can adult chickens be vaccinated for marek's?

[seminolewind]

Thanks Speckled Hen for posting the reference to Dr. Brown's Marek's article. I too have spoken with him..and he has been helpful to me.... It does answer the OPs question about what age Marek's vacinatioin can be done.

If memory serves it is Turkey Marek's that is used in the vaccine, and that virus gives chickens immunity. Possibly speckled hen has turkeys near the chickens.

Here is a link to an under-construction page on BYC, if you have fournd some facts, articles or management practices that will help the BYC community, please feel free to edit this page and post for others who may be finding out about Marek's
https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/mareks-disease-fact-site

Thanks.

It was great adding to the page for Marek's. I've added stuff with reference. I hope we can make a really good page here, Thanks!

Can I link it in my signature?

 

[ChicKat]

It was great adding to the page for Marek's. I've added stuff with reference. I hope we can make a really good page here, Thanks!

Can I link it in my signature?

Yes, and THANK YOU for helping to build it.

 

[seminolewind]

I only added the direct link to the article as I had seen it was alluded to, but not linked to in the thread-sorry if I missed that. I did look for it throughout the thread before I posted it. Just thought for the sake of convenience it should be included for you all.

I think that, as with many other diseases, there is a textbook version and then there are ways they present in the experience of the owners that may not exactly follow that textbook list of symptoms or age of presentation, etc.

I also noted that I do not have personal experience with Mareks, and generally, Karen is correct, I do have a closed flock, only in all these years having added two started birds that were not direct from a hatchery shipment: one was Hawkeye, a 10 month old McMurray rooster I bought from an FFA kid, and one was an 8 week old EE pullet given as a gift by a friend who hatched her from eggs purchased from a breeder working on a new Ameraucana color. This friend had never had any illness in her flocks, previously having had only chicks directly from McMurray or given to her by me from my clean flock.

I do not own turkeys, as someone brought up in reference to my flock being Marek's-free.

I would bow to seminolewind or leadwolf1's knowledge of Mareks if I had to research it beyond just some anonymous internet source and wanted firsthand accounts, just as many seem to contact me or terryg when they suspect internal laying and/or egg yolk peritionitis. Nothing is a substitute for the vast experience of a chicken keeper over a period of years with one particular ailment/disease, IMO.

Well Cynthia, you are my "GO TO" person when it comes to hen gynocological problems!. It's unfortunate that we've all had to live thru sad times to get the important information we all need. At least it all comes together on BYC.

 

[leadwolf1]

Well Cynthia, you are my "GO TO" person when it comes to hen gynocological problems!. It's unfortunate that we've all had to live thru sad times to get the important information we all need. At least it all comes together on BYC.

X2

 

[rockinpaints]

I realize this is not a new thread but ran across it and wanted to add my opinion

. There are so many people who still do not realize that:

Marek's vaccine DOES NOT prevent Marek's disease, only the malignant tumors it can cause. They can still get and exhibit signs of the paralysis and ocular form
Marek's vaccine DOES NOT cause the vaccinated chicks to be contagious to other chickens as it is made from Turkey Mareks virus (very similar to the chicken virus).
One could vaccinate at any age without any adverse effects, however, the vaccine is labeled and most effective on day old chicks. It may or may not work on older unvaccinated birds, I don't think there is a lot of research on it.

In the UK the Marek's vaccine they used to use was a chicken live virus and once your flock was vaccinated they would be contagious to other chickens. I am not sure if they still use that vaccine, maybe someone out there does.
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Research I have done on my own flock and what seems to work:

I have vaccinated at a day old, then vaccinated again at 3 weeks before the chicks are moved from the brooding room to an outside brooder, I noticed NO additional protection in any way from twice as apposed to vaccinating only once. I now only vaccinate once before they are moved to an outside brooder.

I try to raise a baby turkey poult in with my baby chicks (remember the chick vaccine is made from turkey marek's disease). I have noticed a remarkable difference with chicks raised this way. I have never seen a case of Marek's disease in chicks that I raised with the turkey poults. (These chicks were vaccinated for Marek's as well). Does this mean it really works? I can only tell you it works for me.
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So you might ask why vaccinate if it does NOT prevent the disease. The theory is that most chickens will become immune to Marek's by the time they are 5 months old if not exposed to adult poultry environment, however, they could have the cancer form of the disease in which you could not see. The vaccine will prevent that. It has also been shown that chickens that were vaccinated and still acquired the virus shed it less, reducing the exposure to the other poultry.

We requested that the party who butchers our poultry report any unusual findings during processing. In our discussion what they said they find most frequently during processing of poultry, (never seen in our poultry), is tumors on the vital organs, Marek's was quite probable, and were likely to have died in the not so far off future.

In my unprofessional opinion it is inexpensive, easily accessible and a good idea to vaccinate.

