do i need to vacenate my chicks and if so how?

[bentenmanfann]

i would like to vaccinate my chicks for mareks but i don't know if it is necessary and what are the problems it may cause and how would i give the vaccination to my chicks and what is the max age to give chickens mareks and are their any other vaccines that i should give them as well, and do you have to have it to be npip certified

 

[Pollito Pelon]

1 day old. The vaccine is to prevent.
Some chickens might get mareks and died from it some survive and some gain immunity and pass it on to their offspring.
I was initially planning on vaccinating mine but the way my chicks hatch its too complicated for 1st Vax.
I just let their immune system do their work
I do keep an eye in the birds.
I have bought vaccines for newcastle and avian pox.

 

[Kiki]

In order to vaccinate your chicks for Marek's it needs to be done at hatch.

No it is not required for NPIP.

I would never use that vaccine in my flock.

 

[K0k0shka]

Marek's is a very common and very deadly disease. Whether you vaccinate or not depends on whether you want to take the risk. There's no way to know whether your flock will become infected or not. It's transmitted through wild birds so it's up to chance. Your chickens may be totally fine, or they may catch it and die. So you decide. If you have a large flock and don't mind losing some birds here and there, it's one thing, but if you have 5 pet chickens with names and your kids love them, losing them all to Marek's is a different picture. I personally don't like taking unnecessary risks, and don't like having my animals or people die of preventable diseases, so I vaccinate all my chicks (and kids). You can order the Marek's vaccine online (I get mine from Meyer Hatchery). It's not hard to administer - it comes with instructions, and you can find clear guides with pictures online, too. It doesn't have to happen right at hatch or at 1 day old or 2 days or whatever. What matters is that it needs to happen before the chicks are exposed to the outside world, where they can be infected before their immunity builds up. For the vaccine to be most effective, it needs to start building immunity before there's a risk of becoming infected. So if you hatch your own and brood indoors (in the house, basement, garage, inside a coop without access to the outside etc.) you can do it anytime before they go outside, but you have to keep them in for 2 weeks following the shot, to let their immunity build up. If you have broody-hatched chicks that live outside, vaccinate them as soon as you can to give them a good head start. If there's no virus currently in the environment to infect them, they'll still build immunity even though they're outside. I have vaccinated both hand-reared chicks brooded inside, and broody-hatched chicks that lived outside from the start. They are totally fine and I have peace of mind knowing they are protected. There are no risks to the chickens from the vaccine. If you buy chicks instead of hatching, you can buy them pre-vaccinated.

 

[Pollito Pelon]

Do you know where to get the marks in spray form I've seen documentaries on commercial chickens and they just spray them at hatch