Vaccination

[Simpleman1]

Is it okay to not vaccinate chicks?Does anyone had any problem with their chicks not being vaccinated?My chicks are currently 24 days old and i don't know if i should vaccinate my chicks now...

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Hi, hope you are enjoying BYC!

There are NO vaccinations that can be given at this age and be effective that I know of.

Most common vaccines are for coccidiosis or Marek's.

Coccidiosis can be avoided by not over crowding your brooder, keeping it dry and clean, and keeping the water poo free since that is how it is spread. There are coccidia in every chicken poo. It is ONLY a problem when there is a bloom and they numbers grow out of control. Corid is the treatment to use if this happens. Some people use medicated starter feed which a LOW dose of amprolium (corid) mixed in as a preventative. But if conditions get right they may still need to use a treatment dose.

Marek's vaccine MUST be given shortly after hatch to be effective. I personally WON'T have Marek's vaccinated birds at my place since it does NOT prevent them from catching it but just masks the symptoms IF they do get it, allowing it to live on among your flock. The vaccine generally stops the tumors from forming that cause the paralysis that makes it's presence known. Vaccinated bird can still catch and shed Marek's without people noticing. Birds may be slowly wasting or more easily succumb to other things like parasites. Many other things can look like Marek's including nutritional deficit.

I see now that you are in India... I don't know what is available to you there. Nutrition is KEY to so many things... if you can get a formulated chick or chicken ration, that would be my biggest suggestion to maintain good health.

But NO... none of my chicks are vaccinated. Bringing in unknown birds would be the biggest risk to giving yours something that may not already be at your property. I know things can be carried by wild animals as well... but the risk SEEMS less than bringing in other poultry... still, no wild bird feeders that attract extra animals to your yard in one good method of deterrent to the best of our ability.

 

[Simpleman1]

Hi, hope you are enjoying BYC!

There are NO vaccinations that can be given at this age and be effective that I know of.

Most common vaccines are for coccidiosis or Marek's.

Coccidiosis can be avoided by not over crowding your brooder, keeping it dry and clean, and keeping the water poo free since that is how it is spread. There are coccidia in every chicken poo. It is ONLY a problem when there is a bloom and they numbers grow out of control. Corid is the treatment to use if this happens. Some people use medicated starter feed which a LOW dose of amprolium (corid) mixed in as a preventative. But if conditions get right they may still need to use a treatment dose.

Marek's vaccine MUST be given shortly after hatch to be effective. I personally WON'T have Marek's vaccinated birds at my place since it does NOT prevent them from catching it but just masks the symptoms IF they do get it, allowing it to live on among your flock. The vaccine generally stops the tumors from forming that cause the paralysis that makes it's presence known. Vaccinated bird can still catch and shed Marek's without people noticing. Birds may be slowly wasting or more easily succumb to other things like parasites. Many other things can look like Marek's including nutritional deficit.

I see now that you are in India... I don't know what is available to you there. Nutrition is KEY to so many things... if you can get a formulated chick or chicken ration, that would be my biggest suggestion to maintain good health.

But NO... none of my chicks are vaccinated. Bringing in unknown birds would be the biggest risk to giving yours something that may not already be at your property. I know things can be carried by wild animals as well... but the risk SEEMS less than bringing in other poultry... still, no wild bird feeders that attract extra animals to your yard in one good method of deterrent to the best of our ability.

Thankx for the info.Have you heard of Lasota Vaccine?Everyone says it's an important vaccine..How can i avoid that particular diesease for my chicks?

 

[Folly's place]

I'd have to google that one; it's nothing I've heard of in the USA. You should be able to get good information about it there, at least from your veterinary college or poultry experts.
Many of us here have day-old chicks vaccinated against Marek's disease, and also have unvaccinated birds. Some of us have Marek's disease in our flocks, and some of us don't; it depends on biosecurity and good luck!
Mary

 

[Folly's place]

So Lasota vaccine is to protect against Newcastle disease; I did just look it up!
We don't vaccinate here; it's not prevalent, and it's controlled by 'test and slaughter' to keep it out of our flocks.
Right now there's an exotic Newcastle disease outbreak in California, (far from me!) so those folks are not having a good time.
Mary

 

[Folly's place]

So I did some more reading; Newcastle vaccine might be used in commercial flocks, but us small flock owners don't use it. There's no reason for it out here.
Mary

 

[Simpleman1]

I'd have to google that one; it's nothing I've heard of in the USA. You should be able to get good information about it there, at least from your veterinary college or poultry experts.
Many of us here have day-old chicks vaccinated against Marek's disease, and also have unvaccinated birds. Some of us have Marek's disease in our flocks, and some of us don't; it depends on biosecurity and good luck!
Mary

Oh i see....Maybe you may know it as Newcastle disease..?

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Oh i see....Maybe you may know it as Newcastle disease..?

Thankfully I am far north in California, which happens to be the same size or bigger than some countries. So the New castle has not effected us here yet.

It is considered one of those things that has been mostly eradicated and so I don't know of anyone who vaccinates for it. With a little further reading though... I did discover that it works best when administered AFTER the maternal antibodies have gone. Looks like storage conditions are key to it still being effective as well. Looks like it comes in vials that have 1000 doses... so it may not be affordable to do for a small flock. But if you have a vet or group of farmers that use it, maybe that is an option. I would talk with them and see how prevalent the disease is in your area. If it is still common, then vaccinating would probably be a good choice.

Good luck with your flock!

 

[Simpleman1]

So Lasota vaccine is to protect against Newcastle disease; I did just look it up!
We don't vaccinate here; it's not prevalent, and it's controlled by 'test and slaughter' to keep it out of our flocks.
Right now there's an exotic Newcastle disease outbreak in California, (far from me!) so those folks are not having a good time.
Mary

So I did some more reading; Newcastle vaccine might be used in commercial flocks, but us small flock owners don't use it. There's no reason for it out here.
Mary

Oh.. So it occurs only among a large commercial flock and improbable to occur among a clean small flock(I have 12 chicks)?

Does every chicks in the US undergo 'test and slaughter'.. Just curious

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Oh.. So it occurs only among a large commercial flock and improbable to occur among a clean small flock(I have 12 chicks)?

Does every chicks in the US undergo 'test and slaughter'.. Just curious

No, it CAN and DOES occur in small flock and has nothing to do with cleanliness.

Most people in the US do not test or slaughter for New Castle... UNLESS they have symptoms. If they had symptoms then they likely would (test and or slaughter) if they got a necropsy or other confirmation. Unfortunately SOME people prefer to live in ignorant bliss and don't get testing done when they have issues. Some but not all of our states require the testing if you want to transport any poultry across state lines. So people who actively sell and ship their birds *MAY* have had the testing done depending on their states requirement.

The only way to know how much risk you have is talking with your local farmers, neighbors who keep poultry, or veterinarian, maybe animal control if you guys have that sort of agency.. and seeing how many cases they have had as of recent.

Maybe the people who urged you to get vaccines have personally faced it or know more than I do about your local or regional situation.

Knowing what you actually face can help. For instance... I really don't care about rabies vaccine for my dog and get it because it is required by law even though rabies is not that common that I know of. So I probably wouldn't get it by choice. BUT Parvo virus vaccine is not required by law (as it doesn't effect humans), but it is VERY prevalent and I WON'T have a dog that isn't vaccinated... because it is VERY deadly to the dogs themselves and pups are especially susceptible. Once you've lost one or a whole litter, you won't forget it and you WILL mind the protocols for waiting on efficacy before taking any extra risk of exposure.