Arizona Chickens

[Gallo del Cielo]

I've been reading a lot about Marek's tonight. It looks as if I can't vaccinate my chicks if I plan to let the hen raise the chicks. The chicks have to be quarantined from all other birds for 10 days following vaccination. Wow, that's a trade-off of using a broody vs. an incubator that I didn't see coming.

 

[constance]

Oh, I guess so! I didn't make the connection

.

 

[mclevinson]

Mahonri! Candled another random egg tonight and SAW MOVEMENT!
Despite all the trials, tribulations and vagaries in humidity and temperature, at least one little chickie is hanging in there!

 

[squeakyballs]

Quote:
I read something about chickens becoming naturally immune to Marek's if you keep turkeys with them, since the turkeys carry a related but attenuated virus. It lets the chicken's immune system create antibodies without causing any problems.

In short: you should buy some of turkeybreeder's turkeys!

Where is that guy, anyway?

 

[Mahonri]

Quote:
Wahoo!

 

[LarryPQ]

MAREK's


I vaccinate my chicks, and order from Jeffers.

When the vaccine comes in, I crack open the tablet, break it into 4 pieces (or smaller if I can) and then re-seal them in little teeny glass paint jars. They last forever that way.

I only use as much dilutent as I need at a time, so I suck it out with a syringe, and mix it with the broken tablets. You can do this with the dilutent until it starts to look cloudy, then you have to throw it out.


If you are giong to order vaccine, stock up now, so you dont have to pay th $35 in overnight-frozen shipping. I order EVERYTHING I can, so I dont have to pay out of the nose later. I think the fowl pox vaccine is $5, so I get two or three.

 

[constance]

THANK YOU, LAREE!

May I ask another question or two? I was only thinking of Mareks, but it looks like you vaccinate for Fowl Pox, too. Anything else?

I have not vaccinated chicks before, and I can't vaccinate until my chicks arrive, so they will be 3-days old, which I know is not ideal. In terms of giving the vaccination, what should I watch out for? Do you have any tips?

Thanks again!

 

[pastrymama]

Gallo,
I read that you needed to keep your newly mareks vaccinated chicks quarrantined from your unvaccinated stock for 30 days! So that is what I have been doing. My new chicks stay in the garage for at least 4 weeks and then move outside into the growout pen. I do have a few adult birds that are vaccinated, but my plan is to slowly weed out those that are not. I have sooooooo many wild birds around here, amongst other things now. And my broody is due to hatch on wednesday and I have no vacine ordered! It's only 8 chicks, but if I want to keep a few I need them vaccinated. Guess I'll bug Laree and see if she has some and throw some $$$$ at her.

On a sad note, I had a 6 week old salmon faverolle die last night. I have no clue what happened to her. I brought the whole lot of them in the night it froze into the garage and when I went to put them out later in the morning, she just looked bad. Eyes closed, all puffed up, brought her back in and put her in the laundry room in her own box and she slept all day. Later I felt her, she was ice cold, I put a heat lamp on her and within a few hours, dead as a door nail. So far I have lost 2 of those and I have 2 left.

NoSkiveeze, are you having a hard time with yours?

 

[squeakyballs]

Mahonri knows a lot about Merek's, why is His Royal Rooliness so quiet?

Pastry, I'm sorry to hear about the chicken

 

[squeakyballs]

Boogers!