Introducing new chicks to the flock? Will it be harmful?

[igorsMistress]

But where did the chicks get the virus?

Read this https://www.nationalgeographic.com/...es-enhance-spread-of-deadlier-chicken-viruses

 

[Aunt Angus]

When I got my first 4 girls, they were vaccinated. I've added 16 birds to my flock over the years, none of which were vaccinated. My oldest hens are 4 years old. The first unvaccinated group is 3 years old. No one's gotten Marek's (knock on wood). That is just my experience. Your mileage may vary.

I don't think I'll ever vaccinate again, unless something changes. Just my opinion.

 

[NatJ]

Read this https://www.nationalgeographic.com/...es-enhance-spread-of-deadlier-chicken-viruses

I have read it before. It does not answer what I asked.

If you buy day-old chicks from a hatchery, where are those chicks going to catch Mareks?

The vaccine itself does not give them Mareks. It just hides whether they have it or not. The day old chicks should not have Mareks at all, so there is nothing to hide.

(And if the day old chicks do have Mareks, the hatchery is doing something wrong, but the unvaccinated chicks with Mareks will still spread it to the adult flock.)

 

[igorsMistress]

I have read it before. It does not answer what I asked.

If you buy day-old chicks from a hatchery, where are those chicks going to catch Mareks?

The vaccine itself does not give them Mareks. It just hides whether they have it or not. The day old chicks should not have Mareks at all, so there is nothing to hide.

(And if the day old chicks do have Mareks, the hatchery is doing something wrong, but the unvaccinated chicks with Mareks will still spread it to the adult flock.)

They aren’t going to catch Marek’s. They are vaccinated with a Turkey form of it, they are the carriers. Then it can/may continue to evolve and be shed by the vaccinated birds and make your older birds sick. Often the new form is even more virulent.

Here is one more article. If you need more then you’ll need to do your own research.

https://www.healthline.com/health-n...n-produce-stronger-versions-of-viruses-072715

 

[NatJ]

They aren’t going to catch Marek’s. They are vaccinated with a Turkey form of it, they are the carriers. Then it can/may continue to evolve and be shed by the vaccinated birds and make your older birds sick. Often the new form is even more virulent.

Here is one more article. If you need more then you’ll need to do your own research.

https://www.healthline.com/health-n...n-produce-stronger-versions-of-viruses-072715

My point is that only happens IF the chickens catch Mareks from somewhere. It does not happen just from being vaccinated.

Either the hatchery is shipping chicks with Mareks or it is not. That is what determines if the chicks bring Mareks into the flock. Vaccination status does not matter when buying day-old chicks.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I have had chickens for about five years and everyone seems healthy and happy..I was going to buy some chicks from from hoovershatchery...I'm paying the additional .50 to get the vaccinated for cocci and marek's...but i don't think my other chickens that I've had for so long were ever vaccinated as I bought them from a family member years ago. Will it hurt my chickens if i introduce the chicks? My chickens haven't been vaccinated...so i didn't know if introducing vaccinated chicks may be an issue or affect anything. I didn't know if it was okay to have vaccinated chicks around non vaccinated chickens. Thanks

I agree with NatJ. The chances of any day old chicks from an established hatchery, vaccinated or not, introducing Marek's into your flock are practically zero. If they are ever exposed to Marek's it will be while they are in your flock so your others will have been exposed too from the same source. So chicks that are vaccinated for Marek's that come straight from an established hatchery are no threat to your flock because of the vaccine. If the chicks or older chickens come from a private source that changes.

The vacccine for Coccidiosis is also safe for the rest of your flock. There are several different varieties of the Protozoa that can cause Cocci. Each different variety attacks a certain part of the digestive system. The last time I checked the vaccine did not cover all possible varieties but did most of them. So even if you vaccinate they can still catch Cocci, but your odds of them catching it are greatly reduced. You still need to pay attention. If they do get sick don't rule out Cocci just because they were vaccinated.

If chicks or chickens are exposed to Cocci for two to three weeks they can develop an immunity to that specific variety. But it takes a couple of weeks. It's best to isolate the chicks from the rest of your flock for the first two to three weeks to give that vaccine enough time to take hold. The same is true for the Marek's vaccine. If chicks are exposed to Marek's in the first few weeks they can have issues with it.

Some flocks develop what we call flock immunities. If they are exposed to something they can be carriers but never show any symptoms. Cocci is a great example of that. It is possible your flock is infected with a certain strain of the Cocci protozoa but will never show symptoms. They can still pass it on. Even if they are vaccinated they can still pass it on. The immunity just means they don't get sick.

To sum up, you are not going to be introducing Marek's or Coccidiosis to your flock because the chicks are vaccinated.

 

[Cryss]

I’m going to reopen this conversation with a scenario.
I raise egg layer chickens. I’m thinking of raising some meat birds next spring/summer. I know hatcheries inoculate the day old chicks you buy from them. My run has a small run and small coop inside the large main run that is usually used for things like introductions, mama hen brooding, or a safe place for an injured bird to heal while still with the flock. My question is can I brood and raise Cornish Cross chicks in this from day one or do they need to quarantine? Do I need to build a separate coop/run far from my flock and wear separate clothes and all that other bio safety routine? I’ve done that for older birds but I’ve never bought any type of day old chicks from a hatchery.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I know hatcheries inoculate the day old chicks you buy from them.

Which hatchery? What are they vaccinating for without charging you extra? There are several different things they could be vaccinating for, the mist common being Marek's and Coccidiosis. If you are talking about Marek's I'll copy something I wrote in the previous post on this thread.

I agree with NatJ. The chances of any day old chicks from an established hatchery, vaccinated or not, introducing Marek's into your flock are practically zero.

 

[NatJ]

My question is can I brood and raise Cornish Cross chicks in this from day one or do they need to quarantine? Do I need to build a separate coop/run far from my flock and wear separate clothes and all that other bio safety routine? I’ve done that for older birds but I’ve never bought any type of day old chicks from a hatchery.

Day old chicks from a hatchery are usually fine. There is no need to bother with quarantine (housing them far away, changing clothes, etc.)

 

[Cryss]

Which hatchery? What are they vaccinating for without charging you extra? There are several different things they could be vaccinating for, the mist common being Marek's and Coccidiosis. If you are talking about Marek's I'll copy something I wrote in the previous post on this thread.

I agree with NatJ. The chances of any day old chicks from an established hatchery, vaccinated or not, introducing Marek's into your flock are practically zero.

My bad. I was reading a portion of an article on the google page that said 100% of all chicks were vaccinated against mareks. What I didn’t notice was that if you clicked to read it you had to register. I have no idea now why or who said that.