Should chickens be vaccinated?

[CCsChickens]

This is a bit off topic but can you vaccinate chickens that are older than a day old...? I have a flock of 6 pullets that are about 4 months old. I purchased them at around 2 weeks old so I couldn't have been able to vaccinate them (and I also had no clue about it til reading about it on here!) - lesson learnt for next flock hopefully.

 

[Farmer Viola]

I feel the need to clear up some incorrect information here, as some common misconceptions have popped up. First, vaccines are *not* responsible for the majority of chick deaths. Second, coccidiosis is caused by a protozoan, (a parasite), not a bacteria (cleanliness is still a really good idea though). And third, it is simply not true that once you vaccinate for Mareks you always have to vaccinate.

The Mareks vaccine is a live culture of a related strain of virus which is harmless to chickens but does confer effective immunity to the virulent strains of Mareks. It won't stop them from getting infected but it will stop them from getting sick. Any chicken, whether vaccinated or not, can pick up, harbour and transmit the Mareks virus. The difference is that most unvaccinated chickens will develop debilitating and usually fatal symptoms (tumors, paralysis) and the vaccinated ones will most often be asymptomatic. In other words, if your birds have been vaccinated for Mareks you could have the disease-causing virus in your flock but not know it. Some people keep a few turkeys around because they can harbour a non-virulent strain of Mareks, and exposure to it effectively confers immunity on the youngsters the same way the vaccine does.

I vaccinate for Mareks because after reading that there was no need to vaccinate a small backyard flock, I bought 30 day old chicks and a few months later lost all but 4 of them to the disease. I was told by a poultry veterinarian that Mareks is everywhere nowadays and it's no longer realistic to expect backyard flocks to be out of harm's way. By the way, you can in fact vaccinate older chicks and grown chickens for Mareks (the dosage is the same as for the babies). It won't reverse the course of the disease but will stop new symptoms from developing. The idea behind vaccinating them at one day of age is to allow them to mount an immune response to the vaccine strain before they're exposed to the real thing; otherwise it's a race between the two viruses.

This is a bit off topic but can you vaccinate chickens that are older than a day old...? I have a flock of 6 pullets that are about 4 months old. I purchased them at around 2 weeks old so I couldn't have been able to vaccinate them (and I also had no clue about it til reading about it on here!) - lesson learnt for next flock hopefully.

I underlined and bolded the part in Momo's post about vaccinating chicks who are more than a day old, and older chickens. Hope this helps!

 

[CCsChickens]

I underlined and bolded the part in Momo's post about vaccinating chicks who are more than a day old, and older chickens. Hope this helps!

Thanks heaps Farmer Viola - just found out a few hours ago by the person I bought my chickens off that they all received their day old shots/vaccinations - would this have included the shot for the Marek Disease? Also would I have to vaccinate them again as adults?

I didn't think they were vaccinated but they are - which is why I guess they don't show severe symptoms to the CRD that my vet diagnosed for them!

 

[Gerard Dawn]

Some great advice here. Vaccinating can quiet be a challenge not if not done right can be a problem.

 

[Farmer Viola]

Thanks heaps Farmer Viola - just found out a few hours ago by the person I bought my chickens off that they all received their day old shots/vaccinations - would this have included the shot for the Marek Disease? Also would I have to vaccinate them again as adults?

I didn't think they were vaccinated but they are - which is why I guess they don't show severe symptoms to the CRD that my vet diagnosed for them!

That depends completely on the person, some people vaccinate only for Marek's as a rule, others will include vaccines for fowl pox or other chicken diseases. Best to ask the seller what specifically they were vaccinated for.
No, you wouldn't have to repeat vaccination as adults.

 

[rides2far]

Great info. I am purchasing chicks from a hatchery, so don't have to worry about Mareks. However, if I plan on hatching my own, I will definitely vaccinate. I was wondering how to do it! I've vaccinated horses, sheep, cows, & dogs, but chicks are so little. Thanks!

 

[JP FFM]

Hi what if i vaccinate for mareks ? And my chicks didn't need it , by vaccinating am i bringin the mareks disease to my flock?

 

[Farmer Viola]

No, the vaccine uses Turkey Marek's not chicken mareks so they won't be carriers toward other chickens.

 

[Abdul Rehman]

hi there i also need help .... i have 1 hen and his two chicks ,i never vaccinate them for any disease, hen age is almost 1.5 year or chicks age 3 months

i am worry about them , can i vaccinate them now ? for new castle disease or other dengerous diseases ? pls help me

 

[realsis]

I absolutely vaccinate, only for Mareks disease . Mareks is everywhere and can travel miles in the wind. it's a awful debilitating disease so yes!! it costs only about .50 cents to vaccinate per chick, so why not try to help them stay healthy by spending the .50 cents. I feel it's a very very important vaccine and personally I try to make sure all my birds get vaccinated for Mareks.