Merek's Vaccination?

[confusedbanti]

I didn't want to inject in the back of the neck...too many nerves and spine back there to accidentally puncture if the chick would jump. So, I injected into the thigh...subq...that's just under the skin and that worked much better for me. Yes, you must pinch the skin up and make a little tent. Inject into the tent. If you don't pinch the skin, you could inject too deep. You also want to have a moist papertowel that you can spread the fuzz so that you can see what you are doing. Moisten the fuzz so that you can spread it out of the way and it stays there.

Not meaning to be disrespectful but I would not wait until they are 14 days old. You bring stuff into the house all the time on your feet, hair and clothes. I vaccinated my hatched bantams at 1 day old and didn't have any that had any side effects. Ideal hatchery vaccinates at 1 day old. Waiting is just taking the chance that they will be infected before they are vaccinated. Not a chance I want to take.

I use a 25 gauge needle...that's plenty big enough for those small thighs.

Speckledhen...unfortunately, once Marek's hits, whether you chose to euthanize or not, your flock will be carriers. It won't matter how fast you euthanize...symptoms might not appear for 6 - 8 weeks and the virus has been spread through dander for all that time. I don't have a problem with people trying to cure their birds and not just killing them..I have a problem with people who know that their birds are carriers and still sell them to others knowing that they are spreading disease!! No way would I buy chicks from someone who doesn't vaccinate. My trust in others is gone...I trusted the people I purchased chicks from and where did it get me???? Marek's and the loss of everything I wanted out of my chickens...never again!

14 days is for BANTAMS not regular. MPC does not vaccinate bantams because they are too small. That's why the wait

 

[shadow rabbit10]

I'm so sorry about all of my questions, but I don't want to mess up my first flock. So to recap, thigh injections work just as well, and you should make a tent? This is a question I forgot to ask and its probably the most important one! How big a dose do a give a bantam, and how much for a standard? I will probably get bantams, but I might get one standard. Thanks for everyone's help and I'm sorry about all of my questions, but I'm very new to this. Ive only owned hamsters, rats, and rabbits, never chickens!

 

[leadwolf1]

0.2 mls is the dosage for everything, bantams and LF...and yes, you should make a tent


Confusedbanti....I was talking about bantams. I vaccinated my hatched bantams at 1 day old. Ideal hatchery and other hatcheries (other than mpc) vaccinate bantams at 1 day old. I would not wait, and take the chance of infection, for 14 days...there is just no need.

 

[speckledhen]

Quote: Me, too. I wish people would have some consideration for others enough to avoid causing heartache in someone else's flock just to make a few bucks.

I admit that I'm no expert on Mareks Disease, only have read some on it. Seems you'd have to depopulate your entire flock, "scorch the earth" and leave it dormant for an very long and unspecified period. Even then, not sure if that would do it. Surely, after enough time, you could start over, but I suspect you may not even want to at that point. I'm really sorry that happened to you.

 

[Erica]

For pet birds I think vaccination is the answer, but if you're breeding chickens for practical reasons, you might like to consider breeding for resistance. Marek's susceptibility is highly hereditary (which is why some strains are more susceptible than others). The first generation will show great losses, then often zero or only sporadic cases after that. I can totally understand this not being an option when the birds are pets or for show, however it's worth thinking about for anyone raising chickens for practical purposes or who wants to improve the breed's resilience.

Once you've had it, the disease is practically impossible to eradicate from a backyard. Once you vaccinate, you have vaccinate forever, because vaccination doesn't stop the disease being there in the background. The vaccine only suppresses tumor formation so vaccinated birds can easily remain carriers. In that case, selling vaccinated birds to people who have other unvaccinated chickens is no less reprehensible than selling unvaccinated exposed birds to anyone else! I just had to say that because it's so easy to create a stampede away from unvaccinated chicken sellers, and many of them may either not have exposed birds or may have resistant ones, while buying vaccinated birds merely ensures that they come from a flock that's been exposed at some point.

The disease can really wipe out susceptible flocks, and I'm not trying to tell anyone what to do, but breeding for resistance is a definite option for some chicken keepers.

cheers
Erica

 

[shadow rabbit10]

0.2 mls is the dosage for everything, bantams and LF...and yes, you should make a tent


Confusedbanti....I was talking about bantams. I vaccinated my hatched bantams at 1 day old. Ideal hatchery and other hatcheries (other than mpc) vaccinate bantams at 1 day old. I would not wait, and take the chance of infection, for 14 days...there is just no need.

Thank you! I will be ordering some chicks in a few days as well as the vaccination. Oh, and one more question (you probably want to kill me right now), should I avoid touching them for 24 hours after vaccinating?

 

[leadwolf1]

No need to avoid touching them. Just make sure that you wash your hands Take care of them before you go outside then upon returning, leave your shoes at the door, change clothes and play with they until your heart's content They are such cute little fuzzy critters...no way will you be able to keep your hands off them I just bought 7 sexed/vaccinated pullets and I want to play with them all day

I love questions, never think that you are a bother for asking questions! We all have to learn somehow

 

[daze333]

I vaccinate all of my chickens. I have seen some of my silkies die the slow and painful looking death of mareks. I had a necropsy done to find out the problem and now I vaccinate them all. I vaccinate day old banties, including silkies without negative effects. It makes me feel badly, but I know I am saving their lives. Good luck figuring out your own system of vaccinating or not.

 

[shadow rabbit10]

No need to avoid touching them. Just make sure that you wash your hands Take care of them before you go outside then upon returning, leave your shoes at the door, change clothes and play with they until your heart's content They are such cute little fuzzy critters...no way will you be able to keep your hands off them I just bought 7 sexed/vaccinated pullets and I want to play with them all day

I love questions, never think that you are a bother for asking questions! We all have to learn somehow

Thank You for all of your help! I can't wait to get some birds!

 

[shadow rabbit10]

I vaccinate all of my chickens. I have seen some of my silkies die the slow and painful looking death of mareks. I had a necropsy done to find out the problem and now I vaccinate them all. I vaccinate day old banties, including silkies without negative effects. It makes me feel badly, but I know I am saving their lives. Good luck figuring out your own system of vaccinating or not.

Thanks!