Another Marek's vaccine question

[yomama]

sorry if this is obvious, but I have been searching all over the internet, and BYC, and still can't quite get a definite answer. Why can a chick only be one day old to be vaccinated for Marek's? Is this because it needs to be done before it is exposed to the virus, which is almost everywhere? Also does a hen that has been vaccinated for Marek's, provide any immunity to her offspring? (I am guessing not, since the virus mutates.) Just wondering because I have Marek's on my property and a little bummed that I won't be able to hatch any of my own chicks, unless I most likely hatch them out using an incubator, and I order the vaccines and administer myself. I would really rather have a hen hatch them out. Oh well.
Thanks for any imput!

 

[NWChicks]

They can still be vaccinated when they're older. It's just best to do it at one day old so they are vaccinated as soon as possible. Once you vaccinate it takes about 10 days for the vaccine to be fully effective so you have to be careful that you brood them away from where Marek's has been (ie. don't have them in the coop with the big girls until they've gone 10 days after vaccine.) That's about all I know!

I just got my vaccine in the mail yesterday so I'll be doing mine soon.

 

[crazy chook]

Where can I purchase the vaccine in Australia. I was told that I can only buy it in huge quantities to do 1000's of chicks at one time and it only lasts days before it expires.

 

[greenbean62657]

We are dealing with a Marek's outbreak in our flock. What we have been told by our state's avian specialist is that chicks must be vaccinated prior to exposure to the virus which is prevalent in the environment. It needs 10 - 14 days to build up the immunity in your baby chicks, and that a mother that has been vaccinated still can be a carrier of the disease. The vaccine just prevents the formation of tumors which leads to death.

We have been told that we will not be able to hatch out our chicks with a mamma hen. I'm with you - we had a momma with her chicks and it was incredibly special to watch her with them. But comparing the joy of watching a mamma with her babies to watching our juvenilles die of Marek's - if we choose to get additional chickens, we will forgo the natural to keep them healthy for a life time.

Lastly, even though you can only buy the vaccine in huge quantities - it is not terribly expensive in the states. I'm not sure if a state side source would ship to Australia - I'm sure the overnight freight would push the cost up,

 

[yomama]

Thanks for the responses. It's pretty much what I figured, but I thought I would just check.