can adult chickens be vaccinated for marek's?

[leadwolf1]

Unfortunately Leadwolf, I was unable to find the magazine after you told me about it. I did talk to some people at Pfizer and they also agree with the mutations taking place. This is why it is so darned important to immunize your birds!!! I just cannot say this enough. If you haven't walked in the shoes of the people who have seen this disease up close and personal, don't throw stones. I hope you never have to find out just how hard it is to have to kill bird after bird, while the tears are running down your face. Hoping you can get a 'clean' cut the first time.

I found mine at Tractor Supply. Oh how I wish that I could share it! It made me feel better knowing that I am not doing anything wrong but that the vaccine may not cover the strain that I am dealing with. Will I stop vaccinating? Never. At least I know that my birds are safe from the other strains.

 

[seminolewind]

Quote: I would think that if you had hatches within 48 hours or so , you could wait and do them all together. I've done that. I just don't open the incubator till they're all hatched, or move them to a brooder after I come out of the shower and have not touched anything but my clean clothes.

There are injectables that have to be used within an hour, one being Ampicillin. Another , used within some hours is Synagis, that protects babies from a horrible respiratory virus called RSV.

How come your Marek's vaccine is so expensive? I pay about $20.00 for a bottle.

 

[Haunted55]

Haunted55...I agree with you on all points except for one. The Marek's vaccine is unlike any other. It is very unstable and it is also so touchy about the conditions it is used under that I would never mess with it. I wouldn't try and guess how much vaccine to mix with how much diluent. I just wouldn't. It is only 19.95 and, I use what I need and pitch it. I've reconstitued 1000 doses and only used 2. The other vaccines, I agree totally. They can be stored and used as needed up until the expiration date. With Marek's, the money isn't the issue, the best possible immunity is. That is just my opinion and I know that you will agree that we are both searching for a way to save our friends.

No Leadwolf, I actually agree with you. I will buy a new bottle for each hatch as well. All I was trying to do was pass along what I had been told for those who worry about the cost. Until you have lived this horror, you really have no clue about the devastation $16.00 can ward off.

 

[ChicKat]

Haunted55 - Have you investigated inovo vaccination for your situation? Don't have book in hand at this moment but I think it is mentioned in Gail Damerow's book.

 

[leadwolf1]

I have done this also. I waited until everyone hatched, removed all from the incubator and vaccinated. I was just very careful to make sure that they were in 'isolation' for the time that they couldn't be vaccinated.

I would think that if you had hatches within 48 hours or so , you could wait and do them all together. I've done that. I just don't open the incubator till they're all hatched, or move them to a brooder after I come out of the shower and have not touched anything but my clean clothes.

There are injectables that have to be used within an hour, one being Ampicillin. Another , used within some hours is Synagis, that protects babies from a horrible respiratory virus called RSV.

How come your Marek's vaccine is so expensive? I pay about $20.00 for a bottle.

 

[Arielle]

Haunted--I'm sure it was a very difficult time; I recently lost about 20 birds to coccidia.

I looked at the vial of vaccine that I have and the Series 3 is the only listing. I know flu shots for humans can vary as they try to determine the most likely strains of the flu to include.So I can beleive there are other strains of merecks for vaccinating chickens.

Modified live vacicines come in different forms. ANd storage time varies. It depends on the vaccine. Some can be multi dose bottles like I had EVA for my horses that was a vial of 10 doses that could be kept refrigerated, using one dose at a time. Or individual doses like the typical DHLPP vaccines for dogs are individual vials, mixing sterile water into the vial of dried and pulling up ONE dose per dog. Some vaccines are more fragile than others. For the best effect of the vaccine, follow the manufacturers instructions, they did the studies. As for the mereks vaccine specifically, the mixed vaccine must be kept at 70-80 degrees for no more than an hour. Peter Brown says you can extend that time to 2-2.5 hours IF the temperature is reduced by putting jar in a cold water bath.

