Do Your Baby Chicks Really Need Marek's Vaccination?

[lizgarf]

I picked up 2 chicks from a Craigslist breeder last summer (bad idea) and one later died from Marek's and the other survived. I had other chickens in the coop with them at the time which had all been vaccinated. I now have new chicks hatching soon and would like to vaccinate them, as well as the one bird that survived. Where can I buy vaccine? Is this an injectable? If so, what is the proceedure for injecting the young chicks? Can I vaccinate the older bird? What other vaccinations might be neccesary? I'm also thinking of vaccinating for Newcastle and perhaps a couple of others.

Thanks!

x2, but in the SF bay area!

 

[jdoane]

Jeffers has it for mail order.

http://www.jefferspet.com/md-vac-cfl/camid/LIV/cp/F7-J7/

 

[MAMAW467]

So my hen just hatched a few eggs and babies are in brooding box (she is still sitting on 8). What do I need to give to the babes to prevent disease? We have always bought them at a hatchery.

 

[gunnysmom611]

I am getting 4 australorps and 4 Silver Laced Wyandottes and paid to have them all vaccinated. We live in a rural area and there are other backyard flocks. Ours will be kept in a large enclosed tractor and will not be going outside of this area. So my question is since the vaccine only stops tumors and can still have the disease, if they do come into contact with marek's would you ever know? and how does that affect the eggs? Im sure its a purely avian disease, but arent the birds still considered sick?

 

[The Yakima Kid]

Mareks is endemic because infected dust can easily be blown around. It is also endemic because of owners who don't properly quarantine or euthanize infected birds.

I live in the SF Bay Area, and it is allegedly not rare in the suburbs here. For one thing, there were chicken farms in the area before suburbanization, and the disease can survive for years in the soil.

I really wanted to get some quality Dominiques, but the breeders I've been in contact with don't immunize and act like I'm a Nazi when I ask about it. They might not have experienced Mareks in their flocks; but if they aren't in an area where it is endemic, that says *nothing* about resistance.

Another problem we have in California is exotic Newcastle. Illegally smuggled fighting chickens apparently are the cause of repeated outbreaks. So far these have apparently been seen only in the Central Valley and Southern California; but given the prevalence of illegal cockfighting in our area I am very concerned.

 

[HippiAiti]

Is it possible to get a smaller amount than 1000 doses? I've only got 20 eggs in the incubator...

 

[Wanex]

Im about to get some chicks from my broody hen but, is it important to give them the vaccine? Another thing where do i buy it, because it seems that no livestock store has it

 

[JP FFM]

If i decided to vaccinate my hens is it to late to vaccinate if they are a year already?

 

[RainForestBird]

From researching the cost online I found that the most inexpensive price was $30 for a vial with dilutant that would inoculate 1000 chicks There is also the cost to ship it which is an additional $20. The syringes and needles are not included, and while they are inexpensive, you should count that cost as well. The shelf live for the mixed vaccination solution is one hour. Since it is impossible to inoculate even close to 1000 chicks in one hour, the majority of the solution is wasted. I don't know why the pharmaceutical company would even sell it this way as it is really false advertising. If you have an incubator full of eggs, some of them are bound to hatch later than others, meaning that you would have to buy more than one bottle of vaccine, doubling and perhaps even tripling the cost Because Marek's is virulent in places like the Pacific Northwest, I believe that this sort of thing should be regulated by the Department of Agriculture. If there were regulations regarding the cost of the vaccine the disease might be controlled so it is more manageable for people who are trying to be self sufficient by producing they own food As it is now, the way the vaccine is being distributed favors the poultry industry and not backyard farmers. Not everyone can order the minimum numbers required by online hatcheries that offer vaccines for day old chicks so we are forced to buy the vaccine ourselves and vaccinate chicks that we hatch ourselves Likewise, most chicks that are offered for purchase on places like Craigslist are not vaccinated.

 

[Folly's place]

It's about economics; small flock owners in quantity is a fairly new development, since the vaccine was produced. The vial can be split into four quantities, which helps with cost. Let the manufacturer know that you would love smaller quantities packaged, and encourage other small flock owners to do the same. There has to be a market for there to be an additional size offered. There is also ongoing research being done to improve the vaccine available, which is a very good thing to hope for in the future. If you look at the cost of vaccine for other species, in individual or ten dose vials, it's not cheap! That little wafer may not cost very much, but the packaging is $$ in comparison. Mary