Vaccinate? Opinions wanted.

[KodaBlue]

Hello friends.

I was just wondering. Should I vaccinate my chicks for mareks disease? It's just some claim they never had a problem ever with no vaccines ever. Yet others damn near scream to get them vaccinated. I suppose its up to me in the end i was just wondering if its advised or not. I have read that it just prolongs the side effects of mareks and it can still be passed to other birds regardless. Apparently the vaccination is "leaky" and not a perfect vaccine. So I figured I'd as ya guys what would be the best route.

Thanks guys,
Ryan

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Hi Ryan.

If you can't afford to loose any birds (financially or emotionally), then vaccinate.

Personally... vaccinated birds NOT welcome at my house.

I think I saw Marek's early last year, for the first time in 9 years of raising birds. I saved a chick with paralysis for 3 weeks in quarantine before deciding that was no quality of life for me or the bird. 2 weeks later another chick (9 weeks old) started limping with no sign of injury and I culled immediately. My flock was 82+ birds and I haven't seen ANY other signs in my flock, with lots of hatching chicks, and juveniles coming into adulthood since then. I didn't get a necropsy to confirm Marek's. But according to my state poultry vet at UC Davis... it is EVERY where in poultry environments.

I don't know about "leaky" vaccines. What I do know is that Marek's disease virus is NOT welcome to hide among my flock in vaccinated birds. I know that out of everyone, I was the ONLY one who got the flu vaccine AND the flu last year. And have seen reports (even though just a few) of vaccinated birds who got it anyways. If it just keeps the tumors from forming that cause the paralysis (IF they do become infected despite vaccination), Pass... I wanna know.

There has been a gene identified that is resistant to Marek's. I breed my birds and select for resistance to Marek's. I have to presume all my birds are showing SOME resistance since they haven't succumb. Maybe what I saw was a less viral-ant form.

To ME... the vaccine is just allowing the virus to stay alive undetected. I rather eradicate it then help it proliferate.

Just my take.

Good luck whatever you decide. For some people vaccination will be the right answer. For me it isn't.

 

[KodaBlue]

Hi Ryan.

If you can't afford to loose any birds (financially or emotionally), then vaccinate.

Personally... vaccinated birds NOT welcome at my house.

I think I saw Marek's early last year, for the first time in 9 years of raising birds. I saved a chick with paralysis for 3 weeks in quarantine before deciding that was no quality of life for me or the bird. 2 weeks later another chick (9 weeks old) started limping with no sign of injury and I culled immediately. My flock was 82+ birds and I haven't seen ANY other signs in my flock, with lots of hatching chicks, and juveniles coming into adulthood since then. I didn't get a necropsy to confirm Marek's. But according to my state poultry vet at UC Davis... it is EVERY where in poultry environments.

I don't know about "leaky" vaccines. What I do know is that Marek's disease virus is NOT welcome to hide among my flock in vaccinated birds. I know that out of everyone, I was the ONLY one who got the flu vaccine AND the flu last year. And have seen reports (even though just a few) of vaccinated birds who got it anyways. If it just keeps the tumors from forming that cause the paralysis (IF they do become infected despite vaccination), Pass... I wanna know.

There has been a gene identified that is resistant to Marek's. I breed my birds and select for resistance to Marek's. I have to presume all my birds are showing SOME resistance since they haven't succumb. Maybe what I saw was a less viral-ant form.

To ME... the vaccine is just allowing the virus to stay alive undetected. I rather eradicate it then help it proliferate.

Just my take.

Good luck whatever you decide. For some people vaccination will be the right answer. For me it isn't.

Thank you for your input I appreciate it very much! So if you cull the sick birds it increases the chances of the disease not jumping around? I definitely won't have that many birds I plan on starting with 5. 4 hens and a roo. But I intend to let them hatch their own chicks at some point givin the fact they go broody. I just am concerned that my whole flock will perish. And start from the the drawing board again so to speak

 

[SueT]

I decided no vaccines after reading this:
The vaccine is given to day old chicks as an injection into their breast, thigh or the back of the neck but remember that day old chicks are small and fragile and can easily be injured by an inexperienced vaccinator. Incorrect vaccination with a needle can cause excessive damage to the chicks or even death.
Knock on wood, I've raised 4 non vaccinated batches in 4 years, and so far, no illness.

