Bay Area BYCers!

[DeborahSfbay]

I'm hatching some chicks and want to vaccinate them for Marek's disease. They won't hatch for a few weeks so I have time to order online but was wondering if there is a local place to buy it I'm in Union City (Fremont).

Also it comes in large doses 1000 per bottle. Has anyone had in luck dividing it?

Thanks,
Deborah

 

[FoxholeFarm]

I'm hatching some chicks and want to vaccinate them for Marek's disease. They won't hatch for a few weeks so I have time to order online but was wondering if there is a local place to buy it I'm in Union City (Fremont).

Also it comes in large doses 1000 per bottle. Has anyone had in luck dividing it?

Thanks,
Deborah

The USDA recommends against Marek's vaccinations for small flocks as the vaccine available to anyone but hatcheries is only effective 7% of the time which is literally nothing for any flock under 100 birds.

 

[DeborahSfbay]

The USDA recommends against Marek's vaccinations for small flocks as the vaccine available to anyone but hatcheries is only effective 7% of the time which is literally nothing for any flock under 100 birds.

I went to the USDA website and could not find that recomendation. Could you give me the usda link?

 

[chiqita]

I'm hatching some chicks and want to vaccinate them for Marek's disease.  They won't hatch for a few weeks so I have time to order online but was wondering if there is a local place to buy it I'm in Union City (Fremont).  

Also it comes in large doses 1000 per bottle. Has anyone had in luck dividing it?

Thanks,
Deborah

You can divide the bottle but since you have breached the bottle of steril fluid it still does not last very long.

 

[dldolan]

I'm hatching some chicks and want to vaccinate them for Marek's disease.  They won't hatch for a few weeks so I have time to order online but was wondering if there is a local place to buy it I'm in Union City (Fremont).  

Also it comes in large doses 1000 per bottle. Has anyone had in luck dividing it?

Thanks,
Deborah

HI Deborah,
I vaccinate all chicks that I hatch, and regularly split the wafer into quarters to get four batches of chicks done during hatching season. Here is how i do it, with a note that I am not a veterinarian and I'm sure the company that produces the vaccine would take no responsibility for the efficaciousness of the vaccine once the seal is breached, etc, etc, etc. That said, I have consulted medical professionals who tell me that as long as I use sterile procedures in keeping the wafer clean and the sterile diluant sealed to the best of my ability, it would be hard to introduce a pathogen into the inoculation that would be harmful to a chicken.

Buy vaccine, which comes as a bottle of diluant and a small, stoppered vial with one, small button-sized wafer (the vaccine).
Also buy two syringes, one to remove and "mix" the diluent (12 or 18 gauge), and the other for the inoculations (30 gauge diabetic needle works great for little chicks.)
On inoculation day, 20 minutes prior, sterilize a pair of tweezers, a small scissors, and a baby food jar and lid. (I submerge these in boiling water (I use all metal implements, and make sure no plastic parts go in hot water) for 5 minutes, generally. Lid of baby food just should be dipped in boiling water for 30 seconds so the rubber doesn't boil off.)
When all implements are dry, remove foil cap from wafer. Carefully remove rubber stopper from vial. Use tweezers to hold wafer, and cut wafer in 1/2 with sterilized scissors, keeping wafer inside the vial. Cut one 1/2 in 1/2 again to give you 1/4 wafer, which then goes into the sterilized baby food jar. Re-stopper the rest (3/4) of the vial. I also put packing tape over it. Return to fridge.
With large needle, poke through the stopper of the sterile diluant, draw up, and transfer to baby food jar until approximately 1/4 of the diluant has been transfered. (No, this is not an exact science, but only a little vaccine has to get into the chick.)
Keep the balance of the sterile diluant and vial with vaccine in the fridge until next usage. Use within a few weeks. (I go up to 10 weeks, but again, that is MY choice.)
Keep the mixed vaccine refrigerated until you are ready to inoculate. I typically mix it right before I give the inoculation, then will store it for a day to make sure I don't have any late bloomers hatching. Use within the first hour for best coverage. It stores for 24 hours, but then toss it. The medical professional I consult told me to pour it on the ground. (There is nothing active.)

You can find a video or a class if you have never given the inoculation.

I personally always inoculation as we have a high prevalence of Mareks here in Sonoma County. UC Davis recommends it for all back yard chicken keepers in CA. I Personally have had a chick die, and two young pullets that I bought from breeders that didn't vaccinate, and it is ugly. So FOR ME and me only, my decision is that I will always vaccinate. There is a variety of opinion on this subject, which I respect. After having researched extensively, this is what I have decided is my practice.

