To vaccinate for mareks or not?

[kyeschicks]

Do you vaccinate for mareks? Why or why not.

 

[RoosterML]

Do you vaccinate for mareks? Why or why not.

No, I hatch my own birds and administering for such few birds does not make sense.

 

[LaFleche]

Do you vaccinate for mareks? Why or why not.

No, as the vaccination does not prevent the infection or retransmission. It only may reduce some of the symptoms.
I rather breed for Marek resistance.

 

[BDutch]

I don’t vaccinate either. The chicks I started with where not vaccinated and never got Marek.

I continued with my flock with ladies and one cockerel from the first year. After reading about Marek I tried to keep them safe and I didn’t buy chicks/pullets bc it’s always a hazard bringing in new chicks/chickens. My Dutch are good broodies and mothers. But I can’t keep roosters all year round because my neighbours and I don’t like such a loud alarm clock before 7 in the morning.

So 3 years ago I bought fertilised eggs having no rooster. I had one cockerel and kept him till spring too.

This year I will buy fertilised eggs again when I have a broody in april or may. If I have some nice cockerels I want to keep one until spring for next year.

Its a closed circle this way. And no Marek can get in.

 

[LizzzyJo]

Whenever I buy from a hatchery I do because it helps them and lessens the chance that it will infect my property. When they hatch out themselves, I don't vaccinate because you have to buy a ridiculous amount of medication and use it all at once - like 1,000 doses or something.

 

[LizzzyJo]

I don’t vaccinate either. The chicks I started with where not vaccinated and never got Marek.

I continued with my flock with ladies and one cockerel from the first year. After reading about Marek I tried to keep them safe and I didn’t buy chicks/pullets bc it’s always a hazard bringing in new chicks/chickens. My Dutch are good broodies and mothers. But I can’t keep roosters all year round because my neighbours and I don’t like such a loud alarm clock before 7 in the morning.

So 3 years ago I bought fertilised eggs having no rooster. I had one cockerel and kept him till spring too.

This year I will buy fertilised eggs again when I have a broody in april or may. If I have some nice cockerels I want to keep one until spring for next year.

Its a closed circle this way. And no Marek can get in.

This is a great policy. As an alternative to vaccination, just keeping great biosecurity is all you need.

 

[PioneerChicks]

No, as the vaccination does not prevent the infection or retransmission. It only may reduce some of the symptoms.
I rather breed for Marek resistance.

Can you explain? I never really understood the concept of breeding for resistance, but I definitely want to do it!

 

[LaFleche]

Can you explain? I never really understood the concept of breeding for resistance, but I definitely want to do it!

Well, different strains of Marek field viruses are omnipresent and can hardly be avoided, even when practising strict bio security. But usually they are not as destructive and deadly as the newer vaccine virus.

I only breed birds that already have proved for several years to be very robust and healthy. And the rooster always unrelated to the hens.

 

[PioneerChicks]

Well, different strains of Marek field viruses are omnipresent and can hardly be avoided, even when practising strict bio security. But usually they are not as destructive and deadly as the newer vaccine virus.

I only breed birds that already have proved for several years to be very robust and healthy. And the rooster always unrelated to the hens.

This Is very helpful, thank you! I'll make sure to trade out my roo next year!

 

[NatJ]

I never really understood the concept of breeding for resistance, but I definitely want to do it!

You get a bunch of chickens, expose them to Mareks, and cull the ones that get sick. Or, if they all get sick, raise some offspring from the ones that were least affected. (The ones that didn't die.)

In each generation, you want to breed from the ones that show no symptoms, or if they all have symptoms you breed from the ones with the least symptoms.

Eventually you have a group of chickens that can survive and produce even when they are all exposed to Mareks disease.

The same basic idea works for any kind of animals or for plants. No matter what is troubling them--disease or parasites or extreme weather or predators--as long as it leaves some alive, you can breed those and get ones that are better able to resist that problem in the future.