Consolidated Kansas

[maidenwolfx80]

read back--- a few posts, you don't have to use it all at once! You can cut the wafer into 4th's and I quoted a person who did just that and they explained how they did it. Go back to the bottom back a page.

Oh ok Iwasnt sure because I thought Josie said you have to use it all at once or was that a different form of the drug?

 

[Chickies-duckies-etc]

read back--- a few posts, you don't have to use it all at once! You can cut the wafer into 4th's and I quoted a person who did just that and they explained how they did it. Go back to the bottom back a page.

I was following a thread and several people that lived close enough together to do so, did this. They coordinated the purchase and got together to make it work for each of them, and divided the vacine between them.

 

[Hawkeye95]

Also found these-- quotes below:

I ordered the vaccine on Tuesday from Twin Cities Poultry Supply and the vaccine is supposed to arrvie any time. I was really surprised how much less it cost there vs First State or Jeffers.

All I had to pay for was the vaccine $18.95 and shipping $6.95 and didn't have to buy a cooler or anything. We will see when the vaccine gets here how satisfied I am but on a prelim cost assessment so far I am pleased.

My vet said better late than never on the vaccines!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


He recommended cutting the wafer into quarters (instructions on his website) and I have used it since. It'll stay good in the fridge until it's expiration date (about a year). I had chicks that were 2 weeks old and 3 months old when I vaccinated them and from what I've read in various places, as long as the chickens haven't been exposed to Mareck's (ie: been outside where other birds are or with other chickens) then it's never too late to vaccinate them. The guy at First State said there's no harm in giving it to older birds and I figure the harm in NOT being vaccinated far outweighs any expense in vaccinating them.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

And about Twin Cities Poultry Supply vs First State Vet (which they said was more expensive)

I like their website but to get the Marek's vaccine (at First State Vet)would have cost me nearly $50. The vaccine itself was $19, the express shipping was $10.50, and the cold pack packaging was also an added expense. I'll only have a dozen or so chicks to vaccinate. For $30 (at Twin Cities Poultry Supply) I get the vaccine, shipping, cold-packing, and some grow gell that I added to the list. It's a great site but I wanted the vaccine sooner than they would have shipped it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I bought from First State as well but I purchased 3 vials right away. I only had 18 chicks to vaccinate but I cut the wafer in quarters (I took a long sterile needle and reached into the vial with it and scored the wafer) (The wafer is biger than the opening of the vial)
I since used another quarter for 12 more chicks and I have two baters full of more due to hatch at the end of this week.
So by buying three vials right away I at least cut the price down considerably by only having to pay for one cooler and one shipping charge.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

He said that when vaccinating small batches of chicks, you can conserve the vacccine for future use by cutting up the vaccine wafer into 4 parts and use it according to the instructions found here at his web site (I did it and it worked great. The unmixed portions are in my 'fridge awaiting the next hatchlings!): www.firststatevetsupply.com/poultry-health/mareks-disease.html


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Well, I found all of that helpful, so I hope you did too! Looks like I know where I'll be buying it and how to cut the wafer up! Good info!

 

[maidenwolfx80]

Thank you Hawkeye that cleared it up for me, now what is the actual name and were to buy?

 

[Hawkeye95]

I was following a thread and several people that lived close enough together to do so, did this. They coordinated the purchase and got together to make it work for each of them, and divided the vacine between them.

It has to be used with in an hour, how did they do that? It would be easy if you are just doing chicks, then driving them all to one central location and doing it together. But otherwise, sounds like a hassle. But smart of them to figure it out and share the costs!

 

[Hawkeye95]

If you are going to vaccinate a batch of chicks I would just go ahead and vaccinate everyone. It isn't going to hurt them but it may or may not do anything for them. Most likely they have already been exposed and hopefully developed immunity but if they haven't the vaccine may provide some protection when/if they are exposed. I wouldn't rush out and buy vaccine for your older birds or your five month olds because most likely they have already developed immunity on their own.
40 some odd birds is a lot of birds. I will take you almost an hour to vax that many birds. I would focus on vaccinating any chicks you hatch or purchase from here on out. Most likely your adults have already been exposed and hopefully developed immunity. You can cut the wafer in 4ths but keep in mind that you are then "messing" with the standardization the vaccine company has created for the concentration of vaccine in dosing. SO if your cut isn't perfect which it won't be because that is impossible to do you will be giving some birds a higher dose with a slightly larger wafer and some birds a lower dose with a smaller wafer. I tried this once for anyone interested and the wafer was so fluffy and powdery that it just crumbled in the container. I ended up just using the whole wafer because I had no idea what 1/4 was anymore!

SO, bottom line:
-vax all chicks at day old/hatch
-vax adult birds if you are vaccinating chicks and have extra vaccine.
-keep track of vaccinated birds by flock or band numbers so you know who is vaccinated and who is not
-assume a bird is unvaccinated until proven otherwise

Ahh, I was working off the assumption that the wafer is similar to the Rabies wafer I mix up for the horses each year. I go to my vet, and he hands me over the bottle with wafer, and the suspension, I go home and mix it up. The wafer is really dry and thin and not fluffy at all. Looks like paper. Figured if it looked like that, it would be simple to divide up. But if it's like cotton, then not-so-much.