 

[DeborahSfbay]

HI Deborah,
I vaccinate all chicks that I hatch, and regularly split the wafer into quarters to get four batches of chicks done during hatching season. Here is how i do it, with a note that I am not a veterinarian and I'm sure the company that produces the vaccine would take no responsibility for the efficaciousness of the vaccine once the seal is breached, etc, etc, etc. That said, I have consulted medical professionals who tell me that as long as I use sterile proceedures in keeping the wafer clean and the sterile diluant sealed to the best of my ability, it would be hard to introduce a pathogen into the innocluation that would be harmful to a chicken.

Buy vaccine, which comes as a bottle of diluant and a small, stoppered vial with one, small button-sized wafer (the vaccine).
Also buy two syringes, one to remove and "mix" the diluent (12 or 18 gauge), and the other for the innoculations (30 gauge diabetic needle works great for little chicks.)
On innoculation day, 20 minutes prior, sterilize a pair of tweezers, a small scissors, and a baby food jar and lid. (I submerge these in boiling water (I use all metal implements, and make sure no plastic parts go in hot water) for 5 minutes, generally. LId of baby food just should be dipped in boiling water for 30 seconds so the rubber doesn't boil off.)
When all implements are dry, remove foil cap from wafer. CArefully remove rubber stopper from vial. Use tweezers to hold wafer, and cut wafer in 1/2 with sterilized scissors, kppeing wafer inside the vial. Cut one 1/2 in 1/2 again to give you 1/4 wafer, which then goes into the sterilized baby food jar. Re-stopper the rest (3/4) of the vial. I also put packing tape over it. Return to fridge.
With large needle, poke through the stopper of the sterile diluant, draw up, and transfer to baby food jar until approximately 1/4 of the diluant has been transfered. (No, this is not an exact science, but only a little vaccine has to get into the chick.)
Keep the balance of the sterile diluant and vial with vaccine in the fridge until next usage. Use within a few weeks. (I go up to 10 weeks, but again, that is MY choice.)
Keep the mixed vaccine refridgerated until you are ready to innoculate. I typically mix it right before I give the innoculation, then will store it for a day to make sure I don't have any late bloomers hatching. Use within the first hour for best coverage. It stores for 24 hours, but then toss it. The medicate prfessional I consult told me to pour it on the ground. (There is nothing active.)

You can find a video or a class if you have never given the innoculation.

I personally always innoculation as we have a high prevalence of Mareks here in Sonoma County. UC Davis recommends it for all back yard chicken keepers in CA. I Personally have had a chick die, and two young pullets that I bought from breeders that didn't vaccinate, and it is ugly. So FOR ME and me only, my decision is that I will always vaccinate. There is a variety of opinion on this subject, which I respect. After having researched extensively, this is what I have decided is my practice.

Thanks so much for the detailed instructions. I've given the innoculation to chicks years ago back east when I was in the 4H but someone else would mix it. We'd schedule the hatch on the same day so we could all get hand on experience. Your instructions for splitting it makes perfect sense. I think I found a place in San Jose that sells it and will call tomorrow. Again thanks so much!!!

 

[dldolan]

Feel free to PM me is you have any other questions! Glad I could help.

 

[chiqita]

If you find it in san jose let me know. I used to get it from sams but they stopped carrying it. I have a friend truck it down from tracy atm.

 

[DeborahSfbay]

If you find it in san jose let me know. I used to get it from sams but they stopped carrying it. I have a friend truck it down from tracy

It was Sam's that I was told has it. I called and they didn't have any. They said they will carry it again in spring. I went ahead and ordered it from meyerhatchery.com. With shipping it was 35.00. I have a friend who's a nurse who confirms from the post above as long as the dilute remains sealed/clean it will be find. She thinks it's just saline water... the key is keeping the wafer cold. Meyer's packages it in a styrofoam and uses cold packs and priority mail. If anyone knows a better place to get it let me know.... I'm not as worried about price as it getting here cold. Jeffers said it would "arrive warm" which I'll update when it arrives.

 

[Honora]

I am ordering 6 bantam Orpingtons from Brandi's Fancy Feathers in Louisiana (on Facebook). She has a 10 chick minimum, would anyone like to split an order? She has Orps and bantam Orps. Let me know if you want any, thanks! BTW I am in Santa Clara.