Vaccinating question

[Brown Chick]

I ordered a flock last year that was vaccinated. And I added to the flock with local birds that were not vaccinated. The local breeder said we do not get Merricks in Louisiana and does not vaccinate for that But I am ordering again in spring from Illinois. So since the new birds are from Illinois should I get them vaccinated?

 

[CluckerFamily]

I normally get my chicks from the local feed store and they are all vaccinated but when I hatch my own, I don’t vaccinate them. So my flock has mostly vaccinated chickens with a few that aren’t vaccinated.
Is it a huge price difference to get them vaccinated? Maybe it is more of a piece of mind decision.

 

[Brown Chick]

I think it’s just a few dollars per chick. I am more concerned about the out of state issue but if I will be quarantining for 30 days after receiving the chicks would any disease be evident within that period?

 

[CluckerFamily]

I think and I am not certain but Mareks doesn’t show until the chicks are older. I want to say the infected chick won’t start showing until it is half a year old to about three years old. And by then it has infected the others. But I’m not certain on this and I can’t remember where I read this.

 

[Painted Calls]

Marek's can show as early as 16-20 weeks.

What did the local breeder mean by "We don't get Marek's in LA"?

 

[Brown Chick]

When I asked if her chicks were vaccinated she said it is not needed to vaccinate for that disease in Louisiana. I have my concerns about having a new addition to the flock from out of state mainly. The Local chicks are 4 months old now.

 

[CluckerFamily]

I think and I am not certain but Mareks doesn’t show until the chicks are older. I want to say the infected chick won’t start showing until it is half a year old to about three years old. And by then it has infected the others. But I’m not certain on this and I can’t remember where I read this.

I was wrong... they can show signs of Mareks earlier.
I found this article on BYC if you are interested: The Great Big Giant Mareks Disease FAQ

 

[Painted Calls]

When I asked if her chicks were vaccinated she said it is not needed to vaccinate for that disease in Louisiana.

Does she mean that it's not needed or not required?

Marek's doesn't adhere to state borders. It is everywhere. If you are worried about bringing it onto your property, I would get vaccinated chicks. I also wouldn't buy from a breeder that has that sort of mindset.

 

[Eggcessive]

Mareks is everywhere, in every country. I have both vaccinate and unvaccinated chickens and have not dealt with it. Most hatcheries offer a Mareks vaccine for about a dollar extra. Mareks symptoms can vary and can occur as young as 5 weeks, but usually occur in chicks a few months old to about 7 months on average. It can occur in older birds 3 weeks or more after exposure. Are the new chickens from a hatchery?

 

[Folly's place]

I'd get any new chicks vaccinated at the hatchery, which is what we do here. Then those chicks need to be totally isolated from possible exposure for two weeks, until they have protection. It's difficult to manage at home, so plan ahead to make it happen, or have them at a friend's garage or something for that time.
We also have home hatched unvaccinated birds, and so far no Marek's disease in our flock. I necropsy any birds who die of unknown causes, so I do keep track of the situation.
That breeder is spinning fairy tales; Marek's disease occurs in every state!
Mary