Greetings
I am posting a lengthy discussion and a potential article on vaccinating a back yard flock.
Here goes.
Vaccinations – My Research On How To Go About Vaccinating A Backyard Flock
Almost everything I have seen on vaccinations is based on regimen built on vaccinating chicks from birth. While this is fine for a large scale chicken farm, its not the most practical for the back yard chicken person who buys a few birds here and there or hatches a few eggs in an incubator every few weeks. I have spent hours on the internet trying to find information on this topic and basically draw blanks.
So let us try and start with the basics of physiology and see if we can make sense of this.
A vaccine is a preparation used to produce active immunity to a disease, in order to prevent or reduce the effects of infection by any natural or "wild" pathogen.
A vaccine usually contains an agent that resembles a disease-causing microorganism. It could be made from weakened or killed forms of the microbe, its toxins or one of its surface proteins. The vaccine stimulates the body's immune system to recognize the agent as foreign, destroy it, and "remember" it, so that the immune system can more easily recognize and destroy any of these microorganisms that it later encounters.
The word vaccine’s origins come from vacca – Latin for cow. Cow pox virus was used in the vaccination of humans for small pox.
To relate this to my experience, when I start a new job in a hospital, they often draw blood titers to measure immunity. Many vaccines require multiple doses for maximum effectiveness, either to produce sufficient initial immune response or to boost response that fades over time. I have to get a Tetanus vaccine every ten years to keep up my immunity. The other way to get immunity is via direct exposure. I had full blown chicken pox as a kid and am now immune. I also have immunity to mumps but I was never symptomatic of the disease – I came in contact with enough of the virus where my body beat off the illness but stored memory of the disease and gave me immunity.
Back to chickens.
So should you vaccinate, and if so, what should you vaccinate against?
Many argue that poultry kept free range in small numbers in backyards usually avoid many of the dangers that are faced every day by poultry raised under intensive conditions on large commercial poultry farms. While, this is partially true, we are more attached and more devastated at the loss of a flock due to a disease. We don’t have cramped or crowded conditions where disease festers and rapidly infects – but our chickens still coop together, drink the same water, mate and basically are in fairly constant close contact.
Another consideration is the less birds you vaccinate, the more it costs per bird. Most vaccines are sold in packaging for 500-1000 birds. Newcastle Virus Vaccine costs nine dollars for 1000 doses or less than a penny a bird but a dollar per bird if you have 10. Marek’s is double that at at twenty dollars per vial and chronic respiratory disease causing Mycoplasma Gallisepticum Bacterin Vaccine is a bank breaking $100 per vial. To make it worse, they all have to be used within hours or less from the time they are reconstituted.
So where should you start and where should you stop??
Preventive vaccination is an essential part of the disease control program. Each bird owner should assess the risk of infectious agents gaining entry to the farm. There may already be infectious agents on the farm either carried by wild birds, older birds or remaining dormant in the environment. Such disease agents as Marek's disease virus, and fowl pox virus can live in a poultry shed for many months or years and reinfect chickens placed in that environment. Some disease agents can spread through the air over several miles. Examples are infectious bronchitis (IB) virus, Newcastle disease (ND) virus and fowl pox virus which can be spread by biting mosquitoes. Rats and mice can spread fowl cholera from nearby farms.
In addition, some disease agents are egg borne and may be introduced when the farmer purchases day old chicks or pullets from another farmer or can be passed from generation to generation within a flock. Examples are avian mycoplasmosis (CRD), avian leucosis, avian encephalomyelitis and salmonellosis. Inquiries as to the disease status of the parent flocks should be made to the breeding farm. Older pullets could already be carrying infectious coryza, infectious laryngotracheitis (ILT) and Marek's disease (MD) unless they have been correctly vaccinated.
I needed to understand my area, what diseases are prevalent, and what risks my birds have. A Google search of vaccines shows many many varieties – most of which are not available to the general public and the cost versus benefit is not balanced for a back yard fancier. For me, I have narrowed it down to the three diseases I feel that I am at most risk for based on history in my microcosm. The vaccines are readily available and fairly economical.
