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Vaccinations?
- Thread starter jeaucamom
- Start date
- Nov 1, 2007
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According to McMurray's, if your chicks are vaccinated, you can not feed them medicated feed or it nullifies the vaccine. If you want organic chickens, you can not feed medicated feed and vaccine is your only option. McMurray's can vaccinate for both Marek's Disease and Coccidiosis for $.14/chick for each vaccine.
If you choose to use medicated feed, make sure it has coccidiostat in it.
We have raised chickens with both vaccine and no vaccine together with organic starter (non-medicated) and they were fine.
If you choose to use medicated feed, make sure it has coccidiostat in it.
We have raised chickens with both vaccine and no vaccine together with organic starter (non-medicated) and they were fine.
Most people agree that most backyard flock owners probably dont need to vaccinate for Mareks. The hatcheries do not recommend it for small timers. I would not personally vaccinate for that disease since it makes them carriers. Plus, it does not prevent them from getting it, just keeps them from getting tumors or paralysis if they do, is my understanding of it.
Medicated feed is only for cocci, not Mareks. If you vaccinate for cocci, medicated feed will just void the vaccine, basically. You should feed unmedicated if they are vaccinated for cocci.
Medicated feed is only for cocci, not Mareks. If you vaccinate for cocci, medicated feed will just void the vaccine, basically. You should feed unmedicated if they are vaccinated for cocci.
- Feb 4, 2008
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Thank you everyone!!!
- Feb 26, 2008
- 45
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OK
this is my first I'm kinda lost now to on weather i should or should not !
those of you with yrs of doing this if you could give some input on weather you do or Don't would be great.
I get my little ones on the 19Th and hey are supposed to be .
Am thinking i should not now because i do plan on letting a few of them be mommies and then i would have to worry on weather the little ones would get something from them.
anyone ???
ty For any help
this is my first I'm kinda lost now to on weather i should or should not !
those of you with yrs of doing this if you could give some input on weather you do or Don't would be great.
I get my little ones on the 19Th and hey are supposed to be .
Am thinking i should not now because i do plan on letting a few of them be mommies and then i would have to worry on weather the little ones would get something from them.
anyone ???
ty For any help
I posted this message under another topic when discussing vaccines. I will copy and paste it here:
Actually Marek's vaccine is recommended for small flocks. At least, that is what I have been told by vets specializing in poultry. The few sources I have found that don't recommend it give the reasoning that it is cost prohibitive because it can only be bought in doses of 1000 or more. They assume that spending $13 for 1000 doses is stupid for 10 chicks because $12.87 worth of it will be thrown away. Yes, a bird can become a carrier for life, but virtually all birds carry Mareks latently in their system. Mareks is worldwide. If your birds have ever free ranged or been exposed to an area that ever had a free range bird in it, it has been exposed. If your bird has ever been anyplace that a wild bird has been, it has probably been exposed. If you have been in an area with wild birds you have probably brought the virus in on your clothes. Last year I had a bird come down with Mareks. A poultry vet informed me that it is everywhere in the environment. Virtually all birds are exposed. The reason it is recommended that day old chicks be vaccinated is because at that point they probably have not been exposed to it. If you never experience Mareks, you are lucky. I personally will never not have a bird vaccinated for it.
Since my Mildred came down with it last year (and lived) I have studied up on it quite a bit. Be wary of internet sights written by people that are not in the Veterinary or science field. There is a lot of bogus information out there. My sources have been vets in poultry departments of universities, Fort Dodge (they make the vaccine), etc. Vaccinating is so cheap, why not have it?
Also, the cocci vaccine is the one that they are referring to when talking about medicated feed, not Mareks. And according to the vets at Fort Dodge (they make Mareks vaccine), if you have a chick that is a few days old, it can still be successfully vaccinated as long as it has not been exposed to other poultry that may have been previously exposed.
