to vaccinate or not

[moniquem]

So, I'm ordering 1 day old chicks from Mypetchicken.com. Should I have them vaccinate for Mareks? I'm not even sure what Mareks is

 

[Folly's place]

YES!!! It's a viral disease that causes tumors and early deaths, and will be in your coop and property for years if it ever arrives. Vaccinated chicks will still become infected if they are exposed to the disease, but won't develop the tumors. Much better for them!
Are these your first chickens? Have there been chickens on your property within the last few years? You will then want to have new vaccinated chicks isolated from this environment for three weeks, until they develop the immunity. If it's clean ground, then no problem.
I always have hatchery chicks vaccinated, and keep them away from the others for three weeks. Chicks hatched here aren't vaccinated, however. I have both, and so far no Marek's disease.
Mary

 

[diamondsilkies]

Yes, I would also choose to vaccinate them! Marek's is a disease that is almost always fatal, and can cause paralyzation as well as tumors, plus a bunch of other things. It's always a really good idea, in fact, I'm trying to learn how to do it myself to chicks that I hatch out, since it tends to be more common among silkies, which are mainly what I keep.

 

[moniquem]

Okay, then I will vaccinate.

I purchased my home in Nov 2015. The previous owner was a very, very old man (house was built in 1904 I doubt he had chickens, in any case the last few years after he died was spent upgrading and trying to sell the home. I think I am safe. This will be my first venture into chickens.

Thanks for the info.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

Yes, I would also choose to vaccinate them! Marek's is a disease that is almost always fatal, and can cause paralyzation as well as tumors... It's always a really good idea, in fact, I'm trying to learn how to do it myself....

Marek's vaccine is sold by the thousands of doses and there are multiple strains or varieties of the Marek's virus. You need to use the type or strain of Marek's vaccine that is made to combat the most prevalent strain of Marek's in your area. The vaccine is mixed with water and an extremely fine mist is sprayed on the chick down or fuzz. The peeps peck these droplets off of each other because, well because that's what chicks do. It is best if a large number of young chicks are bunched closely together because then they see the droplets better and the peeps become more curious about the tiny droplets and pick them off of each other more readily. This is how it was done in the past and I assume that it is still done this way today.

 

[lazy gardener]

I would not choose to vaccinate chicks for Marek's dz. As a matter of fact, if some one offered me chicks that had been vaccinated, I would not accept them.

Marek's disease is a leaky vaccine, with a very real likelihood that vaccination will result in much more lethal strains of Marek's.

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/science/tthis-chicken-vaccine-makes-virus-dangerous