vaccinations, yes or no?

We are getting ready to order from the hatchery and they offer vaccinations for Coccidia and Marek. Is this something we should have done? We have had chickens before and are remodling their coop should we do any treatment of the area before we introduce the new babies?

I do not vaccinate but I am a breeder. Vaccinated birds CAN become carriers. If this is a small coop with afew birds it is more of a personal choice based on the pros and cons. If it is a show bird I would most likely vaccinate due to the potential exposure.

I would wash the coop with a good bleach solution and let it air dry.

i do not vaccinate

Birds vaccinated for Mareks do NOT become carriers. Same with cocci vaccination. If it is available I would most certainly have it done.
Here is an article written by the Delaware Poultry Club vet....

DOCTOR’S ORDERS
Dr. Julie
Do you recommend vaccinating the flock? If so, which ones and at what ages?

Poultry vaccines are, generally speaking, a better tool for managing disease that is already present in a flock than they are at preventing disease from getting into the flock. The best way to prevent disease from entering a flock is through good biosecurity, which we can talk about in more detail another time.

One drawback to the use of vaccines in small flocks is the way that they are packaged and sold. Because most poultry vaccine is used by large commercial producers, it is packaged in hundreds or thousands of doses, which is not cost-effective or convenient for vaccinating small numbers of birds.

For these two reasons, I emphasize biosecurity and good management practices over routine vaccination for backyard flock owners, with one exception – Marek’s disease vaccine.

Marek’s disease is caused by a virus, and it is a very common, highly contagious disease of chickens worldwide. Apparently healthy, but infected birds can carry and shed the virus their entire lives. The virus is spread in feather dander and transmitted by inhalation. The infection can cause tumors, paralysis, and suppress the immune system of chickens that are usually older than three months. When Marek’s disease gets into a previously uninfected or unvaccinated flock, an epidemic can occur, killing up to 80% of the chickens. Once an infected bird enters a farm, the virus is usually there to stay, unless all of the birds are the removed, and the environment is decontaminated.

Before Marek’s disease vaccine was introduced in the 1970’s, the disease had a major negative impact on U.S. poultry farms. Unfortunately, the disease still causes a lot of unnecessary suffering and death in backyard flocks whose owners aren’t aware of the nature of the problem or the availability of a vaccine. Marek’s disease vaccine does not prevent chickens from becoming infected with the virus, but it does reduce the amount of virus transmitted by infected birds, and it does a good job of preventing birds from developing illness.

Marek’s disease vaccine is given to chicks prior to hatching (in-ovo) or to day-old chicks. If you purchase day-old chicks from hatcheries, I highly recommend that you ask the hatchery to vaccinate them for you before they’re shipped. Most will do this for a small charge. If you hatch your own chicks, you can purchase and administer the vaccine yourself; it is not difficult. It is frustrating that the vaccine usually comes in 1,000 dose vials and must be used on the day it’s mixed; that means that those of us who hatch a small number of birds will toss out a lot of unused vaccine. At about $20.00 per 1,000 dose vial, you’ll have to decide if it is cost-effective for you. One option would be to coordinate your hatches with other flock owners so that you can share the vial and share the cost.

Other vaccines for fowl pox and a variety of poultry respiratory diseases are available, but I believe that these vaccines should be used only if a flock is experiencing a problem and a specific diagnosis has been made. Your veterinarian (if you can find one to treat poultry) or your state veterinary laboratory can help you with testing for flock problems. The most information can be gained from necropsies (post-mortems) of affected birds immediately after death.
Dr. Julie

You might read this, not all vets are created equal.


Vaccination is the only known method to prevent the development of tumors when chickens are infected with the virus. However, administration of vaccines does not prevent transmission of the virus; i.e., the vaccine is non-sterilizing.[1] However, it does reduce the amount of virus shed in the dander and hence reduce horizontal spread of the disease. Marek's Disease does not spread vertically. The vaccine was introduced in 1970. Before that, Marek's disease caused substantial revenue loss in the poultry industries of the United States and the United Kingdom. The vaccine can be administered to one day old chicks through sub-cutaneous inoculation or by in-ovo vaccination when the eggs are transferred from the incubator to the hatcher. In-ovo vaccination is the preferred method, as in does not require handling of the chicks and can be done rapidly by automated methods. Immunity develops within two weeks.[2]

The vaccine originally contained the antigenically similar turkey herpesvirus, which is serotype 3 of MDV.[5] However, because vaccination does not prevent infection with the virus,[6] the Marek's Disease virus has evolved increased virulence and resistance to this vaccine. As a result, current vaccines use a combination of vaccines consisting of HVT and gallid herpesvirus type 3 or an attenuated MDV strain, CVI988-Rispens (ATCvet code: QI01AD03).