. All birds reared on your farm either for your own stock or for sale to the public must be properly vaccinated.