it was for 5000 doses I think
Vaccinate or Not
- Thread starter FortCluck
- Start date
it was for 5000 doses I think
DiYMama540
Crossing the Road
Ah, gotcha...but for me with only 4 chickens...
Ah, gotcha...but for me with only 4 chickens...
Yeah definitely not worth it haha that’s why I didn’t get the mereks one because it was 1000 dose vial and I only hatched nine chicks
I learned the hard way. I’m in Texas too. One year, my girls just got dry pox. The following year My newer girls got dry pox and one sadly succumbed to wet pox. She basically suffocated to death. It was horrible to see after we tried everything to save her. Necropsy revealed wet pox in her trachea :-( So all my spring hatches last year got the fowl pox vaccine and my vet had me vaccinate everyone else as a booster. No fowl pox last year!
I think it depends on the vaccine and disease we are referencing. Yes, Mareks vaccine is considered a leaky vaccine but it does have its role. The problem with Mareks is that many flock owners are bringing in new chickens all the time- different ages, unknown carrier status and from different hatcheries etc. Not vaccinating for Mareks for example works best when you buy 10 chicks and you keep those 10 chickens without adding anymore until you have none left. The fowlpox vaccine is highly effective in preventing pox which killed one of my unvaccinated girls. The vaccine for mycoplasma is also effective per Texas A&M poultry dept.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/24879690/
- Jan 8, 2016
- 43
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No I don't vaccinate my chickens. I had an pneumonia vaccination and ended up in the hospital with double pneumonia. The rabies vaccination that is pushed every three years lasts for at least seven years. Like children having a few vaccinations and then they are done with vaccinations, vets push people to vaccinate their critters every year--not good!
I have been watching this thread with interest. I am also unsure about mixing vaccinated and non vaccinated chicks.
There is a large breeder/small hatchery a few hours from me, she claims on her website that the vaccine they use for Mareks is non shedding. I tried looking it up to confirm that but I am not so good with the science talk so wasn’t able to figure out where the manufacturer states that it is non shedding. I hope for her sake that it is non shedding, and she isn’t just stating that it is..
From the website (it’s long, I’ll try to highlight the key parts):
Vaccinations
It was not very long ago when outdoor flocks in Western Canada could live long and never get sick beyond the occasional cough in the winter. But serious diseases have become a problem in the last 50 years. The number of birds being kept has grown hugely, and flocks are closer together. Biosecurity is often poor, with people buying and selling birds that may be carrying a disease. And perhaps the worst culprit: people who are reluctant to cull or even quarantine sick birds. This situation is a bonanza for germs. Once a disease gets introduced it’s here to stay, and we will likely see more and more of it.
In our opinion, the best way to protect our birds from disease is to vaccinate them. There are excellent, non-shedding vaccines now that can be administered to day old chicks. We can’t protect them from everything, but the vaccine we have chosen for the hatchery for 2017 gives them protection from the 2 worst and most common diseases in this area: Marek’s Disease and Infectious Laryngotracheitis, ILT.
Let’s talk about Marek’s Disease. It is a highly contagious neoplastic disease caused by a herpes virus. The virus is spread in dander from feather follicles which can stay suspended in the air for days and travel many miles. After inhaling the dust, microscopic lesions are present after one to two weeks, and gross lesions are present after three to four weeks. Chicks may go lame or get hugely enlarged livers before maturity, although some birds live a few years with the infection. Infected birds can be carriers and shedders for life. Marek’s disease is the most common chicken disease in this area.
And ILT. It is an acute, highly contagious, herpes virus infection characterized by severe trouble breathing, coughing, a swollen head, weepy eyes and a drop in egg laying. After recovery, birds remain carriers for life and become a source of infection for susceptible birds. The latent virus can be reactivated every time the bird is stressed. ILT is a reportable disease in Canada and you may be required to cull all your poultry if your flock gets it.
The vaccine we use at TNHH is Vectormune LT. It is stored in liquid nitrogen, so there is no mercury in it. A single 0.2ml shot at the hatchery confers lifetime immunity to both Marek’s and ILT. The vaccinated birds cannot spread either disease to other birds.
Here are some reasons people give for not vaccinating, and our comments:
* We’re organic. - No problem, vaccines are approved by all the organic certifiers.
* Vaccination is stressful - Not as stressful as suffering with Marek’s or ILT
* We’re breeding for natural resistance - That would be a very advanced genetics project, which requires far bigger flocks than you could possibly have.
* We can’t because we’re going to use medicated feed - Medicated feed only affects the Cocci parasite, it has no effect on viruses.
* We don’t have those diseases here - You may not, but unless you have your flock perfectly isolated they will be exposed sooner or later.
* It’s not worth the cost - One healthy young hen is worth the cost of 100 vaccinations.
