Not an Emergency...Marek's in the Flock

[settingdusk]

You can't vaccinate against meraks when the birds get older? I know you can vaccinate the chicks.

 

[Haunted55]

You can't vaccinate against meraks when the birds get older? I know you can vaccinate the chicks.

You can and there are 'experts' who will recommend this for both revaccination and first time. Trouble is...if your birds have never been vaccinated the vaccine may help them fight it off if they've been exposed but mortality and or sickness could still be high. If you've got nothing else, do it.

The trouble with Marek's is it can be anywhere. The feed store, the street, under wild bird feeders and even on the wind. It's out there and I personally feel that everyone should vaccinate for this either from the hatchery or at home, during the first 3 days of life. If you don't and it shows up...you have problems.

 

[seminolewind]

Quote:
Amen. You're a sweetheart, Haunted. 14 out of 34 of mine are vaccinated. 13 are 5 years old or older. 7 are in between. So I just hope this flock is stable for a while.

I just have to keep reminding myself to love on the ones I have, and give them all a good life as long or short as it may be. It's easier to write than it is to take my own advice.

 

[salt and pepper]

I have never done this, how do you dose them? One drop?

I did one drop for my 9 week olds, two drops for my 13 week olds, 3 drops for my adult hens, and four drops for the big roosters.

 

[ten chicks]

You can and there are 'experts' who will recommend this for both revaccination and first time. Trouble is...if your birds have never been vaccinated the vaccine may help them fight it off if they've been exposed but mortality and or sickness could still be high. If you've got nothing else, do it.

The trouble with Marek's is it can be anywhere. The feed store, the street, under wild bird feeders and even on the wind. It's out there and I personally feel that everyone should vaccinate for this either from the hatchery or at home, during the first 3 days of life. If you don't and it shows up...you have problems.

I'm a bit confused here,i was told that you could not vaccinate older chicks. My chicks are 4 weeks,so i can vaccinate them? When i purchased chicks,i had asked about vaccinating chicks and basically got blank stares from seller. My Silkies and Orpingtons both came from breeders. I don't even know where to look for vaccine,in Canada i have found i do not have as much access to medications as you do in the US. Forget about my vet,they only treat cows,horses,etc. If i am able to vaccinate my girls,is it safe and they absolutely cannot contract Marek's from the vaccine?

 

[Haunted55]

I'm a bit confused here,i was told that you could not vaccinate older chicks. My chicks are 4 weeks,so i can vaccinate them? When i purchased chicks,i had asked about vaccinating chicks and basically got blank stares from seller. My Silkies and Orpingtons both came from breeders. I don't even know where to look for vaccine,in Canada i have found i do not have as much access to medications as you do in the US. Forget about my vet,they only treat cows,horses,etc. If i am able to vaccinate my girls,is it safe and they absolutely cannot contract Marek's from the vaccine?

If you can order things in from the States, you can order it from Jeffers. I'll post the link at the end. The MD-Vac, the only one we can get for home use, is Turkey Marek's live virus. Chickens cannot get Turkey Marek's so the vaccine works the same as the Cow Pox vaccine used on some of us to keep us from getting Small Pox. Humans can't get Cow Pox but it is close enough to Small Pox to provide us with immunities. MD-Vac is not going to give your birds Chicken Marek's, it can't, it's just not in there.

At 4 weeks of age, any resistance from parent stock is pretty much worn off and if the parents didn't have it and survived, your chicks are at risk as is anyones not vaccinated. I can't say your chicks have been exposed for sure, but I would bet they have been. So knowing this, I would say that yes, if you can get it, it might be worth the shot, no pun intended. Another thing you can do is get a turkey or two and run them with your chickens. My experience proves to me that this works, probably better than the vaccine would for you now. Everyday, your chickens are going to be 'revaccinated' by being with the turkeys. I do highly recommend that you get the meds you would need for the turkey just in case Black Head shows up in it. Chickens can have it but it is rare and doesn't get them as badly as it does turkeys. I have had 2 bottles of Fish Zole [metronidazole], also from Jeffers, sitting here for almost a year now, "just in case".

