Should I vaccinate?

[Anne02]

Hi all! I should have my first batch of chicks hatching out in a few days, and I was wondering if I should vaccinate them against Marek's. I have never had any issues with Marek's on my property, but I also only have one other chicken that I'm absolutely positive has not been vaccinated. I'd be able to get the vaccine, and if I watched a few videos then I think I could administer it to them, but is it worth it?

 

[dheltzel]

We have never vaccinated our chicks and we give them food without medication and they've always been fine.

Medicated feed is to combat Coccidosis in chicks and is completely separate from Marek's vaccinations.
It's like saying "I've been fully vaccinated for COVID-19, so I won't be getting any more ingrown toenails ever again!"

 

[CluckerFamily]

I don’t vaccinate the chicks I hatch just because the vaccine would get thrown out and wasted since I only hatch half a dozen.
When I purchase chicks from a hatchery, I do get them vaccinated.

 

[azure_]

We have never vaccinated our chicks and we give them food without medication and they've always been fine.

 

[dheltzel]

I read that medicated Chick Starter Feed would counter act the Mareks vaccine that I was told was given at the hatchery before they get to Rural King or where ever.

This is true for chicks vaccinated for Coccidosis. The medicated feed will kill the weakened Cocci that are needed to develop immunity.

This is absolutely not true for Marek's vaccinations. Marek's is a herpes virus and there are no medicines to treat it once infected, unlike Coccidosis, which it fairly trivial to treat if caught in time.

 

[Lumley Farm]

I read that medicated chick starter should not be fed to chicks that have been already vaccinated against coccidiosis at the hatchery. Sorry for the confusion.

 

[Anne02]

I don’t vaccinate the chicks I hatch just because the vaccine would get thrown out and wasted since I only hatch half a dozen.
When I purchase chicks from a hatchery, I do get them vaccinated.

Okay, thank you. At most, I'd have 12 chicks, so I probably wouldn't. But my dad thinks we should, because he doesn't want to risk losing the flock to Marek's.

 

[Cinnamon Roll]

It depends on your tolerance for watching your flock get sick and possibly have to be euthanized. For myself it was worth the cost of the vaccine for the chicks I hatched. I was able to give vaccine to the older chickens I have that had not been vaccinated also. It won’t provide as much protection as it would have if they had it from Day 1, but it should help. I have a large flock so I’d be devastated if they all got sick, both emotionally and for the food that they provide.

It can end up being very expensive though. Only 2 chicks hatched for me last week so the vaccine cost was a lot per chick!

 

[Anne02]

Medicated feed is to combat Coccidosis in chicks and is completely separate from Marek's vaccinations.
It's like saying "I've been fully vaccinated for COVID-19, so I won't be getting any more ingrown toenails ever again!"

Thanks for clarifying that!

It depends on your tolerance for watching your flock get sick and possibly have to be euthanized. For myself it was worth the cost of the vaccine for the chicks I hatched. I was able to give vaccine to the older chickens I have that had not been vaccinated also. It won’t provide as much protection as it would have if they had it from Day 1, but it should help. I have a large flock so I’d be devastated if they all got sick, both emotionally and for the food that they provide.

It can end up being very expensive though. Only 2 chicks hatched for me last week so the vaccine cost was a lot per chick!

Well, they're 3 weeks old now, and we've already started transitioning them into the flock. I actually don't know, but how does Marek's spread?

 

[Lumley Farm]

I read that medicated Chick Starter Feed would counter act the Mareks vaccine that I was told was given at the hatchery before they get to Rural King or where ever.