 

[chicken danz]

Well I've been doing some more research as well as reading this. I think if I were going to show birds I would absolutely vaccinate them all.
So I am thinking once I go into full hatch mode this spring I should start vaccinating all the chicks.
Josie, still wanting to know about the Oxine and whether you use it activated or non-activated. I might have been preventing disease all along if it is non activated. I have used activated Oxine to clean the brooder but only when I could remove all the chicks in warm weather. I can see where this could really cause some substantial losses. I watched a few videos on Mereks disease and it is very sad. I am going to freak any time a chick doesn't act right now.
I'm glad to know I can use part of a bottle at a time. Cause I would be really spending hundreds of dollars vaccinating chicks if I couldn't,

 

[Chickies-duckies-etc]

It has to be used with in an hour, how did they do that? It would be easy if you are just doing chicks, then driving them all to one central location and doing it together. But otherwise, sounds like a hassle. But smart of them to figure it out and share the costs!

If I remember right, they divided the wafer like you all are talking about and then mixed it at their homes or where some had gotten their birds together at. It seems it would be no different than mixing some and saving the rest until later. ?? After the first posts of "who is interested" it went to PM's for the details.

 

[Trish44]

I about had heart failure this morning, I was out taking care of birds when I went to let out the guineas. While I was getting them out my male peacock came out of the pen, they have never even offered to come out of there before, but today he not only came out, but he took off. I was trying to herd him back into the hoop coop when my DH came out & asked if I needed help, YES, good timing. Even with the two of us it took some doing because he didn't want to go back in & then the guineas for some reason started chasing him, not helpful. The dogs started to get in the act, but I called them back. We got him closer to the coop & then the guineas chased him the rest of the way in, goofy birds. I don't know what I would have done if he wouldn't go back in. I don't know if he would have come back looking for the female or not, he's still young. Whew, that was too much excitement for today!

I also went out & got all of the load of cattails unloaded out of the back of the truck, I hadn't gotten that done since the day last week I went to get them, it had been too cold. I finally found the secret to keeping the grow-out pen drier, I have to go out & turn over the cattails at intervals & fluff them back up. The birds then dig around in them & that helps. Otherwise they do get packed down & become part of the hard floor in there of dirt. They don't like it when I come in & do that, but they do after I get it stirred up.

I don't know if I told the rest of you that I named the beautiful wheaten Ameraucana roo I got from Josie Rodney. He seems to like the name because every time I talk to him & call him by that name he cocks his head over to the side & listens to me, it's really funny. He has fit in here very nicely with his pretty little hen who came with him. The other little wheaten pullet I have seems to like him too & she is happy to be out of the crazy grow-out pen where they are 4 Swedish Flower Hen roos that are going into their teenage phase. Now she can just look at them through the fence & say ha you can see me, but you can't get me.

That's sad about the chick with marek's. I haven't had any experience with that & I hope I don't. I do think I will have the next chicks I get vaccinated though, I never have before & I guess I've been lucky thus far.

That R-Com incubator looks nice, but I agree, it's pretty pricey for the size of incubator it is. I guess you get what you pay for though. I just can't believe Sunflowerparrot has had so many problems with the Brinseas, they must have a bad batch or something.

 

[JosieChick]

You do have to use it all at once if you use the whole wafer. It must be used within an hour of mixing and I keep the injection on ice while I am giving it. BRRR, poor babies!

Oh ok Iwasnt sure because I thought Josie said you have to use it all at once or was that a different form of the drug?

It is sometimes. I used to be able to divide the wafer but the last one I got was like a filter, kind of fibrous and when I tried to score it they whole thing just fell apart. I was pretty unhappy. DH told me to just use the whole dose and order enough to have a couple vials of vaccine on hand. I also got the lecture about messing with what the vaccine company has set up and why that wasn't a good idea so I don't cut the wafer anymore.

Ahh, I was working off the assumption that the wafer is similar to the Rabies wafer I mix up for the horses each year. I go to my vet, and he hands me over the bottle with wafer, and the suspension, I go home and mix it up. The wafer is really dry and thin and not fluffy at all. Looks like paper. Figured if it looked like that, it would be simple to divide up. But if it's like cotton, then not-so-much.

I have always used non activated oxine. I never knew you could activate it!!! I just spray everything around with a spray bottle, perches, coops, nest boxes etc. It is totally worth vaccinating for me. The vaccine is super effective, very safe and widely available. It is not super expensive either. I have opened a bottle to vax five chicks before but it is worth it to me because those chicks grow up into very valuable breeding birds and I don't want to invest time and money hatching/raising them to lose them all to mareks.

Well I've been doing some more research as well as reading this. I think if I were going to show birds I would absolutely vaccinate them all.
So I am thinking once I go into full hatch mode this spring I should start vaccinating all the chicks.
Josie, still wanting to know about the Oxine and whether you use it activated or non-activated. I might have been preventing disease all along if it is non activated. I have used activated Oxine to clean the brooder but only when I could remove all the chicks in warm weather. I can see where this could really cause some substantial losses. I watched a few videos on Mereks disease and it is very sad. I am going to freak any time a chick doesn't act right now.
I'm glad to know I can use part of a bottle at a time. Cause I would be really spending hundreds of dollars vaccinating chicks if I couldn't,

Everyone be sure if you order vaccine that it is shipped overnight/second day delivery and on ice. If the vaccine warms to room temp it is useless. Spend the money to have it shipped properly otherwise you will gain as much benefit as if you didn't vaccinate at all if you receive warm vaccines. I let my postal carrier know and they call me as soon as they know it is on the truck from KC and I go pick it up so it can go right to the fridge. In the spring most suppliers have a hatching special. I got three bottles of mareks vaccine for like $42 dollars which was pretty reasonable!