Are there any risk associated with the Marek's disease vaccine?

[cochins1088]

I have a flock of mixed ages ranging from 1 week old to 6 years old. I'll be getting a few vaccinated birds, however, I have never vaccinated my flock. I realize that the vaccine won't make the new birds carriers, but it will hide whether or not they actually have the disease.

As far as I know, I have never lost a bird to Marek's disease. Other members on this site have told me that my flock is most likely resistant because nearly all chickens are exposed at some point in their lives. I'd like to vaccinate my flock (better to be safe than sorry), but first I want to make sure there aren't any risks to the vaccine.



I can vaccinate my entire flock no matter what the age, correct? If so, should I give them all the same dose of 0.2 ml?

They will not develop symptoms of Marek's disease from the vaccine, correct?

I plan to share the vaccine with a neighbor and she raises both chickens and turkeys, is it safe for her to vaccinate her flock? even if it's the turkey strain of Marek's in the vaccine?

I received my starter flock when they were already 1 year old and I don't know whether or not they have already been vaccinated. In case they have, would it hurt to vaccinate a second time?

 

[BantamLover21]

I have a flock of mixed ages ranging from 1 week old to 6 years old. I'll be getting a few vaccinated birds, however, I have never vaccinated my flock. I realize that the vaccine won't make the new birds carriers, but it will hide whether or not they actually have the disease.

As far as I know, I have never lost a bird to Marek's disease. Other members on this site have told me that my flock is most likely resistant because nearly all chickens are exposed at some point in their lives. I'd like to vaccinate my flock (better to be safe than sorry), but first I want to make sure there aren't any risks to the vaccine.



I can vaccinate my entire flock no matter what the age, correct? If so, should I give them all the same dose of 0.2 ml? I've heard of vaccinating older birds for Marek's, but its not usually recommended. This is because most older birds have already been exposed to the Marek's virus (its everywhere--if you have chickens, you almost certainly have Mareks; many birds are resistant to it) making the vaccine useless. The vaccine is usually given to day-old chicks subcutaneously on the neck. I've done it before, and it isn't that hard.

They will not develop symptoms of Marek's disease from the vaccine, correct? As far as I know, they will not. Or at least there is only a very small chance that the symptoms will appear.

I plan to share the vaccine with a neighbor and she raises both chickens and turkeys, is it safe for her to vaccinate her flock? even if it's the turkey strain of Marek's in the vaccine? I don't know. I would think that the vaccine would be safe for all types of fowl, even the birds that produced it. Still, I wouldn't want to risk it. Hopefully someone with more knowledge can help.

I received my starter flock when they were already 1 year old and I don't know whether or not they have already been vaccinated. In case they have, would it hurt to vaccinate a second time? As stated above, at this point, they have probably been exposed to the Marek's Disease virus. Vaccination would be useless if that were the case. It wouldn't "hurt" to vaccinate them, but it wouldn't be beneficial either.

 

[cochins1088]

Thanks for your response. The main reason that I want to vaccinate is because I read that there are many different strains of Marek's disease. I will be bringing in a few new birds and I imagine with doing so, there's a possibility of them bringing in new strains.

So you think that vaccinating at this point would be pointless? even for the 1 week old chicks underneath a broody hen?

If so, than I'd rather not spend the time or money vaccinating, but if it will be at all beneficial, than I'll do it.

 

[BantamLover21]

Thanks for your response. The main reason that I want to vaccinate is because I read that there are many different strains of Marek's disease. I will be bringing in a few new birds and I imagine with doing so, there's a possibility of them bringing in new strains.

So you think that vaccinating at this point would be pointless? even for the 1 week old chicks underneath a broody hen?

If so, than I'd rather not spend the time or money vaccinating, but if it will be at all beneficial, than I'll do it.

Well, I don't know. Marek's is a terrible disease to deal with, and since its everywhere, I would try to do everything that is possible to prevent it. Its probably too late to vaccinate your older birds, but I would perhaps still vaccinate the 1-week old chicks and any other chicks you introduce to the flock. If you see any obvious signs of Marek's (paralysis, tumors, test results, etc.), then I would cull the non-vaccinated birds and then only bring in vaccinated birds. Hopefully, though, you never have to do such a thing.