My chickens are in the Philippines. We live on an island that is known for game birds and chicken eating - Manokan or chicken country. Our area though is quite remote and the most densly populated but we do have chickens in the area. We get visits from the neighbors birds and our native chickens free range and can easily fly over an 8 foot fence. We also have a growing population of birds that we are hatching from imported eggs. We will do a hatch about every 10 - 12 weeks. The first birds hatched in 1/2013 and the next set are in lock down now – due 4/2313. Another set is planned for hatching mid June and mid August. The final one will be mid October. Following that, we will be breeding the imports locally to sell breeders as well as eggs. Our little farm will have other poultry. We currently have Muscovy ducks and turkeys. There are plans to add Guinea Fowl, mallard derivative duck breeds, peafowl and cotournix.
We live on a beach side coconut farm that is 2.5 acres. If you have coconuts, you have rats and living in the tropics, we have mosquitoes.
Newcastle disease is a highly contagious viral disease that is known to affect domestic poultry and wild birds in most parts of the world. The disease is characterized by high mortality and coughing, gasping, diarrhea and nervous signs. Egg production is affected and reduced in laying bird.
Incubation is 2 to 15 days with various speed of spread through the flock, but often is very fast. It is spread from infected birds with direct contact or from contaminated equipment, droppings, water, feed and visitors.
We had a scare with our 37 young imported chickens when they were 7 weeks of age. One had a nasal discharge. We quickly gave the birds a broad spectrum antibiotic and hoped for the best. Three weeks later we started our vaccination program with Newcastle Disease Vaccine – very easy – just adds to water. A second vaccination of a different strain is given three weeks later. The first is Newcastle Disease (B1-Type, B1 Strain)& Bronchitis(Massachusetts Type & Connecticut Strain) , the second is B1 Type, LaSota Strain. Both are readily available for less than ten dollars for 1000 doses. For me, the first strain was available in the Philippines at our local agri-vet supply store but the second strain I will carry in.
We will re-immunize with when each hatch gets to 2 weeks of age. We will adopt an all for one and one for all approach with NCD.
The second risk/issue is Avian or Fowl Pox (FP). It just started showing up on a few of our birds at 12 weeks. None of the local chickens have symptom but they may have had it before and have developed immunity. We will isolate our hatch due this week and then immunize them for FP as soon as possible using the wing stab method. We will also immunize all adult birds at that time – on the chance that they don’t already have the active disease or are now over it and immune.
Fowl pox is a serious problem for free-range stock because the virus is spread by biting mosquitoes particularly in the warmer months of the year. Weeping scabs and wart-like lesions develop on the non-feathered parts of the head, neck and legs. In many cases those individual pox lesions run together and can be severe enough to completely close the birds’ eyes, and can lead to starvation unless treated. The virus can also affect the inside of the mouth.
It has a slow spread with incubation of 4 to 10 days. The disease spread by direct contact bird to bird or with infected water, equipment and mosquitoes. Immunity develops and persists for a variable time after recovery. In multi-age flocks the younger groups of birds tend to be more severely affected. Because of the isolation of many backyard flocks and lack of regular exposure to infection, explosive outbreaks involving all ages can occur if infection is introduced.
Some day-old chickens may be supplied vaccinated from the hatchery. These should be revaccinated at 8-12 weeks of age. Young chickens are usually vaccinated at 1-2 weeks of age and again at 8-12 weeks of age. It is good insurance to revaccinate annually before summer.
The wing stab method is recommended for chickens. The vaccine is reconstituted as directed and the special vaccination needle is dipped in the vaccine. An assistant holds the wing of the bird stretched away from its body and the needle is stabbed through the thin double layer of skin in the wing web. This causes minimal pain and ensures that the vaccine is introduced into the skin at the stab site. A proportion of chickens should be examined one week later to see that there has been a “take” that appears as a small dry scab at the point of needle puncture.
