Against the odds hatching thread (with pictures and questions)

[adirondak5]

They only have one shipping option, so it doesn't matter. They ship overnight or as fast as possible, because the vaccine is extremely temperature-sensitive and loses its potency if allowed to get warm. So they ship it on ice and fast. It comes with a syringe, needle and everything else you'll need.

This site has good instructions with pictures:

https://backyardpoultry.iamcountrys...inister-the-mareks-vaccine-to-poultry-chicks/

Yes , I saw that after reading your post about ordering from Meyers , that's not too bad considering you also get a proper syringe I suppose . I am leaning towards vaccinating also .
Didn't mean to stress you or cause more expense when I brought it up , I thought it was worth mention .

 

[aart]

I bit the bullet and ordered the vaccine from Meyer Hatchery:
https://www.meyerhatchery.com/productinfo.a5w?prodID=VACM

Cheaper than I recall, but haven't followed much info for a few years.

@aart what do you think about the candling results - development, air cells etc.?

They look good...excellent work on the vids, pics and documentation.

 

[K0k0shka]

They look good...excellent work on the vids, pics and documentation.

Thanks! I've been looking at more candling videos and I think my chicks look comparable to theirs in terms of size, so I'm not as worried about that anymore.

 

[K0k0shka]

@adirondak5 I talked to somebody in our community who studies chicken diseases and is collecting data for the greater Boston area. She strongly recommends vaccinating for Marek's, and says wild birds can transmit it, too - so there's really no way to isolate your flock, even if you order supplies online where they're kept separate from living birds. She also said that there are studies showing that re-vaccination a week or two after the initial shot improves immunity even more. I looked into that and found this article from the NIH:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2643530/

Mortality rates from the study:
- Unvaccinated group: 33-36%
- Vaccinated with strain#1 - 1 shot: 9.7%
- Vaccinated with strain#1 - 2 shots: 3.4%
- Vaccinated with strain#2 - 1 shot: 6.1%
- Vaccinated with strain#2 - 2 shots: 1.9%

Those numbers look pretty convincing to me! Not only do outcomes improve with the vaccine vs. without, but they get even better with re-vaccination. I'm sold.

 

[adirondak5]

Wow , that's quite a difference in the mortality rate between unvaccinated and once vaccinated . I think I am sold as well , at least on one vaccination . Thanks for that info .

 

[K0k0shka]

Wow , that's quite a difference in the mortality rate between unvaccinated and once vaccinated . I think I am sold as well , at least on one vaccination . Thanks for that info .

The vaccine only comes in a 1000-dose vial, way more than you'll need. You can mix only as much as you need, and the rest keeps well in the refrigerator. So since you'll already have lots left over anyway, there's no additional cost to re-vaccinating (aside from the chore of grabbing chicks and giving them the shot). I think I'm gonna do both rounds. Might as well.

 

[adirondak5]

The vaccine only comes in a 1000-dose vial, way more than you'll need. You can mix only as much as you need, and the rest keeps well in the refrigerator. So since you'll already have lots left over anyway, there's no additional cost to re-vaccinating (aside from the chore of grabbing chicks and giving them the shot). I think I'm gonna do both rounds. Might as well.

I saw a few videos of mixing up the vaccine and administering it and it looked like it was all mixed at once without any mixing ratios mentioned . I'll have to watch more and read more into it .

 

[K0k0shka]

I saw a few videos of mixing up the vaccine and administering it and it looked like it was all mixed at once without any mixing ratios mentioned . I'll have to watch more and read more into it .

Hmm... I guess it depends on how it's packaged then, and if it can be re-sealed. I've read about some people receiving it in "wafer" form which they can then break into pieces and use only one piece at a time. Judging by the picture, this one looks like it's liquid in a vial. Meyer has an online chat, which is very useful (I talked to them earlier about shipping). I'll ask about using part and storing the rest, and mixing ratios. You have more time to research though, might find it sold elsewhere and packaged in a different way for easier division to use the rest later. If it's 1000 doses, it feels like a waste to mix all of it at once, since you have to use it within an hour of mixing, and you'd need to throw out the rest... Would be good to look into mixing only part of it. So you can either save and use the rest later for re-vaccination, or to share it with other chicken owners in the area if they'd be willing to split the cost...

 

[K0k0shka]

Question: when exactly should I begin lockdown? At the start of day 18? Or when it has been a full completed 18 days? Or somewhere in the middle of the 18th day? The 18th day began today at noon... When should I candle and do everything else for lockdown?

 

[aart]

The 18th day began today at noon... When should I candle and do everything else for lockdown?

I'd just do it today.