mareks disease shots

[Nala]

My chicken gradually stopped walking do you think she had hereks disease? Should I vaccinate the other chickens or is it too late?

 

[mypicklebird]

McMurray's will vaccinate- I think it added about 35 cents per bird. It is supposed to be done in day old chicks- at least the Fort Dodge one I have seen/used. Ideal will do it too. If you buy from a hatchery, they have to do the vaccine (as the chicks will be approaching 3 days old by the time they get to you). If you hatch your own, do have to learn. Not too hard, but the first few times made me nervous- tiny chicks and needles...
I would definitely do it (buy vaccinated chicks). The manufacturer does not recommend vaccinating older birds- supposedly will do nothing once if/once the birds are exposed.

 

[mypicklebird]

Quote:
Not helpful to vaccinate the older birds, if it was marek's they are already exposed. You should have any incoming chicks be vaccinated if you have this disease in your flock (and most people with backyard flocks DO). Pay the extra cents to have incoming hatchery chicks vaccinated, or hatch your own and do it yourself. Don't buy from the feed store unless you special order them, as the general stock they order will probably not be vaccinated as it cuts into the profit margin. If you want to know if you have Mareks in your flock, if you have another suspicious death- have your state lab do a necropsy.

 

[Gazinga]

where do i get the vacine? How much is it? How and when and how much do i give them in the shots? I am very interested.

 

[mypicklebird]

Quote:
you can buy it at some feed stores or you can order it from some farm supply on line places. Google it if you local feed store does not carry it. It was about 10$ for a 1000 dose vial (yes 1000 dose- Fort Dodge's is made for hatcheries with lots of chicks to vaccinate). If you order it to your house, you have to pay more for shipping than for the vaccine, so try to find it local. Fort Dodge makes it, the bottle comes with directions on how much and where to vaccinate, but you have to do it on day old chicks- so planning ahead is necessary. I end up throwing away almost all of the bottle as it is only good for 24hr after reconstitution.

 

[Gazinga]

reconstitution?

 

[mypicklebird]

Quote:
reconstitution
One entry found.


Main Entry:
re·con·sti·tute
Pronunciation:
\\(ˌ)rē-ˈkän(t)-stə-ˌtüt, -ˌtyüt\\
Function:
transitive verb
Date:
1812
: to constitute again or anew ; especially : to restore to a former condition by adding water
— re·con·sti·tu·tion \\(ˌ)rē-ˌkän(t)-stə-ˈtü-shən, -ˈtyü-\\ noun


It means to mix it up. The vaccine vial comes as a dry concentrate, you mix it with a sterile suspension (included) which is probably sterile water for injection. It is orange though...

 

[FarmerDenise]

The directions come with the vaccine, I found them hard to read because of the small print, but easy to follow. When you buy the vaccine, make sure you also get a good supply of hyperdermic needles. According to my vet, you should use a new needle for each chick.
It is expensive to ship, because it needs to be kept very cold, so you end up paying for freezer packs and a styrofoam box which costs more than the vaccine.
I took pictures when I did it this spring. I'll try to remember to post them.
Even with the vaccine, I lost most of my chickens to marek's this year. Apparently there are different types and my chickens must have gotten a different type than the one the vaccine is for. My neighbor figures it is like getting the flu shot, it only works if you are exposed to the right kind of "bug".
By the way, not all of my chickens are vaccinated, and amazingly none of my "homegrowns" (of which only some were vaccinated) have come down with marek's.

 

[Hen Pecked honey]

Get the shot - I lost three new birds and it is sad to watch them with this awful disease.