Actually Marek's vaccine is recommended for small flocks. At least, that is what I have been told by vets specializing in poultry. The few sources I have found that don't recommend it give the reasoning that it is cost prohibitive because it can only be bought in doses of 1000 or more. They assume that spending $13 for 1000 doses is stupid for 10 chicks because $12.87 worth of it will be thrown away. Yes, a bird can become a carrier for life, but virtually all birds carry Mareks latently in their system. Mareks is worldwide. If your birds have ever free ranged or been exposed to an area that ever had a free range bird in it, it has been exposed. If your bird has ever been anyplace that a wild bird has been, it has probably been exposed. If you have been in an area with wild birds you have probably brought the virus in on your clothes. Last year I had a bird come down with Mareks. A poultry vet informed me that it is everywhere in the environment. Virtually all birds are exposed. The reason it is recommended that day old chicks be vaccinated is because at that point they probably have not been exposed to it. If you never experience Mareks, you are lucky. I personally will never not have a bird vaccinated for it.
Since my Mildred came down with it last year (and lived) I have studied up on it quite a bit. Be wary of internet sights written by people that are not in the Veterinary or science field. There is a lot of bogus information out there. My sources have been vets in poultry departments of universities, Fort Dodge (they make the vaccine), etc. Vaccinating is so cheap, why not have it?
Also, the cocci vaccine is the one that they are referring to when talking about medicated feed, not Mareks. And according to the vets at Fort Dodge (they make Mareks vaccine), if you have a chick that is a few days old, it can still be successfully vaccinated as long as it has not been exposed to other poultry that may have been previously exposed.
- Feb 26, 2008
- 45
- 0
- 22
TY for the post horsejody
what do you do when you have chicks not gotten at the hatcheries? do you give the injections? and how do you do that ???
were do you order your vaccine? if you do ?
ty
what do you do when you have chicks not gotten at the hatcheries? do you give the injections? and how do you do that ???
were do you order your vaccine? if you do ?
ty
This is where I got my vaccine from. They are friendly, fast and the most reasonably priced. I would normally order vaccinated chicks, but since I hatched my own this time I have to do it myself.
http://www.twincitypoultrysupplies.com/store/
When you order the vaccine ask for a small needle & syringe also. It is a 1000 dose package, but the cost is $13 - $14, so still not too bad. If you are expecting more chicks in the near future, cut the tablet in half and only use half of the liquid solution and half of the tablet to mix your vaccine. If you are using only half, make sure you use a sterilized glass container. If mixing it all, use the bottle they provide. Each chick gets .2 (it's marked on the syringe) injected just under the skin. One person holds the baby. Another lifts the skin slightly on the back of the neck near the base and and injects just under the skin. It will leave a little bump that will go away. Some people prefer giving the shot in the leg instead of the neck. Just remember that it is supposed to be given just under the skin, not into a muscle. Very experienced people on another forum gave me these instructions and I verified it with the manufacturer. The vaccine must stay refrigerated and is only good for about one hour once it is mixed.
http://www.twincitypoultrysupplies.com/store/
When you order the vaccine ask for a small needle & syringe also. It is a 1000 dose package, but the cost is $13 - $14, so still not too bad. If you are expecting more chicks in the near future, cut the tablet in half and only use half of the liquid solution and half of the tablet to mix your vaccine. If you are using only half, make sure you use a sterilized glass container. If mixing it all, use the bottle they provide. Each chick gets .2 (it's marked on the syringe) injected just under the skin. One person holds the baby. Another lifts the skin slightly on the back of the neck near the base and and injects just under the skin. It will leave a little bump that will go away. Some people prefer giving the shot in the leg instead of the neck. Just remember that it is supposed to be given just under the skin, not into a muscle. Very experienced people on another forum gave me these instructions and I verified it with the manufacturer. The vaccine must stay refrigerated and is only good for about one hour once it is mixed.
Another reason why mareks vaccine is not recommended is because the vaccine only covers one type of mareks (rispens). If you get one of the other 11 or so varieties you have wasted your money.
I personally had 2-3 chickens get ocular mareks that were vaccinated and they died, so the vaccine did not help.
And, if you want to truely get good information regarding it, do not talk to a regular vet, call your State's avian health lab and talk to an avian specialist. They can also inform you if there are certain diseases making it's way around the State and any recommendations on vaccines for where you live.
I personally had 2-3 chickens get ocular mareks that were vaccinated and they died, so the vaccine did not help.
And, if you want to truely get good information regarding it, do not talk to a regular vet, call your State's avian health lab and talk to an avian specialist. They can also inform you if there are certain diseases making it's way around the State and any recommendations on vaccines for where you live.
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