This vaccine is ten dollars for 1000 doses. It should not be given within 21 days of slaughter.
Mareks Disease (MD) is a common disease of chickens caused by a herpesvirus and is characterised by paralysis of the legs and/or wings and/or the formation of tumors throughout many organs of the body. The majority of losses occurs in pullets up to laying age but may occur throughout the life of the flock. Mortalities may be as high as 40%.
Infection can take place immediately after hatching so vaccination must take place at one day of age. Chickens hatched under hens can acquire the disease agent from the hen or surroundings very early in their life; so again, chicks should be vaccinated as soon after hatching as possible (preferably at one day of age). Virus is further spread by aerosol and feces. We do not have a history of Mareks symptoms in our area but will vaccinate all birds with it anyway. Going forward, we will vaccinate as they come out of the incubator. Broodies will be an issue but at twenty dollars a vial, I can’t afford to open a new vial of vaccine every time a broody hen hatches a clutch. I will just cross my fingers that they don’t get infected in between incubator hatches.
The vaccine is actually the turkey strain of the disease and must be reconstituted as described in the instruction leaflet with the vaccine. It should preferably be used within one hour. Inject under the skin on the back of the neck. Usually a fold of neck skin is pinched up between the thumb and forefinger of one hand and the injection made under the skin in a direction away from the head. Avoid injection into the muscles of the neck. Cost is twenty dollars for 1000 doses.
The principles of disease control in an intensive production environment are largely based on prevention of disease using isolation, quarantine, single aged farms and comprehensive disinfection and vaccination programs. The same simple measures should be in place to prevent infectious disease from entering a small farm as for a large farm. A change of clothes, a disinfectant footbath and no backtracking of infection from old to young stock are fundamental requirements. Small farms should also be encouraged to adhere to the principles of separation of age groups and should also develop appropriate disinfection and vaccination programs.
Now this is great advice but its going to be hard for me to adhere to. I will have separate pens for juvenile birds, and will tend to the youngest first. With the wanton abandonment in which our neighbors manage their few chickens and their visits over the fence, I will find it hard to provide super strict biosecurity but I will quarantine any birds that will actually enter my coups.
A Dupont disinfectant, Virkon S will kill just about any virus and bacteria, is recommended for biosecurity. It can be used with a pressure washer or with a fogger when the birds are present. I will be using it to spray my coops with litter changes.
My Vaccination Schedule
MD – As soon as I get to the Philippines I will vaccinate all birds, then as day olds with each hatch. To minimize cost, I will do large hatches quarterly rather than a few eggs here and there. Cost per year with 4 hatches is $80.
FP - As soon as I get to the Philippines I will vaccinate all birds, then as day olds with each hatch and each 1st hatch of the year. Cost $40.
NCD - Once I get to the Philippines I will vaccinate all birds after 14 days, then hatchlings as 14 day olds and 3 weeks later with the second strain. All birds on premises will get vaccine each quarter. Cost $80.
So to follow my schedule, I will be spending $200 per year. If I just had 10 birds, that would be a lot. I will have considerably more so the per bird cost will be about $2 per adult bird per year and all the juvies I sell will be vaccinated – an added attraction to the buyer. To get the costs down – a vaccination co-op may be established for vaccines like NCD but MD vaccination must be administered quickly so you would need team work to distribute and administer once reconstituted.
References:
http://www.thepoultrysite.com/diseaseinfo/63/fowl-pox-pox-avian-pox
http://www.farmerswarehouse.com.au/pages.php?pageid=13
http://kenyapoultry.org/partners/34-mold/49-vaccination-schedule-for-layers-and-broilers.html
http://www.valleyvet.com/ct_library_info.html?product=063c7eba-a7ff-4ceb-bf52-7463c15bf346&showText=1
useful articles
common poutry myths http://www.shagbarkbantams.com/page21.htm
how to administer mareks http://www.shagbarkbantams.com/mdvac.htm
I am posting a lengthy discussion and a potential article on vaccinating a back yard flock.