Like small pox, Marek’s and ILT could be wiped out if everyone vaccinated. I don’t expect that to happen in my lifetime, but I’m doing my part now!
Does anyone have thoughts to share on this?
I will also add that I am dealing with some illness in my flock for the second time since moving here, and will be taking some birds to the animal health lab tomorrow morning when they open (I will make a separate thread on that).
As far as biosecurity goes, I have been told by vets that in order to prevent disease you basically have to contain your birds indoors for their entire lives..
There is a large breeder/small hatchery a few hours from me, she claims on her website that the vaccine they use for Mareks is non shedding. I tried looking it up to confirm that but I am not so good with the science talk so wasn’t able to figure out where the manufacturer states that it is non shedding. I hope for her sake that it is non shedding, and she isn’t just stating that it is..
From the website (it’s long, I’ll try to highlight the key parts):
Vaccinations
It was not very long ago when outdoor flocks in Western Canada could live long and never get sick beyond the occasional cough in the winter. But serious diseases have become a problem in the last 50 years. The number of birds being kept has grown hugely, and flocks are closer together. Biosecurity is often poor, with people buying and selling birds that may be carrying a disease. And perhaps the worst culprit: people who are reluctant to cull or even quarantine sick birds. This situation is a bonanza for germs. Once a disease gets introduced it’s here to stay, and we will likely see more and more of it.
In our opinion, the best way to protect our birds from disease is to vaccinate them. There are excellent, non-shedding vaccines now that can be administered to day old chicks. We can’t protect them from everything, but the vaccine we have chosen for the hatchery for 2017 gives them protection from the 2 worst and most common diseases in this area: Marek’s Disease and Infectious Laryngotracheitis, ILT.
Let’s talk about Marek’s Disease. It is a highly contagious neoplastic disease caused by a herpes virus. The virus is spread in dander from feather follicles which can stay suspended in the air for days and travel many miles. After inhaling the dust, microscopic lesions are present after one to two weeks, and gross lesions are present after three to four weeks. Chicks may go lame or get hugely enlarged livers before maturity, although some birds live a few years with the infection. Infected birds can be carriers and shedders for life. Marek’s disease is the most common chicken disease in this area.
And ILT. It is an acute, highly contagious, herpes virus infection characterized by severe trouble breathing, coughing, a swollen head, weepy eyes and a drop in egg laying. After recovery, birds remain carriers for life and become a source of infection for susceptible birds. The latent virus can be reactivated every time the bird is stressed. ILT is a reportable disease in Canada and you may be required to cull all your poultry if your flock gets it.
The vaccine we use at TNHH is Vectormune LT. It is stored in liquid nitrogen, so there is no mercury in it. A single 0.2ml shot at the hatchery confers lifetime immunity to both Marek’s and ILT. The vaccinated birds cannot spread either disease to other birds.
Here are some reasons people give for not vaccinating, and our comments:
* We’re organic. - No problem, vaccines are approved by all the organic certifiers.
* Vaccination is stressful - Not as stressful as suffering with Marek’s or ILT
* We’re breeding for natural resistance - That would be a very advanced genetics project, which requires far bigger flocks than you could possibly have.
* We can’t because we’re going to use medicated feed - Medicated feed only affects the Cocci parasite, it has no effect on viruses.
* We don’t have those diseases here - You may not, but unless you have your flock perfectly isolated they will be exposed sooner or later.
* It’s not worth the cost - One healthy young hen is worth the cost of 100 vaccinations.
Like small pox, Marek’s and ILT could be wiped out if everyone vaccinated. I don’t expect that to happen in my lifetime, but I’m doing my part now!
Does anyone have thoughts to share on this?
I will also add that I am dealing with some illness in my flock for the second time since moving here, and will be taking some birds to the animal health lab tomorrow morning when they open (I will make a separate thread on that).
As far as biosecurity goes, I have been told by vets that in order to prevent disease you basically have to contain your birds indoors for their entire lives..
- Dec 1, 2017
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This is how the human vaccines work too. That's why we will never eliminate the viruses we vaccinate for. Pertussis, whooping cough, is spread this way.
- Dec 1, 2017
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- 7
- 67
Children get 64 shots by 18 years of age, that's not a "few" vaccinations.
- Dec 1, 2017
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I think the greatest risk for our birds are pool quality foods. All foods, no matter what we buy the feed is as nutrient depleted as human food. And if one chooses GMO soy and corn vs organic feed that is really bad for the animals and the food you eat from them. I grow organic cannabis and my friend uses non organic methods to boost his production. For the past 3 years he has had terrible pest problems, even throwing out his entire crop. I never have mold or pest problems. It's the same with our animals. Pump them full of poor quality foods and they will have health problems. The vaccines cannot make up for nutrition.
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