 

[Wyandottes7]

Well, I don't know. Marek's is a terrible disease to deal with, and since its everywhere, I would try to do everything that is possible to prevent it. Its probably too late to vaccinate your older birds, but I would perhaps still vaccinate the 1-week old chicks and any other chicks you introduce to the flock. If you see any obvious signs of Marek's (paralysis, tumors, test results, etc.), then I would cull the non-vaccinated birds and then only bring in vaccinated birds. Hopefully, though, you never have to do such a thing.

X2. Doing somethiing is better than doing nothing at all, even if it may not work.

 

[Wyandottes7]

I have a flock of mixed ages ranging from 1 week old to 6 years old. I'll be getting a few vaccinated birds, however, I have never vaccinated my flock. I realize that the vaccine won't make the new birds carriers, but it will hide whether or not they actually have the disease.

As far as I know, I have never lost a bird to Marek's disease. Other members on this site have told me that my flock is most likely resistant because nearly all chickens are exposed at some point in their lives. I'd like to vaccinate my flock (better to be safe than sorry), but first I want to make sure there aren't any risks to the vaccine.



I can vaccinate my entire flock no matter what the age, correct? If so, should I give them all the same dose of 0.2 ml?
You CAN vaccinate a flock, regardless of the age. However, the vaccine has the highest chance of working when chicks are 1-2 days old. Yes, the dose would remain the same.
They will not develop symptoms of Marek's disease from the vaccine, correct?
Your birds should not get Marek's from the vaccine.
I plan to share the vaccine with a neighbor and she raises both chickens and turkeys, is it safe for her to vaccinate her flock? even if it's the turkey strain of Marek's in the vaccine?
I'm pretty sure that it is safe to vaccinate chickens and turkeys. Spliting a vaccine with a neighbor is a great idea, as few people have 1,000 + birds.
I received my starter flock when they were already 1 year old and I don't know whether or not they have already been vaccinated. In case they have, would it hurt to vaccinate a second time?
I don't think that it would hurt them. They have probably already built resistance to it.

 

[cochins1088]

Well, I don't know. Marek's is a terrible disease to deal with, and since its everywhere, I would try to do everything that is possible to prevent it. Its probably too late to vaccinate your older birds, but I would perhaps still vaccinate the 1-week old chicks and any other chicks you introduce to the flock. If you see any obvious signs of Marek's (paralysis, tumors, test results, etc.), then I would cull the non-vaccinated birds and then only bring in vaccinated birds. Hopefully, though, you never have to do such a thing.

Since Marek's disease is everywhere, my current flock has most likely already been exposed and they are resistant, correct?

Sorry, I've been told this multiple times, it's just hard for me to wrap my head around. So why are some flocks devastated by Marek's disease? What makes my flock different?

 

[cochins1088]

Quote:
I've pretty much made the decision to vaccinate.

From what I'm getting, it won't hurt to vaccinate, however, it might not be effective because my birds have probably already formed a resistance towards it.

If for some reason my flock isn't resistant to the disease (from never being exposed) than the vaccine would help them. But mostly likely they've already been exposed because it's so common.

 

[BantamLover21]

Since Marek's disease is everywhere, my current flock has most likely already been exposed and they are resistant, correct?

Sorry, I've been told this multiple times, it's just hard for me to wrap my head around. So why are some flocks devastated by Marek's disease? What makes my flock different?

Yes, your current flock has most likely been exposed. Since they aren't showing any symptoms, you can pretty much conclude that they're resistant, but thats not 100%. Marek's often only causes internal symptoms, like tumors, so even a perfectly healthy bird might die suddenly of Marek's inside it. Also, if another strain of Marek's gets introduced, them may become ill. Still, many chickens are resistant to Marek's of all types, and if your flock looks healthy, it probably is.

 

[Wyandottes7]

Yes, your current flock has most likely been exposed. Since they aren't showing any symptoms, you can pretty much conclude that they're resistant, but thats not 100%. Marek's often only causes internal symptoms, like tumors, so even a perfectly healthy bird might die suddenly of Marek's inside it. Also, if another strain of Marek's gets introduced, them may become ill. Still, many chickens are resistant to Marek's of all types, and if your flock looks healthy, it probably is.

X2