Here goes.
Vaccinations – My Research On How To Go About Vaccinating A Backyard Flock
Almost everything I have seen on vaccinations is based on regimen built on vaccinating chicks from birth. While this is fine for a large scale chicken farm, its not the most practical for the back yard chicken person who buys a few birds here and there or hatches a few eggs in an incubator every few weeks. I have spent hours on the internet trying to find information on this topic and basically draw blanks.
So let us try and start with the basics of physiology and see if we can make sense of this.
A vaccine is a preparation used to produce active immunity to a disease, in order to prevent or reduce the effects of infection by any natural or "wild" pathogen.
A vaccine usually contains an agent that resembles a disease-causing microorganism. It could be made from weakened or killed forms of the microbe, its toxins or one of its surface proteins. The vaccine stimulates the body's immune system to recognize the agent as foreign, destroy it, and "remember" it, so that the immune system can more easily recognize and destroy any of these microorganisms that it later encounters.
The word vaccine’s origins come from vacca – Latin for cow. Cow pox virus was used in the vaccination of humans for small pox.
To relate this to my experience, when I start a new job in a hospital, they often draw blood titers to measure immunity. Many vaccines require multiple doses for maximum effectiveness, either to produce sufficient initial immune response or to boost response that fades over time. I have to get a Tetanus vaccine every ten years to keep up my immunity. The other way to get immunity is via direct exposure. I had full blown chicken pox as a kid and am now immune. I also have immunity to mumps but I was never symptomatic of the disease – I came in contact with enough of the virus where my body beat off the illness but stored memory of the disease and gave me immunity.
Back to chickens.
So should you vaccinate, and if so, what should you vaccinate against?
Many argue that poultry kept free range in small numbers in backyards usually avoid many of the dangers that are faced every day by poultry raised under intensive conditions on large commercial poultry farms. While, this is partially true, we are more attached and more devastated at the loss of a flock due to a disease. We don’t have cramped or crowded conditions where disease festers and rapidly infects – but our chickens still coop together, drink the same water, mate and basically are in fairly constant close contact.
Another consideration is the less birds you vaccinate, the more it costs per bird. Most vaccines are sold in packaging for 500-1000 birds. Newcastle Virus Vaccine costs nine dollars for 1000 doses or less than a penny a bird but a dollar per bird if you have 10. Marek’s is double that at at twenty dollars per vial and chronic respiratory disease causing Mycoplasma Gallisepticum Bacterin Vaccine is a bank breaking $100 per vial. To make it worse, they all have to be used within hours or less from the time they are reconstituted.
So where should you start and where should you stop??
Preventive vaccination is an essential part of the disease control program. Each bird owner should assess the risk of infectious agents gaining entry to the farm. There may already be infectious agents on the farm either carried by wild birds, older birds or remaining dormant in the environment. Such disease agents as Marek's disease virus, and fowl pox virus can live in a poultry shed for many months or years and reinfect chickens placed in that environment. Some disease agents can spread through the air over several miles. Examples are infectious bronchitis (IB) virus, Newcastle disease (ND) virus and fowl pox virus which can be spread by biting mosquitoes. Rats and mice can spread fowl cholera from nearby farms.
In addition, some disease agents are egg borne and may be introduced when the farmer purchases day old chicks or pullets from another farmer or can be passed from generation to generation within a flock. Examples are avian mycoplasmosis (CRD), avian leucosis, avian encephalomyelitis and salmonellosis. Inquiries as to the disease status of the parent flocks should be made to the breeding farm. Older pullets could already be carrying infectious coryza, infectious laryngotracheitis (ILT) and Marek's disease (MD) unless they have been correctly vaccinated.
I needed to understand my area, what diseases are prevalent, and what risks my birds have. A Google search of vaccines shows many many varieties – most of which are not available to the general public and the cost versus benefit is not balanced for a back yard fancier. For me, I have narrowed it down to the three diseases I feel that I am at most risk for based on history in my microcosm. The vaccines are readily available and fairly economical.