As for children and vaccinations, don't get me started. I made the apptments and dealt with scared and crying kids to make sure they got there vaccinations. I don't want them exposed to the risk of those children that are not vaccinated--they put my kids at risk. SHesh. Simple. Get vaccinated. Massachusetts has a free vaccine program so there is NO excuse financially to not get vaccinated. School rules mandate it as far as I know here in Mass.; Just got a notice requiring verification of physical and vaccinations. When everyone is vacinated we can just about wipe out a number of diseases. Polio is one. Unfortuantely the primates other than humans are the primary source of polio; when they are in close contact to unvaccinated folks, there is an out break. Vaccination keeps polio a thing of the past.

 

[Haunted55]

I would think that if you had hatches within 48 hours or so , you could wait and do them all together. I've done that. I just don't open the incubator till they're all hatched, or move them to a brooder after I come out of the shower and have not touched anything but my clean clothes.

There are injectables that have to be used within an hour, one being Ampicillin. Another , used within some hours is Synagis, that protects babies from a horrible respiratory virus called RSV.

How come your Marek's vaccine is so expensive? I pay about $20.00 for a bottle.

It's not the marek's that's that expensive, it's the one for MG. I am leaving nothing to chance from now on. Even though I didn't have a problem with that or any of the other 'bad boys' I am not taking anything for granted ever again. Anyone ever see a pure white ameraucana? I had one hatch and I lost her to the Marek's. She survived the initial losses but 4 weeks or so ago, she went blind. Almost over night. Nope, never again...

 

[Haunted55]

Haunted55 - Have you investigated inovo vaccination for your situation? Don't have book in hand at this moment but I think it is mentioned in Gail Damerow's book.

Just heard about this on Monday. I am looking into this.

 

[Haunted55]

Haunted--I'm sure it was a very difficult time; I recently lost about 20 birds to coccidia.

I looked at the vial of vaccine that I have and the Series 3 is the only listing. I know flu shots for humans can vary as they try to determine the most likely strains of the flu to include.So I can beleive there are other strains of merecks for vaccinating chickens.

Modified live vacicines come in different forms. ANd storage time varies. It depends on the vaccine. Some can be multi dose bottles like I had EVA for my horses that was a vial of 10 doses that could be kept refrigerated, using one dose at a time. Or individual doses like the typical DHLPP vaccines for dogs are individual vials, mixing sterile water into the vial of dried and pulling up ONE dose per dog. Some vaccines are more fragile than others. For the best effect of the vaccine, follow the manufacturers instructions, they did the studies. As for the mereks vaccine specifically, the mixed vaccine must be kept at 70-80 degrees for no more than an hour. Peter Brown says you can extend that time to 2-2.5 hours IF the temperature is reduced by putting jar in a cold water bath.

As for children and vaccinations, don't get me started. I made the apptments and dealt with scared and crying kids to make sure they got there vaccinations. I don't want them exposed to the risk of those children that are not vaccinated--they put my kids at risk. SHesh. Simple. Get vaccinated. Massachusetts has a free vaccine program so there is NO excuse financially to not get vaccinated. School rules mandate it as far as I know here in Mass.; Just got a notice requiring verification of physical and vaccinations. When everyone is vacinated we can just about wipe out a number of diseases. Polio is one. Unfortuantely the primates other than humans are the primary source of polio; when they are in close contact to unvaccinated folks, there is an out break. Vaccination keeps polio a thing of the past.

What I was told is if you only extracted the amount you needed from each bottle, nothing more, and kept the rest unmixed, you could keep it until the expiration date on the bottle or package. If the vaccine you have doesn't have this i would be calling and finding out what the dates are even if you do not plan on trying to save it. I'd want to know that I wasn't being given something that was close to expiration.

 

[seminolewind]

Haunted55, Are you talking about dividing up the wafer, and saving the pieces? I've done that. Unmixed.