How many of you vaccinate against Mareks?

[hinkjc]

D'Angelo N Va. :

I use medicated starter/grower. I have been told it makes the immune system strong to fight against things i.e marek's disease. I had gotten them vaccinated if I brougth them, but I was wondering the same thing one day....hmmmm what happens when my hens hatch them. I don't give any shots..so I posted the question and I was told by numerous ppl. on BYC to use medicated....

Medicated feed is only to help build immunity for coccidiosis - it does nothing for mareks.​

 

[jeremy]

I do!

It's my thinking that I'll do whatever I can to protect my flock from exposure to illness, that's why I chose to vaccinate.

 

[kla37]

I had my chicks vaccinated at hatch from the hatchery. They are my kids pets and I want to give them every chance of surviving as long as possible.

 

[MrsChickendad]

I vaccinate for Marek's and feed medicated feed until they are well feathered, then taper off the medicated. We attended a Poultry class at MSU, this is what Dr. Karcher suggested.

Of all the birds we have lost, almost all have been unvaccinated birds we got elsewhere. Marek's is everywhere and it is not a pretty death. With the money, time and work we've put in, we figure we should at least try and prevent the most common diseases if we can. It seems the birds that get it are the ones we can least afford to lose.

 

[wildeflowers]

I vaccinate for Mareks and then use medicated feed for Cocci for about 2 weeks. I want to use as little intervention as possible, but Marek's is awful and my closest neighbor has a flock, too. I'm not sure she vaxed and is not exactly an expert on biosecurity, so I do this as a preventative because of that. I also think they are probably most susceptible to Cocci in the very beginning while their little immune systems are just starting out. I'm not out of medicated feed, and I don't plan to buy more, so I'll just use organic feed from now on, but I still plan on vaxing for Marek's.

I don't and never plan to. Survival of the fittest, not most drug-packed.

I am certainly not a big vax promoter, but I respectfully point out that a vaccination is not a drug.​

 

[UGAchick]

I did and used medicated feed for a bag, then switched to flock raiser. I really thought about it, and in the end, decided that I would rather protect them than loose them to Marek's. I understand when people don't, but for me it was the right choice.