My chickens are in the Philippines. We live on an island that is known for game birds and chicken eating - Manokan or chicken country. Our area though is quite remote and the most densly populated but we do have chickens in the area. We get visits from the neighbors birds and our native chickens free range and can easily fly over an 8 foot fence. We also have a growing population of birds that we are hatching from imported eggs. We will do a hatch about every 10 - 12 weeks. The first birds hatched in 1/2013 and the next set are in lock down now – due 4/2313. Another set is planned for hatching mid June and mid August. The final one will be mid October. Following that, we will be breeding the imports locally to sell breeders as well as eggs. Our little farm will have other poultry. We currently have Muscovy ducks and turkeys. There are plans to add Guinea Fowl, mallard derivative duck breeds, peafowl and cotournix.
We live on a beach side coconut farm that is 2.5 acres. If you have coconuts, you have rats and living in the tropics, we have mosquitoes.
Newcastle disease is a highly contagious viral disease that is known to affect domestic poultry and wild birds in most parts of the world. The disease is characterized by high mortality and coughing, gasping, diarrhea and nervous signs. Egg production is affected and reduced in laying bird.
Incubation is 2 to 15 days with various speed of spread through the flock, but often is very fast. It is spread from infected birds with direct contact or from contaminated equipment, droppings, water, feed and visitors.
We had a scare with our 37 young imported chickens when they were 7 weeks of age. One had a nasal discharge. We quickly gave the birds a broad spectrum antibiotic and hoped for the best. Three weeks later we started our vaccination program with Newcastle Disease Vaccine – very easy – just adds to water. A second vaccination of a different strain is given three weeks later. The first is Newcastle Disease (B1-Type, B1 Strain)& Bronchitis(Massachusetts Type & Connecticut Strain) , the second is B1 Type, LaSota Strain. Both are readily available for less than ten dollars for 1000 doses. For me, the first strain was available in the Philippines at our local agri-vet supply store but the second strain I will carry in.
We will re-immunize with when each hatch gets to 2 weeks of age. We will adopt an all for one and one for all approach with NCD.
The second risk/issue is Avian or Fowl Pox (FP). It just started showing up on a few of our birds at 12 weeks. None of the local chickens have symptom but they may have had it before and have developed immunity. We will isolate our hatch due this week and then immunize them for FP as soon as possible using the wing stab method. We will also immunize all adult birds at that time – on the chance that they don’t already have the active disease or are now over it and immune.
Fowl pox is a serious problem for free-range stock because the virus is spread by biting mosquitoes particularly in the warmer months of the year. Weeping scabs and wart-like lesions develop on the non-feathered parts of the head, neck and legs. In many cases those individual pox lesions run together and can be severe enough to completely close the birds’ eyes, and can lead to starvation unless treated. The virus can also affect the inside of the mouth.
It has a slow spread with incubation of 4 to 10 days. The disease spread by direct contact bird to bird or with infected water, equipment and mosquitoes. Immunity develops and persists for a variable time after recovery. In multi-age flocks the younger groups of birds tend to be more severely affected. Because of the isolation of many backyard flocks and lack of regular exposure to infection, explosive outbreaks involving all ages can occur if infection is introduced.
Some day-old chickens may be supplied vaccinated from the hatchery. These should be revaccinated at 8-12 weeks of age. Young chickens are usually vaccinated at 1-2 weeks of age and again at 8-12 weeks of age. It is good insurance to revaccinate annually before summer.
The wing stab method is recommended for chickens. The vaccine is reconstituted as directed and the special vaccination needle is dipped in the vaccine. An assistant holds the wing of the bird stretched away from its body and the needle is stabbed through the thin double layer of skin in the wing web. This causes minimal pain and ensures that the vaccine is introduced into the skin at the stab site. A proportion of chickens should be examined one week later to see that there has been a “take” that appears as a small dry scab at the point of needle puncture.
