can adult chickens be vaccinated for marek's?

[GardenerGal]

Those of us who have lost any of our flock to Marek's has learned the hard way how important vaccination is. Marek's is a pervasive disease and near impossible to eradicate once it has been introduced to your barn. The virus can survive in the soil and in dust for years. Bleach and careful hygiene can't keep it away because, as was mentioned several times, the virus can travel on air, shoes, clothes and wild birds.

Vaccination is the only way. I have even resolved to vaccinate adult birds if I'm not sure of their provenance and whether they were vaccinated at hatching. It is risk free and if it saves even one grown bird it's worth it.

 

[tinychicky]

wow this is a pretty old thread i didn't realize it was still active. unfortunatly the silkie in question passed away several weeks ago. not of marek's but of a stroke. he died peacefully i think. rest in peace, raven.

 

[seminolewind]

I hatched 10 chicks from eggs that I bought. At 8 weeks old, they died one by one. Because my flock had been exposed and I didn't know. I traced it back to the ONLY chicken that was bought and not hatched here at home. So I've lost 7 chicks already.

Marek's is running rampant in backyard flocks . We don't do "all in, all out" like the hatcheries do. We add chickens here and there. And even a healthy chicken or a vaccinated chicken can still carry Marek's and pass it on and kill all your chickens.

Get them vaccinated. Here's some good info:

http://www.firststatevetsupply.com/content/view/17/37/

 

[Molbaygun]

Vaccinate! Regardless of the age of your birds! I have Mareks in my flock now. Think it came from a batch of chicks from Tractor Supply. (I called the company where they came from and they DON'T vaccinate!!) I have lost many birds from this awful virus and had a few euthanized....my silkie roo was one of them just this past Tuesday!! I have had a few of my girls bounce back from this also but with lots of TLC. I met the Chicken Doctor (Peter Brown from First State Vet Supply) at a poultry fair last year and explained the symptoms to him. Yep, my flock has Mareks. Despite a clean coop, etc it didn't matter. I purchased Oxine and Turmeric from him. Oxine goes into their water and Turmeric goes into their food. I clean the coop with Oxine also. You see, Mareks is like a cancer. The turmeric is a cancer type preventative. I just ordered the vaccine from him and he sent me explicit directions on how to split it for the number of girls in my flock. Yes...it has to be done in one hour. We plan on vaccinating tonight as they start to settle down for the night. Am I nervous about it .....sure I am. But I am so tired of losing my girls (and guys) to this awful virus. What is does to the birds is horrific. My birds are aged from five years to 6 months. They will ALL be vaccinated. Just to prove this works.....One of my little bantys has Mareks. I noticed she was lethargic, had droopy wings and was walking weird. (she'd lift a leg and then lift the other straight out) I separated her from the flock. Daily I mixed a batch of turmeric and water and through a syringe gave her mouthfuls. I did this 2X a day for a week and a half. I put Oxine in her water and changed it every 48 hours. I also put Turmeric in her food. Within 2 weeks she was walking normally, talking back and finally integrated back with the flock. She's tiny so I have to keep an eye on her and to make sure that she doesn't rebound. It's a lot of work but for those of us that love our birds, we'll do just about anything so that they don't suffer and remain healthy. So here's to a successful vaccination "party" tonight! Wish me luck!

 

[seminolewind]

I have decided to vaccinate all my chickens, from young to 4 years old. My rational is that since they're already exposed and don't have nerve damage or tumors, the vaccine itself does not prevent a chick from getting Marek's, it prevents a chick from dying from nerve damage or tumors. It can't hurt. It may save any one of them down the line.

Since I have to buy 1000 doses, it's not going to cost me any more. I have already vaccinated 2 that aren't eating too much. Now they are eating. I vaccinated one roo who has had symptoms for weeks, and his poo has turned from lime green to normal brown. I vaccinated 2 of his siblings that got real skinny, but they are now 5 months old. Maybe they'll fatten up. Who knows.

 

[seminolewind]

Most if not all hatchery chicks have not been exposed to Marek's. They get their eggs from various farms, eggs do not carry it. They hatch a bunch, sell them off, disinfect, and get the next batch. Their practices (also raising chickens for store bought meat) practice all in all out, and disinfect in between.

Meanwhile, backyard flocks have not practiced all in all out and disinfect in between. We have chickens of all ages, some bought as adults, chicks from feedstores, swaps, reputable breeders, etc. ANY chick/chicken who has been exposed to other chickens, vaccinated or not, can carry and shed the virus and kill your flock. The only way to prevent it is to hatch eggs on your property, and vaccinate them,or hatchery chicks that have been vaccinated.

My mistakes were buying ONE pullet 2 years ago that exposed my whole flock. I did lose one every few months or so from wasting away, but didn't know why. Then I hatched purchased eggs under my broodies and most of them died, one each week for 7 weeks. That's when I realized that MY flock had it.

Times have changed. While big hatcheries and chicken producers have gotten their losses lower than 1%, Marek's in backyard flock has become almost epidemic. We have not educated ourselves, and there is very little correct information out there. For example, Marek's can have alot of symptoms aside from paralysis and tumors. Wasting away is the most common. Paralysis is the most recognized.

I'm OCD. Can you tell?

 

[Lucysmom002]

I think my Dixie might have Marek's. I have a thread started about her under the diseases and emergency topic.

What can I do for her?? I want to have her vaccinated. I'll call the vet Monday if she's still here. I want to try anything that I can.
My chicks from Mc Murray are vaccinated but I'm not sure about the other chickens that I have. We were new to this last year. I had no idea.

 

[seminolewind]

Lucy, if your chicken has Marek's, then it's too late to vaccinate.

 

[4cats3kids1hubby2many]

Quote:
I am sorry..I know this is an older posting/thread....but I am having some neighboring scare of Marek's. But you say you vaccinate older birds....what I am curious is...I am being told after 6 months...you are probably in the clear. Jeffers states to not use the vaccine on chicks over 1 day old. I have 2 that are 10 weeks and 6 that are 2 weeks. I know this is not necessarily cost prohibitive. But I would like to start a vaccination program. I am just beginning the process of gathering information for breeding/showing. I have just always had a backyard layer flockl and did not worry about this.

Where do you get vaccine? What dose are you giving the older birds?

I will continue reading this thread, so you may have already answered these questions.....so thank you in advance.

 

[seminolewind]

Teresa,

You can get the vaccine at twin cities poultry. I think Jeffers has it too, and first state vet supply.

I recently lost 10 out of 10 chicks from Marek's. In 4 years, I've lost 2 chickens over 1 year old, and probably 4 that were under a year. As a chicken gets older, they become more resistant to Marek's. And as they get older, it's most probable that they have been exposed.

A chicken needs an exposure for their blood to "build an army" against Marek's. The vaccine is a way of giving chicks an exposure to "build that army" without actually getting the disease. So in chicks you want to "build that army" before the enemy arrives by vaccinating. As an unvaccinated chicken gets older, his chances of having a Marek's exposure dramatically rises , and once a chicken is exposed, the vaccine is useless.

The only way I would vaccinate older birds is if they were ALL hatched here at home and never exposed to an outside chicken. But it's not a guarantee. I think the best anyone can do getting new chicks and already having a flock is to vaccinate any new one day old chick or order them vaccinated. This will help them not die from Marek's, but they can still get it, just not die from it. Vaccinating day old chicks and quarantining them for a month or two helps them Not get Marek's from your own flock.