Now the disclaimer...you knew there would be one, even if you vaccinate, run your chickens with turkeys, practise biosecurity until your eyes cross....sometimes a strain or strains will come along and explode in your face. When this happens, there's not a darned thing you can do about it except pray. This is what happened to me here. Don't get the wrong idea, I am not trying to discourage you, far from it! I just want you to know that even if everything is done properly, vaccinated at birth, kept away from other birds for the 6-8 weeks needed for the resistance to build up, good biosecurity, it can still go wrong. These mutated strains don't go by the rules and have a way of compromising the defences already there with the vaccinations. So back to your question, should you vaccinate now if you can get the vaccine? Why not? You have nothing to lose and everything to gain.

http://www.jefferspet.com/md-vac-cfl/camid/LIV/cp/F7-J7/cn/3501/

One last thing....the blank stares were your first clue. In the future, please make sure you know the history of the breeder and their birds. Easier said than done? Not really, ask others involved with poultry and showing their birds. Look at the parent stock and the facilities if you can. Go over the bird with a fine tooth comb. Finally, if you do purchase birds, quarantine those birds for 6-8 weeks. Completely away from the rest of your birds and change or clean footwear and clothing before going into your other birds. No it's not easy, it's a big pain you know where, but it may save the lives of your other birds. Sorry, lol, I do go on.

 

[Haunted55]

I did one drop for my 9 week olds, two drops for my 13 week olds, 3 drops for my adult hens, and four drops for the big roosters.

I may have to try it. I've got something going on here and nothing is working. To be honest, I don't even know if it is mites! I can't find any, even at night, so really no clue. Going by the symptoms though, it looks like a mite or lice infestation on some of the birds. that's the weird thing! Some of the birds affected are roosting right next to some that aren't. The affected ones look like Dr Suess critters and the others...well, they look like chickens, lol.

You know, I just thought of something. I'm using a white vinegar, garlic oil and water spray to keep the Black Flies off of my ducks and geese. I just switched over to using a fruit tree sprayer and have it spraying on them as they are let out in the morning. This is working for them. No more flies near their eyes or legs. No more trying to burrow into the feathers. Heck...I'm going to try it! Nothing to lose right? If it doesn't work, I can always do the Frontline. I'll give this a few days and see how it looks.

 

[Haunted55]

Amen. You're a sweetheart, Haunted. 14 out of 34 of mine are vaccinated. 13 are 5 years old or older. 7 are in between. So I just hope this flock is stable for a while.

I just have to keep reminding myself to love on the ones I have, and give them all a good life as long or short as it may be. It's easier to write than it is to take my own advice.

LOL!!! I've been called a lot of things in my life, but sweetheart isn't one of them. Seminole, we both have and are walking the mile. Even when we don't want to do it. Advice is cheap, it's the actions that count and as is obvious by your results, you are and have done something right.

 

[salt and pepper]

I may have to try it. I've got something going on here and nothing is working. To be honest, I don't even know if it is mites! I can't find any, even at night, so really no clue. Going by the symptoms though, it looks like a mite or lice infestation on some of the birds. that's the weird thing! Some of the birds affected are roosting right next to some that aren't. The affected ones look like Dr Suess critters and the others...well, they look like chickens, lol.

You know, I just thought of something. I'm using a white vinegar, garlic oil and water spray to keep the Black Flies off of my ducks and geese. I just switched over to using a fruit tree sprayer and have it spraying on them as they are let out in the morning. This is working for them. No more flies near their eyes or legs. No more trying to burrow into the feathers. Heck...I'm going to try it! Nothing to lose right? If it doesn't work, I can always do the Frontline. I'll give this a few days and see how it looks.

I couldn't find anything on my birds, but found little black critters in the coop when I brushed the bedding away. It's always good to try something new! Hope it works, I didn't use the real frontline, but a cheaper version, called proynel. Same active ingredient. Oh, and now production affects either!!

 

[Haunted55]

I couldn't find anything on my birds, but found little black critters in the coop when I brushed the bedding away. It's always good to try something new! Hope it works, I didn't use the real frontline, but a cheaper version, called proynel. Same active ingredient. Oh, and now production affects either!!

Haven't even found that, that's what is so confusing about this. I powerwashed that house, sprayed corners and seams with Ant and Roach bug spray, saturated their roost with Sevin spray and also the nesting boxes. Heck, I even cut the power to the building and sprayed up inside the outlet and light boxes with the bug spray, just to make sure there was no place to hide. Birds were dusted with Sevin as well, new shavings brought in were dusted with the Sevin powder and DE as well and since, I've been using the Poultry Protector spray every time I can catch them. Still, they have the red patches and feather loss. No clue.