Vaccinated and Unvaccinated Chicks?

[DonnaFreak]

Howdy y'all

My coop is up, I have most of my supplies I'll need, and my chicks will be delivered in mid-April! I'm so excited!! I've searched this site for an answer to my question, but couldn't find anything...so I hope you'll forgive me if this has already been addressed. I ordered 8 chicks...5 are full-size and 3 are bantams. I ordered vaccination for them, but they don't vaccinate the bantams. I've read that the vaccinated chicks should be quarantined at first, but how do you quarantine them from each other? If they were shipped together, haven't they already been in contact enough to do any damage? Or is it only necessary to quarantine them from older birds, which I don't have? Also...why can't the bantams be vaccinated as well? Thanks in advance!

Donna

 

[Pyxis]

Vaccinated for what? Marek's? If so you don't need to keep them quarantined away from each other, the vaccinated chicks can't give marek's to the unvaccinated ones because they don't actually use marek's to make the vaccine, it's made with a turkey virus. This also means it does not stop your chickens from getting marek's, it just hopefully alleviates or lessens the symptoms if they do contract it.

 

[donrae]

Also saying vaccinated for what? My answer is based on Marek's disease. If it's something else, my answer is void

The chicks need to be quarantined from older birds who may be carriers. Like any vaccine, it takes time for the body to react appropriately and develop the desired immunity. So, you can't get a vaccinated chick in the mail and put it in with a flock that may be positive for the disease. That vaccine hasn't had time to work, the chick will get sick. Keeping the chick quarantined for 2-3 weeks allows time for it's little system to respond properly to the vaccine and have the correct immunities.

I've heard they don't vaccinate bantams due to the small size of the chick, and the small dose of the vaccine. A large fowl chick is 0.1ml. If a bantam is 1/5 the size of a large fowl, that's really too small a dose to administer correctly. Not sure why they don't dilute the vaccine differently, but apparently they don't.

So, brood all your birds together. they don't need to be quarantined from each other.

 

[DonnaFreak]

Also saying vaccinated for what? My answer is based on Marek's disease. If it's something else, my answer is void 

The chicks need to be quarantined from older birds who may be carriers. Like any vaccine, it takes time for the body to react appropriately and develop the desired immunity. So, you can't get a vaccinated chick in the mail and put it in with a flock that may be positive for the disease. That vaccine hasn't had time to work, the chick will get sick. Keeping the chick quarantined for 2-3 weeks allows time for it's little system to respond properly to the vaccine and have the correct immunities. 

I've heard they don't vaccinate bantams due to the small size of the chick, and the small dose of the vaccine. A large fowl chick is 0.1ml. If a bantam is 1/5 the size of a large fowl, that's really too small a dose to administer correctly. Not sure why they don't dilute the vaccine differently, but apparently they don't. 

So, brood all your birds together. they don't need to be quarantined from each other. 

Yes, I was speaking of the vaccination for Marek's. Another question I have is concerning their feed. I've read that chicks who are vaccinated shouldn't be fed medicated starter feed because it cancels out the vaccination, but that nonvaccinated chicks SHOULD get medicated feed. How can I feed chicks in the same brooder different foods if that's the case?

Thanks for the responses! I appreciate it!

 

[Pyxis]

Yes, I was speaking of the vaccination for Marek's. Another question I have is concerning their feed. I've read that chicks who are vaccinated shouldn't be fed medicated starter feed because it cancels out the vaccination, but that nonvaccinated chicks SHOULD get medicated feed. How can I feed chicks in the same brooder different foods if that's the case?

Thanks for the responses! I appreciate it!

Medicated feed is to prevent coccidiosis, and doesn't have any effects on Marek's whatsoever. If you want to feed medicated, it won't hurt anything

 

[SunHwaKwon]

Yes, its referring to chicks that have been vaccinated for coccidiosis.

 

[donrae]

Again, this is where you have to know what you are vaccinating for. Just saying "vaccinated" is too non specific.

Marek's vaccine does not interact with medicated feed at all.

Cocci vaccination does interact with medicated feed.

I'm not too familiar with your area, but I imagine you're warm and wet, so cocci will be a concern. I'd go with medicated feed to prevent that, or do some research on exposing chicks to dirt early and starting them with some good immunities.

 

[Pyxis]

The reason the 'vaccine' for cocci is affected by medicated feed is that it's not a vaccine at all. What you are actually doing is having your chicks deliberately infected with coccidia when you opt for the 'vaccine'. Now, they use a less dangerous strain, but that's still what you're doing, in the hopes that it will help give the chicks some immunity against worse strains. Feeding medicated feed would kill off the cocci you paid to have your chicks infected with before they can gain the immunity, so yes, in that case medicated feed would nullify the vaccine, but the medicated feed would continue to work as usual.

Also, chicks 'vacccinated' against coccidiosis can spread it to other chicks, because you literally paid to have them infected and they can shed the cocci and spread it.

So I think what you're doing is reading info on the coccidiosis vaccine, but what you had done was Marek's, so none of what you're reading applies.

 

[DonnaFreak]

Thank you all so much for your replies! You have been so helpful!! Yes, I was confusing the two vaccines in reading about the medicated feed. Believe it or not, I really AM studying up so I'll know what to do when my chicks arrive. I'm cramming as much in as I possibly can before my chicks get here in mid-April. I appreciate all of the help so much!

Donna

 

[book313]

So are you For or Against the vaccines? (Both for Cocci and Mareks.)