Wild Turkey infect Chickens with Mareks?

[JuicyFatHead]

I've spent the past 3 hours researching freakin' mareks disease trying to decide if I should have mcmurray vacc my order. I've researched via BYC and google. I still can't decide. I've read several BYC threads.

We have wild turkey on my land.. is that reason enough to vaccinate? We didn't vaccinate for anything in Alaska and only lost birds to predators. We live in a rural area, but no one on our particular road has a flock.

It's hot here in the summer and humid.. I wouldn't say extremely wet conditions or anything...

Will vaccinating my broilers mean I'm going to eat some of this vaccine? Will vaccinating my chicks mean they could die anyway as the race btw disease and vaccination idea says?

Thoughts?

 

[dheltzel]

The vaccine they give chicks is a live virus of the strain of Mareks from turkeys. If your wild turkeys have Mareks, they might vaccinate your flock for free!

This works kind of like how they found cowpox imparted an immunity to smallpox, resulting in the smallpox vaccine.

So, I wouldn't worry about the wild turkeys giving them Mareks. They could pass on Avian Influenza, but there is no vaccine for that (just a blood test), and any bird, wild or domestic, can transmit it.

 

[Eggcessive]

I would definitely vaccinate your egg layers--it is well worth the money, though it isn't 100% effective in preventing the disease. With the broilers, that would depend on how long they will be alive. There can be vaccination failure or the vaccine can be omitted, and occasionally chickens will still get the disease. I don't know about eating the vaccine, but many people eat their chickens all the time. It's up to you, but after reading dozens of threads here where people have discovered the disease in their brand new flocks who are several months old, it it would be worth it to me. Chickens are thought to be the only birds besides quail to get Mareks in the US, but there has been some reported cases of Turkey Mareks in other countries.

 

[JuicyFatHead]

What if I don't vaccinate.. birds die, then I vaccinate next year? Like take my chances this year? Mcmurray doesn't offer only vaccinating some birds unless I order/pay separately. I just think vaccinating broilers that I'll eat in 80 days is risky. But hey, could it be MORE risky than eating store bought chicken?