Chicken Vaccines?

[ChknMom]

Leadwolf1, I am so sorry! That sounds so terrably sad! :-( thank you for recommending it. I feel vaccinating against this disease is something I would want to do. Thank you!

 

[leadwolf1]

You do realize that Marek's remains on a property for 7 years. In the soil, coop, etc? So the resistant birds might be resistant but they are still carriers and selling those birds would infect someone's else's flock? Along with vaccinating, I am also trying to develop a disease resistant flock. It isn't that easy.

I don't vaccinate, though I sometimes buy vaccinated birds without batting an eyelid. I gather some diseases may be spread by certain vaccines (i.e. some make the bird a carrier of live virus) so it's worth reading widely.

Marek's is a terrible disease, but I prefer breeding for resistance, i.e. you can end up with a Marek's-resistant flock in about 1 generation. The first generation you may get many losses, and in some vulnerable strains there might be no survivors. I prefer to buy hardy birds that have some hope of surviving these things, and if Marek's appeared tomorrow I'd deal with it by humane culling and really valuing (and breeding from) those that stay asymptomatic. I wouldn't do this with too many other diseases, but Marek's is a special case.

Good luck whatever you choose, don't let anyone tell you not vaccinating is irresponsible. There are many ways to achieve a healthy, disease-free flock. Vaccination sometimes results in a flock that carry contagious disease agents, so it isn't perfect. However it may be the only way some pet strains of chickens can survive, so by all means do it if your birds are your friends.

Just my thoughts,
Erica

 

[leadwolf1]

Thank you. I'm glad that I could help.

Leadwolf1, I am so sorry! That sounds so terrably sad! :-( thank you for recommending it. I feel vaccinating against this disease is something I would want to do. Thank you!

 

[leadwolf1]

Dawg...good advice. Unfortunately, I was just building my flock when Marek's hit. You can't quarantine for Marek's..as the disease symptoms take too long to manifest themselves...and a closed flock wasn't an option since I didn't have a flock yet It was, and still is, a very hard way to learn a lesson.

I've never had my birds vaccinated. It's a personal choice. I think it would be wise to find out what poultry diseases are prevelent in your area and possibly vaccinate for that particular disease(s.)
Here where I live, it's fowl pox and alot of people vaccinate accordingly. Most of my birds have had it and are immune to that particular strain. Biosecurity and a closed flock goes a long way in preventing diseases as well.

 

[seminolewind]

The only way to avoid Marek's is to keep a closed flock. Which is only hatching eggs or day old hatchery chicks.

For those who won't vaccinate, the US had a Marek's crisis in the 70's. 60% of egg and meat chickens were dying of Marek's. Since that time, with some better practices, and vaccinating, they lose less than 1% I believe. Those chickens that laid those eggs for the stores, or chickens raised for meat have all been vaccinated for Marek's.

 

[netty74]

I purchased some day old chicks today and the gentleman said he gave them vaccines today . I'm pretty sure my adult chickens are not vaccinated . When the chicks get older do I have to worry about mixing them together ??

 

[gypsychicken]

I had half of my flock die and they had wonderful conditions. I sent the carcass to UCDavis and she was diagnosed with Marek's disease. After that, I vaccinate for my chicks for Marek's. It's not worth the risk for me.

 

[bumpershoot]

Mareks is a rough topic because there seems to be no cut and dry answer. At the moment, my choice is to vaccinate any chick that come from somewhere else and not vaccinate what is born here.

I purchased some day old chicks today and the gentleman said he gave them vaccines today . I'm pretty sure my adult chickens are not vaccinated . When the chicks get older do I have to worry about mixing them together ??

You will be able to mix the chick and your adults. You will just need to make sure the babies stay separate for, I believe, three days. It's covered in the Mareks section of the Learning Center.


What burns me about the Mareks vaccine is that it can't be bought in small quantities. I think more folks would vaccinate if they could get it in doses of 50 or so. Then you could buy several rounds of the vaccine each year but only ship once. It would allow the folks who only hatch a few babies (and by that I mean 50 or less, not a big hatchery) to vaccinate without taking a second on the house. The cost of this vaccine has also doubled in the last several years. Back in 09 it was $10 now it's $20 plus $45 shipping and the box and the cold pack. That's way expensive when I only have 20 eggs in the incubator. My last hatch of two (2!) would have run me around $70 dollars to vaccinate. Gosh. And I will admit, this is a real contributing factor to my choice of vaccinating what comes in from the outside but not vaccinating what is born here.

 

[seminolewind]

I like twincitiespoultrysupply.com for their low price on shipping on ice. I think even if the vaccine were available for 10 chicks, it would still be $20. You know how those things go . You just can't think about the 1,000 doses.

Vaccine and quarantine is at least 2 weeks , or if possible up to 6-8 weeks. Hatcheries get better vaccine, so I opt to get hatchery chicks. I have hatched my own from exposed parent and they died at 8 months. I hatched eggs from an exposed hen and incubated them, grew them outside near the flock, then sent the chicks to someone. I did get one back and he seems to be fine at a year old.

Read the BIG Marek's FAQ link at the bottom of my posts. Nambroth put it together and it's excellent.

 

[bumpershoot]

Thanks seminolewind, I will check out twincititespoultrysupply.com again. Somehow I thought their shipping was $45 plus box and ice also, but it's been crazy busy here, so I will double check. I will have another hatch started in about a month and I would like to vaccinate them.