Marek's Disease and innoculations

[rmyer]

Hello, I have had to deal with Marek's for 2 years now since I brought home a batch of hens from an auction; WHICH I WILL NEVER DO AGAIN!!! (as per my own diagnosis with the like symptoms posted on this site regarding Marek's.) Okay, from this point oN... my next batch of peeps will be innoculated for this devasting disease. I DO have several adult birds and a roo that have not fallen prey to this disease, so here is my Question....Can I innoculate the adult birds that I have, and if not, why....

 

[Ridgerunner]

You can. Honestly I don't know how much good it will do. Everything I have read about Marek's says you need to innoculate them before they are exposed to chicken Marek's, so I suspect it might not do any good, but I really don't know. I don't know that it will hurt anything.

The Marek's vaccine you get is actually turkey Marek's, not chicken Marek's. It does not prevent Marek's. It stops the lesions that cause the problems. It is quite possible that the chickens will still get chicken Marek's after the vaccination with turkey Marek's and that they can still spread chicken Marek's.

Marek's does not always totally wipe out a flock. It is not at all unusual for over half the flock to survive and show no symptoms. That does not mean they don't have it. It means they do not show symptoms. Rest assured, they have it and can spread it.

 

[rmyer]

Thanks Ridgerunner. Interesting info....so why bother with innoculating the chicks for Marek's if it is for turkeys and ineffective, or am I missing something??? Wait, now I get it. it prevents the lesions....okay, is there anything I can do to prevent Marek's??

 

[Ridgerunner]

To the best of my knowledge, no, there is nothing you can do to prevent them getting Marek's. You can just innoculate them to prevent it doing them harm if they do get it.

 

[Chickadee55]

Do you give your chickens their shots yourself? Is the vaccines something you can buy at the feed store?

 

[Mac in Wisco]

Quote:
You can't prevent it. It's omnipresent, it's everywhere. Birds are vaccinated with a modified virus that competes with the field virus to prevent the birds from becoming symptomatic. The modified virus does not prevent or eradicate the field virus. They still carry and shed both viruses.

If you raise chicks you should vaccinate them as soon possible after they hatch, keep them segregated from older birds as much as possible and do the best you can to use biosecurity measures to prevent the spread of the field virus to the chicks until the vaccine has had a chance to take and is able to compete with the field virus, at least a few weeks.