mereks

[fratmor]

does everyone get there chickens vaccinated for mereks ?I want to get some chicks from a local farm but they do not offer to have them vaccinated .would it be a bad choice to get by chicks from them ?I would be adding a few chicks to my flock.

 

[magicpigeon]

You can get them vaccinated yourself if you're worried. Marek's isn't my biggest concern and I don't buy vaccinated chicks though

 

[fratmor]

thanks, more input folks what do you think?

 

[WhetzelMomma]

None of my chickens are vaccinated.

 

[chickbird]

Quote:
i live in ga. and mareks is a real problem and i vaccinate as it is usually lethal and hard to watch a chicken with it.

 

[KVchick]

From what I've read you have to vaccinate within 24 hours of hatching, but have read about also doing it at 21 days also

 

[dbounds10]

KVChick - I have just bought 6 chicks that have not been vacinated. I have no other birds but think I should vacinate. I have no idea how to do it. I have given shots to dogs before but never chickens. Is there a "How to" somewhere? I dont even know where to buy it.

An help would be appreciated!

 

[KVchick]

Yes, there is a how to I found on the web when searching Mereks Vaccine, but you have to give it within the first day of hatch. http://poultryone.com/articles/mareks.html You give it under the skin on the back of their neck. The hatcheries do it in the egg a few days before hatching...I wish I had a machine to do that. I don't relish the thought of sticking a needle in a tiny chick. I've given shots to cows and dogs, but never something this small. If you haven’t had any other birds and you only have a few chicks, you may be fine.

 

[NWChicks]

You can give it to them when they're older but the sooner you give it to them the better chance they have of gaining immunity. I had several birds last year that were unvaccinated and doing fine. Being a newbie I accepted some birds from a friend and didn't know to quarantine them. Long story short, they had Marek's and gave it to my flock. I lost several, including all of the gifted birds. We read all about the vaccine and decided to inoculate the remaining birds in the hope that the lesions wouldn't grow and cause their death. They've all survived and are healthy girls laying me lots of eggs.

I just got 16 new little baby chicks and they are all inoculated since we know we have Marek's on our property now. You have to weigh whether the risk is great in your area or not. We talked to a guy from the state who told us for our area it's very prevalent and he highly recommended vaccinating all new birds. Of course since we know we've had it it's imperative for us. They are vaccinated with a turkey version of the disease that keeps the lesions from forming (they are tumors that can cause all of the issues). It's not a form that will give the disease to birds who don't have it from what I understand. I don't show but I've read that vaccinated birds are allowed in shows which leads me to believe they aren't major danger to other birds.

 

[KVchick]

I told the vet that I had read you can give the vaccine to them when they are older than 1 day and she strongly disagreed.