Write / E-Mail A Letter To Fort Dodge ....

[chickenzoo]

I've herd some chatter about vacc's and such and them being made for huge numbers of birds and the price of vacc's. I was thinking why don't we all write a letter to Fort Dodge etc. that make these vacc's and ask them to market their vacc's in smaller doses for the backyard flock. It seems like there is a growing need for it, and with need comes change. If they marketed their vacc's in smaller doses, giving the expiration etc.and info for pet/hobby farms they would sell even more product, and our birds could be safer. Like the Mareks vacc, I don't have 1000 birds(yet), and although $10 is not too much to spend, it is a waste to only use it once for a few birds. If it was in smaller doses,divided in small packets or something it would be more useful for the small flock raiser. It would also help with the disposal of the packaging too I think, less people trying to divide up the bigger bottles on their own, contaminating other objects. They could still sell the same doses but divided up into 10 per dose etc...... just a thought.

 

[TaLani]

I agree totally! If you look at the bottles, they're for 1,000 doses which is crazy for someone with backyard chickens. I would love to have a "disposable" trigger type gun to be pre-loaded with 100 doses or less of Marek's or whatever so that it can just be thrown away after all the doses are gone. I always read on the forum how everyone is constantly hatching their own chicks, but I don't hear them talk about vaccinating them. Maybe it's not necessary to vaccinate the backyard flock, but when I ordered our chicks from MPC I got them vaccinated. I don't have very much experience raising chickens since we've only had ours since June, so maybe someone with a lot of experience can enlighten us as to if they vaccinate or not and if not, why.

 

[Chicken Woman]

I would join in contacting them if I knew who and where ?

 

[chickenzoo]

If you have a flock of chickens that you do not add to, unless it was hatched from your own birds or hatchery chicks, many do not vacc. I add birds from time to time and did have a few birds with Mareks, so I vacc.
As far as who to contact, FortDodge has a website, and they make many of the vacc's out there. I have talked to their poultry department a few times and they have always been nice and helpful. I would e-mail them a letter... or any other company that makes these drugs and express your needs.