 

[lazy gardener]

i WOULD NEVER CHOOSE TO HAVE A VACCINATED BIRD ON MY PROPERTY.

 

[KodaBlue]

I decided no vaccines after reading this:
The vaccine is given to day old chicks as an injection into their breast, thigh or the back of the neck but remember that day old chicks are small and fragile and can easily be injured by an inexperienced vaccinator. Incorrect vaccination with a needle can cause excessive damage to the chicks or even death.
Knock on wood, I've raised 4 non vaccinated batches in 4 years, and so far, no illness.

Thank you much for your reassurance. I personally dont like the idea
I just wanted to make sure I was doing what was best for the birds and not myself. So all around I'm not going to vaccinate and will just wish and hope for the best for years to come!

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Thank you much for your reassurance. I personally dont like the idea
I just wanted to make sure I was doing what was best for the birds and not myself. So all around I'm not going to vaccinate and will just wish and hope for the best for years to come!

Purchase your birds from an NPIP source and don't bring in adult birds even then. Marek's cannot pass to the embryo, so incubator hatched chicks are clean (from Marek's) which is not part of the NPIP testing, but more serious illnesses are.

It isn't that culling stops MDV from jumping around. It;s that the virus is constantly shedding from an infected bird in their dander and such. While ALL birds will have been exposed... it is LESS exposure instead of a serious barrage against the immune system. Less dander shedding and such. So culling is the right choice for ME.

Have you read this article yet? It is a really good source of information...
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/the-great-big-giant-mareks-disease-faq.66077/

If you don't have any chicken experience, then I will highly recommend your very first year to be rooster free, especially with that small of a flock. Cockerels mature faster than pullets so having them be "hens" to teach him some manners can be super helpful.

I just am concerned that my whole flock will perish. And start from the the drawing board again so to speak

It COULD happen... but not just from Marek's. Make sure you know who your predators are and secure your coop well. Everyone likes chicken for dinner. I don't personally know of anyone who did lose their whole flock to Marek's... YET.

Just because ya got a lot of us saying no... still consider what you feel is best for YOU... that is what will be best for your birds also!

 

[rita2paul]

i have never vaccinated my chickens and they have always been healthy, but i only have a small flock. Good luck with whatever decision you make.

 

[Folly's place]

I'm in the other camp on this; I raise chicks here with broody hens, and those chicks aren't vaccinated. When I order chicks from a hatchery, I have them vaccinated. So, I have both vaccinated and unvaccinated birds here, and have for 25+ years.
Because I've been very careful, and lucky, I don't have Marek's disease in my flock, and this is based on necropsies done on birds who die here.
If Marek's disease arrives, I'll likely see it in my unvaccinated birds, the 'canaries in the coal mine', and then I'll shed some tears, and never again sell birds off my property.
In flocks with Marek's disease present, their are choices; either give up on chickens entirely, buy only vaccinated replacements and have them isolated for three weeks to develop protection, and/ or cull sick birds, and keep the healthiest individuals only.
That's a good plan for flock management anyway; breeding only healthy individuals!
Do read up on biosecurity, so you manage your new flock the best way possible from the beginning, and avoid as many problems as you can.
Mary

 

[Alexandra33]

I have a Marek's-riddled flock....to be completely honest, both vaccinated AND unvaccinated birds are dying off at a rate of one every several months. The strain isn't that which paralyzes its victims and causes many deaths within a short period, merely one that manifests as a single chicken wasting away to nothing. Personally, ever since discovering that our chooks are infected, I've been faithfully vaccinating when possible. If there's a chance at all that it'll stretch out their lifespan with few ill effects (none of our vaccinated chicks have given up the ghost), I'm all for it.

That's just an opinion coming from someone who deals with Marek's regularly. If you feel your flock isn't at risk, do what you feel is best. Sadly, since the vaccine doesn't prevent disease altogether, there's no guarantee that they won't contract it in the end.

~Alex