Can you vacccinate poults with chicken Marek's vaccine?

[pawtraitart]

Be careful when splitting the wafer. If the ingredients are not evenly blended you won't get the same dose per piece. That's what my vet says, anyway.

 

[daze333]

Yes my vet also advised against splitting the wafer...but I have decided it is the only way I can afford to vaccinate my chicks. She did give me a tip though since I hatch weekly. If you hatch clutch #1 and vaccinate them, then the next week hatch clutch #2, then vaccinate both #1 (for the second time) and #2. That way if they do not get enough vaccine the first week, they should be covered by the booster.

Here are the steps for splitting the vaccine. (I got most of my tips from a pharmacist)

Supplies needed; 25 or 30 ga needle w/ syringe (for administering the vaccine), a 60ml syringe with 16 ga needle (for drawing the dilutent), 70% alcohol, cotton balls, q-tips, a razor blade, tweezers, a medium size prescription bottle, a large size prescription bottle, a silica packet (to keep moisture out), a kitchen timer and I use a bright light and my kitchen table. And of course you need a 200 ml bottle of dilutent and the vial of freeze-dried vaccine. (which is kept in the fridge)

I start by setting up my area. I use a clean hand towel on the table and my bright lamp over where I am going to work. I then pour some alcohol into a small bowl to dip out of. Next I take some alcohol on a cotton ball and sanitize my table in a small spot, my tweezers, my razor blade, my med bottle inside and the cap. (I use the same cotton ball the whole time) Then I take my large needle and sanitize it and only remove the round metal tab on the dilutent bottle and insert the needle while turning the bottle upside down and draw out 50 ml (1/4 of the total). Then I squirt the 50 ml of dilutent into the medium script bottle. Then I start my timer for 1 hour (this is how long the mixture is good for after mixed). Then I take the complete top off the vaccine vial and take out the rubber stopper. You will have to take a long needle or something sharp and thin and cut the wafer into half to fit out the neck of the bottle. Then dump one half onto your sterile spot on the table and cut in half again with the razor. Pick up one quarter of the vaccine wafer with your tweezers and add it to the med script bottle, cap and shake. Then you take your tiny needle/syringe and draw from this container. Then you take a q-tip soaked in alcohol and hold your chick with its head down and stretched over your hand, (I have another person hold the chick for me) and wet a spot on the shoulder. I find a bald spot on top each of the shoulders. Then stick your needle just under the skin and inject .2cc of the vaccine. It will make a bubble. If you see wet skin, then you are not under the skin or went through two layers to the other side. You need to sanitize the needle in between each chick and every time you draw more vaccine. After one hour the vaccine is no longer viable.

I tape the top of the dilutent bottle and keep it in the fridge after opening. If your dilutent is cloudy or smelly-do not use it! Then I take the now closed vial of vaccine and put it inside the large script bottle with the silica gel pack, close and store this in the fridge. The silica is to keep any moisture out.

This is just the way I do it. I am not saying it is right or wrong, just sharing in case this works for others too.