Mareks Vaccine

[Ross Johnson]

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.pb...s/tthis-chicken-vaccine-makes-virus-dangerous

After reading this article I wonder if vaccination is in the best interest of all birds

 

[ChiqueHenCrazy]

Hello all. I'm new here and I am choosing to comment here to clarify some things. I don't know a lot about Mareks, but what I have researched and experienced lately, leave me incredibly concerned. I choose to go the organic route, however, my friend and I ordered chicks together and she always vaccinates. The order had to be all or none for vaccination. I was extremely apprehensive but went alone with it. 6 months later, I've had 3 of those vaccinated birds put down with Mareks. The vaccine is leaky, even my vet told me that they shed the disease through their dander. So WHY on earth are we being lied to? We are TOLD that the vaccine prevents them from having a serious form of the disease, that they won't be neurologically damaged. I'm here to tell you that that is a lie. My vaccinated birds are dying. My NON vaccinated birds oddly, are not.
I have been reading that the vaccine is only making this disease stronger. The host lives longer to continue shedding the disease at an alarming rate. Non vaccinated hosts would simply get sick and die. Without a host, the disease would die.

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/updates/tthis-chicken-vaccine-makes-virus-dangerous/

The Vet tells me to that the best course of action is vaccination, but is it? He also states that vaccinated bird are forever CARRIERS also. So in one breath I am told that introducing this horrid disease into my program is the answer. So why are my vaccinated birds dying?

The vet told me Marek's can only survive for 30-60 days without a host, but online I read that the environment is forever infected. So if there is not clarity to this vaccine or the disease, WHY are we believing with the vaccine manufacturer's say? It obviously has NOT done my flock ANY GOOD! I don't want to let anyone see the new coop I just built and I don't want to go to my chicken friends homes due to risk of contamination. My "Chicken Life" has now changed entirely.

If you have made it this far in my comment, read this article. It seems to cover a lot of thought and options on the topic.

https://quarteracrehome.wordpress.com/2016/04/15/vaccines/

 

[GoodOldDays]

This post has been great thank you very much horsejody

 

[Lolacan]

Marek's is a very sad problem. From discovery in 1905 until now, there is no cure. Chickens are better off with the vaccine BUT only for the chick to survive the exposure to another chicken that has the virus. The vaccine only prevents the tumors from forming. It does not give them Marek's, cure Marek's, prevent them from being a carrier and passing it on. The chick that gets the vaccine and is quarantined for 3 or more weeks is the lucky one who will live. That's it.

The negatives are it's a leaky vaccine meaning it prevents tumors but does not prevent being a carrier or being exposed. If one would have a whole flock of vaccinated chickens, how would one really know if their chickens are exposed? Unfortunately backyarders do not usually practice chicken keeping that does not put their birds at risk. Namely all in all out-and not mixing new chickens into a flock.

If I had hatched all my chickens or bought strickly hatchery chicks, I would call that a closed flock and one that may not need vaccination. If I continue to add adults or chicks from other places, I run the risk of losing many chickens to Marek's. And Marek's virus in the chicken dander can live on a property for years.

Whether vaccinated or not, and exposed, the other evil is that their immune system will not be hardy. Example, they can get cocci overload at any time. Or, carry a larger amount of bacteria or cocci than normal and their body gets used to it, so the chicken becomes less thrifty.

 

[Twitchy Bee]

Hey guys. I never learned about Mareks until now. My chicks are now over 1 mth old and I didnt vaccinate them for it. Is it too late? Will they be at risk of infecting the rest of my flock? My flock members are 9mths old.

 

[ChickyMudder]

Here is what bothers me about this post. It is misleading. People that have mareks on their land should not hatch, vaccinate, and sell chicks. By hatching chicks on mareks infected land you will actually create Typhoid Mary chicks that carry the virus.

It’s not the vaccine that infected them it’s the land you hatched on. Now every chick they come in contact with and every farm you ship them to will get Mareks - not from the vaccine but from your farms infection.

The vaccine only keeps your infected chicks alive while killing everyone else’s.

Stop breeding chickens and selling chicks exposed to Mareks.