Vaccinations for new chicks

[Chickety Charcoal]

I have three chicks and I am debating whether or not to vaccinate them- specifically for Marek's. I hear the vacc is sold for large flocks, so how do you use it for just 3 birds? I have 4 older hens that they will join in the Spring who I believe are vaccinated.

Have any of you NOT vaccinated your birds?

 

[P'Fowls]

I dont vaccinate any of my birds. I never have. I worm them and make sure they stay healthy. I keep my drinkers, feeders & pens clean and limit who is near my chickens. When I order chicks for my customers if they want them done I have them vaccinated, but if they dont request it I dont. I have never had a problem.

 

[GardeNerd]

Mareks vaccination is best done at day old. Mareks is everywhere, highly contagious, and not curable.

Chickens that have been given the Mareks VACCINE do not infect any unvaccinated chicks. The vaccine is made from a stain of the disease that affects Turkeys, not chickens.

In my first flock, I had 2 pullets without vaccination, but the rest were vaccinated. All were fine. Across the street, the neighbor had half her flock from a batch of vaccinated chicks from Welp, the other half from the feed store and not vaccinated. All fine too. All the birds I have currently were vaccinated at the hatchery.

If you have had a chicken with the actual disease, it will be a carrier for life and could infect the non vaccinated chickens.

 

[Vamvakas]

It's wierd... I used to always have broody hens and got my chicks that way and none ever died from mereks, but the first time I ordered from a hatchery cause my chickens wouldnt become broody. When I ordered from the hatchery I didint know what "mereks vac" was so I didint get them vac but a few died from that and I learned my lesson to get them vac if they come from a hatchery. Just seems hatchery chicks get mereks more then chicks from a mother hen idk why. Im getting 43 chicks this April from MM hatchery and Im getting them vac to be on the safe side.