This vaccine is ten dollars for 1000 doses. It should not be given within 21 days of slaughter.
Mareks Disease (MD) is a common disease of chickens caused by a herpesvirus and is characterised by paralysis of the legs and/or wings and/or the formation of tumors throughout many organs of the body. The majority of losses occurs in pullets up to laying age but may occur throughout the life of the flock. Mortalities may be as high as 40%.
Infection can take place immediately after hatching so vaccination must take place at one day of age. Chickens hatched under hens can acquire the disease agent from the hen or surroundings very early in their life; so again, chicks should be vaccinated as soon after hatching as possible (preferably at one day of age). Virus is further spread by aerosol and feces. We do not have a history of Mareks symptoms in our area but will vaccinate all birds with it anyway. Going forward, we will vaccinate as they come out of the incubator. Broodies will be an issue but at twenty dollars a vial, I can’t afford to open a new vial of vaccine every time a broody hen hatches a clutch. I will just cross my fingers that they don’t get infected in between incubator hatches.
The vaccine is actually the turkey strain of the disease and must be reconstituted as described in the instruction leaflet with the vaccine. It should preferably be used within one hour. Inject under the skin on the back of the neck. Usually a fold of neck skin is pinched up between the thumb and forefinger of one hand and the injection made under the skin in a direction away from the head. Avoid injection into the muscles of the neck. Cost is twenty dollars for 1000 doses.
The principles of disease control in an intensive production environment are largely based on prevention of disease using isolation, quarantine, single aged farms and comprehensive disinfection and vaccination programs. The same simple measures should be in place to prevent infectious disease from entering a small farm as for a large farm. A change of clothes, a disinfectant footbath and no backtracking of infection from old to young stock are fundamental requirements. Small farms should also be encouraged to adhere to the principles of separation of age groups and should also develop appropriate disinfection and vaccination programs.
Now this is great advice but its going to be hard for me to adhere to. I will have separate pens for juvenile birds, and will tend to the youngest first. With the wanton abandonment in which our neighbors manage their few chickens and their visits over the fence, I will find it hard to provide super strict biosecurity but I will quarantine any birds that will actually enter my coups.
A Dupont disinfectant, Virkon S will kill just about any virus and bacteria, is recommended for biosecurity. It can be used with a pressure washer or with a fogger when the birds are present. I will be using it to spray my coops with litter changes.
My Vaccination Schedule
MD – As soon as I get to the Philippines I will vaccinate all birds, then as day olds with each hatch. To minimize cost, I will do large hatches quarterly rather than a few eggs here and there. Cost per year with 4 hatches is $80.
FP - As soon as I get to the Philippines I will vaccinate all birds, then as day olds with each hatch and each 1st hatch of the year. Cost $40.
NCD - Once I get to the Philippines I will vaccinate all birds after 14 days, then hatchlings as 14 day olds and 3 weeks later with the second strain. All birds on premises will get vaccine each quarter. Cost $80.
So to follow my schedule, I will be spending $200 per year. If I just had 10 birds, that would be a lot. I will have considerably more so the per bird cost will be about $2 per adult bird per year and all the juvies I sell will be vaccinated – an added attraction to the buyer. To get the costs down – a vaccination co-op may be established for vaccines like NCD but MD vaccination must be administered quickly so you would need team work to distribute and administer once reconstituted.
References:
http://www.thepoultrysite.com/diseaseinfo/63/fowl-pox-pox-avian-pox
http://www.farmerswarehouse.com.au/pages.php?pageid=13
http://kenyapoultry.org/partners/34-mold/49-vaccination-schedule-for-layers-and-broilers.html
http://www.valleyvet.com/ct_library_info.html?product=063c7eba-a7ff-4ceb-bf52-7463c15bf346&showText=1
useful articles
common poutry myths http://www.shagbarkbantams.com/page21.htm
how to administer mareks http://www.shagbarkbantams.com/mdvac.htm
