Beware: Tractor Supply Co. chicks are NOT vaccinated--never

[CreveChris]

Germ theory v. terrain theory. I'll take terrain theory.

It may take both to begin to combat virulent strains. But yeah, healthy chickens are a good place to start.

 

[sdm111]

This is my point. Unless we test all of our birds, we don't really know what they may be carrying. I test my eggs for salmonella before supplying other chicken tenders, and I vaccinate for Marek's. I prefer hatching eggs to day-old chicks so I can control their exposure and vaccinations.

If someone says they know their birds don't have anything they are dangerously naive. Realistically no one KNOWS if or what they have if they do I would not get anything from them. Do as they wish ill keep mine naturally

 

[Mtnboomer]

Mareks disease is in almost every backyard flock. Not every bird becomes symptomatic. Many will live long lives (at least to within the age of normal expectancy). They die, are necropsied, and found to be full of tumors or none at all. The owner says " it seemed to be happy then one day then..." (indicating quality of life was maintained).

The young are most severely affected with a 100% mortality rate for those that become symptomatic. But, if the chick survives to 6 mos+ then the odds are it will live a normal life but will forever be a carrier.

There's a saying "once you get mareks you'll always have mareks" because it is almost impossible to eradicate and can survive for years after an infected bird has been present.
We now have MD in our flock due to receiving "vaccinated" cockerels from a reputable breeder. A month later and 1 began walking backwards with problems standing. We euthanized it. Had it necropsied and confirmed the vaccinated bird died of mareks.
Now the birds we already had were adults and not vaccinated so its possible we already had asymptomatic birds, but if so, the vaccinated birds should have been protected. We hatch about 40 chicks a year and over the last 4 years have lost 6 to MD but they are all carriers as its in their dander.

The reason that I say that it is in almost every backyard flock is because rarely to backyard chicken keepers pay for a necropsy. Birds get sick, they seek free advice from wherever they can get it (here for example) the bird dies and they assume that amateur diagnosis from the internet is a good guess at the cause without finding out for sure.
MD is so widespread and so contagious that Im sure huge numbers of cases go unknown.
The fact of the matter is that commercial growers get the "good vaccine" that is more effective than what is available to backyard keepers. So its not worth worrying about as even "vaccinated " birds can contract it.

 

[ladybrasa]

To reiterate the good article here on BYC:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/the-great-big-giant-mareks-disease-faq.66077/

It’s pretty good and touches upon vaccinations, symptoms and so on, so each chicken owner can decide what’s best for them in their situation and needs.

 

[nuthatched]

I wish people would stop blaming feed stores and their employees for their chick problems.
Feed store's get big boxes of chicks in from some hatchery, the hatchery send a sheet to tell them what they are, that paper is the only info, the employees have to go by the sheet even if the chicks in question are obviously not the breed stated.
And it's frequently wrong, especially if it's a crummy hatchery like Hoovers.

 

[izzyduck]

I have no vaccinated Birds. and a healthy flock so far, I am getting some chicks from a hatchery in a few days they might vaccinate.

 

[ChickyMudder]

It’s easy to see why Mareks is so prevalent. People do not understand how it spreads or this “vaccine” which is not a true vaccine.

The Mareks shot just covers symptoms and allows exposed birds to live longer with the disease. The key is EXPOSED CHICKENS with the vaccine live longer and spread it to everything they contact. Including your land, your clothes and your flock.

For this reason I stopped buying chicks. I never buy vaccinated. I try to only buy hatching eggs and keep a closed flock.
If I get Mareks, I’ll know and I won’t be a spreader because my flock will die quickly. I won’t vaccinate and keep selling infected chicks. I will be done.

That’s why it is important for me to keep my flock closed.

 

[MStangler]

Your post contains a lot of hyperbole and misrepresentation of fact.

you clearly haven't encountered an unvaccinated flock infected with Mareks. Just lost 52 chickens in 4 months and it is the most hideous brutal disease and there is nothing you can do to stop the spread. I have 30 4-H chickens that were required to have all vaccinations that are untouched--so I agree vaccination is important(had chickens for 30 years and never had problems) But having to kill all of these chickens(incredible suffering) as they are dying is something i will not go through again.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

you clearly haven't encountered an unvaccinated flock infected with Mareks. Just lost 52 chickens in 4 months and it is the most hideous brutal disease and there is nothing you can do to stop the spread. I have 30 4-H chickens that were required to have all vaccinations that are untouched--so I agree vaccination is important(had chickens for 30 years and never had problems) But having to kill all of these chickens(incredible suffering) as they are dying is something i will not go through again.

It's even worse when you have ones that haven't shown symptoms, but you know that sooner or later they're probably going to