Vaccine for Mareks question(s)

[Saraschickens]

Hi! I have chicks hatching on May 21st. I want to buy some chicks from a breeder, "Backyard Chickies" in San Diego.
I've bought chicks from her 2 years ago (and she vaccinates for Mareks before selling). I already had chickens, and I was hatching chicks around that time too (not vaccinated). As well as getting more chicks last year (not vaccinated). And now hatching more chicks this year, from the chickens that were vaccinated, and not. And those chicks are not vaccinated. So I have about a half and half of vaccinated and not vaccinated.
So, like I said, I have chicks hatching on the 21st. And the lady has chicks I want also hatching on the 21st, but she vaccinates them right when they're born. So I don't have a choice with hers.
My question is, is it too dangerous to buy her chicks and put them with mine?
I've read about the vaccine being "leaky", and I don't want to chance anything.
Especially since mine are offspring from previously vaccinated chickens.
I've never experienced Mareks in my 17 years of chickens, or in my life for that matter. I had never even heard of it until finding out my chicks were vaccinated 2 years ago. I've read that it's more of a problem only if the birds ever get exposed to Mareks. So I'm not sure if there's any Mareks around here, but haven't seen or heard of any. But like I said, "leaky" has me concerned too.
Any insight on this matter would be so helpful and appreciated! Thank you!

 

[Saraschickens]

Or, can I keep them separated for a certain amount of time to counter the "leaky" situation? And how long if that were a solution? 1 week, 2 weeks, a month, etc...? Thank you!

 

[ThePoultryDoc]

Hi! I have chicks hatching on May 21st. I want to buy some chicks from a breeder, "Backyard Chickies" in San Diego.
I've bought chicks from her 2 years ago (and she vaccinates for Mareks before selling). I already had chickens, and I was hatching chicks around that time too (not vaccinated). As well as getting more chicks last year (not vaccinated). And now hatching more chicks this year, from the chickens that were vaccinated, and not. And those chicks are not vaccinated. So I have about a half and half of vaccinated and not vaccinated.
So, like I said, I have chicks hatching on the 21st. And the lady has chicks I want also hatching on the 21st, but she vaccinates them right when they're born. So I don't have a choice with hers.
My question is, is it too dangerous to buy her chicks and put them with mine?
I've read about the vaccine being "leaky", and I don't want to chance anything.
Especially since mine are offspring from previously vaccinated chickens.
I've never experienced Mareks in my 17 years of chickens, or in my life for that matter. I had never even heard of it until finding out my chicks were vaccinated 2 years ago. I've read that it's more of a problem only if the birds ever get exposed to Mareks. So I'm not sure if there's any Mareks around here, but haven't seen or heard of any. But like I said, "leaky" has me concerned too.
Any insight on this matter would be so helpful and appreciated! Thank you!

This response is a little late, but hopefully it will help in the future.

Whether the Marek’s vaccine spreads among the flock depends on which vaccine strain is used. However, in all cases, these are attenuated (weakened) viruses that do not cause disease or tumors like the wild-type Marek’s virus.


The term “leaky vaccine” refers to the fact that the vaccine does not provide sterilizing immunity - meaning it won’t completely prevent infection. Very few vaccines achieve that level of protection. Vaccinating for Marek’s significantly reduces the risk of disease, but in high-challenge environments, highly virulent virus strains can sometimes break through the bird’s immune defenses.

 

[LadyRoost]

Hi! I have chicks hatching on May 21st. I want to buy some chicks from a breeder, "Backyard Chickies" in San Diego.
I've bought chicks from her 2 years ago (and she vaccinates for Mareks before selling). I already had chickens, and I was hatching chicks around that time too (not vaccinated). As well as getting more chicks last year (not vaccinated). And now hatching more chicks this year, from the chickens that were vaccinated, and not. And those chicks are not vaccinated. So I have about a half and half of vaccinated and not vaccinated.
So, like I said, I have chicks hatching on the 21st. And the lady has chicks I want also hatching on the 21st, but she vaccinates them right when they're born. So I don't have a choice with hers.
My question is, is it too dangerous to buy her chicks and put them with mine?
I've read about the vaccine being "leaky", and I don't want to chance anything.
Especially since mine are offspring from previously vaccinated chickens.
I've never experienced Mareks in my 17 years of chickens, or in my life for that matter. I had never even heard of it until finding out my chicks were vaccinated 2 years ago. I've read that it's more of a problem only if the birds ever get exposed to Mareks. So I'm not sure if there's any Mareks around here, but haven't seen or heard of any. But like I said, "leaky" has me concerned too.
Any insight on this matter would be so helpful and appreciated! Thank you!

I will say that in my experience with introducing any vaccinated chicks or chickens to an unvaccinated flock it is safe to wait much longer to introduce them since it can be a risky process due to the potential for shedding of the vaccine virus. I have seen this happen with IBV in the past, and although I was able to get ahead of it, it was a costly mistake that I will be sure to never make again in the future.

 

[Saraschickens]

I ended up not buying any vaccinated chicks this year, and I will definitely keep everyone's information in mind for the future. Thank you!