Good luck &
Best Regards,

 

[seminolewind]

Thanks, Rockinpaints. I double vaccinated a batch of chicks and there was no difference between once or twice. I remain to be careful about vaccinating day one, and not cross contaminating for a few weeks, and at 8 weeks they get a pen that's near the other chickens. I've not had one die of Marek's, but this past spring, I lost 5 to opportunistic bacteria, a strain of coccidiosis that kills overnight, no symptoms, then hemorhhaging at death. The other bacteria was a major eye infection that 2 got and then died before I could get meds in them.

I think that even tho they get vaccinated, they are still prone to opportunistic bugs. And the ones that died overnight from cocci were on medicated chick feed.

 

[rockinpaints]

Thanks, Rockinpaints. I double vaccinated a batch of chicks and there was no difference between once or twice. I remain to be careful about vaccinating day one, and not cross contaminating for a few weeks, and at 8 weeks they get a pen that's near the other chickens. I've not had one die of Marek's, but this past spring, I lost 5 to opportunistic bacteria, a strain of coccidiosis that kills overnight, no symptoms, then hemorhhaging at death. The other bacteria was a major eye infection that 2 got and then died before I could get meds in them.

I think that even tho they get vaccinated, they are still prone to opportunistic bugs. And the ones that died overnight from cocci were on medicated chick feed.

Hi there! Coccidosis is just heartbreaking with little chicks.

I've done a lot of research on that as well (after my share of losses to it). I vaccinate every single chick that I hatch that I am keeping for coccidia. Unfortunately they have to be vaccinated at a day or two old so if you bring in Juveniles the vaccine couldn't be used for them. Not only does it prevent coccidia (actually builds their immunities to it) but the chicks seem to grow up much healthier not having to deal with the coccidia issue.

If you are not familiar with it I would be glad to tell you what and how I use it. I have been using it for over 2 years and have had zero issues with coccidia since I started vaccinating. If you raise a lot of chicks or have had issues with coccidia in the past it is really worth looking into. The bottle is a little spendy but divided correctly it can go a long way.

 

[seminolewind]

Thanks! I think those little buggers that have a poor immune system due to Marek's (even vaccinated) need all the protection they can get.I'll use that vaccine next time , too.

 

[Arielle]

HI ladies, Happy New year!

I have been reading what other breeders do and It is interesting to see the wide variation in management.

Breeders who keep high quality flocks of old heriatge breeds often just cull sick birds and use NO vacinations. THe purpose is to continue building flock immunity by keeping the birds that can resist the diseases.

Management to inrtroduce cocci to the chicks by bringing in grasses for the chicks to pick at; or another person who collects soil at the far reaches of the free ranging flock's range and progressively collecting closer and closer to the main compound. THis certainly address immunity to the varieties of cocci native to the farm the chicks will live on.

Another person uses broodies to raise chicks; I have also done this and not a loss. I was surprized because weeks before I had lost 20 chicks brooded in my house to cocci.

Vaccinations have there place; and I"ve learned other management options that can work too.

Glad you revived this thread-- chick season has arrived again.

 

[rockinpaints]

HI ladies, Happy New year!

I have been reading what other breeders do and It is interesting to see the wide variation in management.

Breeders who keep high quality flocks of old heriatge breeds often just cull sick birds and use NO vacinations. THe purpose is to continue building flock immunity by keeping the birds that can resist the diseases.

Management to inrtroduce cocci to the chicks by bringing in grasses for the chicks to pick at; or another person who collects soil at the far reaches of the free ranging flock's range and progressively collecting closer and closer to the main compound. THis certainly address immunity to the varieties of cocci native to the farm the chicks will live on.

Another person uses broodies to raise chicks; I have also done this and not a loss. I was surprized because weeks before I had lost 20 chicks brooded in my house to cocci.

Vaccinations have there place; and I"ve learned other management options that can work too.

Glad you revived this thread-- chick season has arrived again.

I agree for the most part, however, with these 2 vaccines neither is to prevent the disease. Coccidiosis is such a debilitating condition, once they show symptoms even if they survive they don't seem to flourish or ever reach their full potential as the intestinal damage is already done. Studies have been done where pullets were raised on wire and never touched the ground and still developed life threatening coccidiosis. The vaccine is so simple, it just introduces the 6 most lethal strains of coccidia and the rest is up to the chickies.

I'm not an advocate of vaccinations by any means unless necessary for the well being of the flock or due to exposure to a disease. I can, at times, be lax with the Marek's vaccine but as long as the CocciVac is available, everything that goes to the outside brooder gets vaccinated here. It's only my unprofessional opinion but it is an absolute life saver for the little chickies. ( I'am not an advocate of medicated feeds - water etc. either

).

It still amazes me how mother nature takes care of the little guys when they are raised by a broodie, but I've see it as well.
Good luck to you all!