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Embryo Vaccinations

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Sharon Yorks:
Have any of you heard of embryo vaccinations and/or practice it? Below is an interesting article on the topic. I don\'t really understand it all, but it seems interesting.

It would be interesting to hear the method and procedure of how some of you vaccinate for Mareks. I am planning to vaccinate everything I hatch, starting with my hatch that is due next Thursday. I just want to make sure I do it correctly. I was sent 1/2 ml (29 gauge) needles and syringes with my vaccine. I\'m a little confused on the amount to give the chicks. 0.2 ml, right?

ARTICLE:
Marek\'s disease virus (MDV) vaccines of serotypes 1 and 2 administered in 18-day-old embryonated eggs induced better protection against post-hatch challenge at 3 days with virulent MDV than vaccines given at hatch. Embryonal vaccination with a polyvalent vaccine containing equal quantities of serotypes 1 and 2 of MDV and serotype 3 virus (turkey herpesvirus, HVT) was also significantly more effective than post-hatch vaccination. These and earlier results indicate that protective efficacy of single or combined Marek\'s disease vaccine serotypes against post-hatch challenge at 3 days can be substantially improved if the vaccines are injected into 18-day embryos rather than at hatch. Injection of vaccines of serotypes 1 or 2 into embryonated eggs or hatched chicks did not cause detectable gross or microscopic lesions in chickens. Vaccine viruses of serotypes 1 and 2 could be isolated from spleen cells of chickens 1 week post-vaccination, and the titer of recoverable viruses was higher in chickens that received the vaccines at the 18th day of embryonation than in chickens vaccinated at hatch. Although embryo vaccination with HVT usually provided better protection than post-hatch vaccination against early post-hatch challenge with variant pathotypes of MDV, the protection was poor regardless of vaccination protocol. If challenge with variant pathotypes of MDV was delayed until embryonally or post-hatch HVT-vaccinated chickens were 21 days of age, protection of chickens by HVT was not enhanced. Thus, resistance induced by embryonal vaccination with HVT was qualitatively similar to that induced by post-hatch vaccination with this virus.

Jean:
I\'m pretty sure you have to have a hatchery type set up to do embryo vaccinations; it is a mechanical process.

The needles you received to vaccinate are too narrow, it will shred the virus as it is pushed out of the needle and you will be wasting your vaccine.

I believe the proper needle recommended by the manufacturer is:

 
--- Quote ---12. For vaccination, an automatic syringe with 22- to 20-gauge needles, 3/8-inch to 1/2-inch in length, is recommended. Make certain that all equipment is sterilized and change needles frequently.
 
13. Inject each chick subcutaneously with 0.2 mL (two-tenths of a milliliter) of the vaccine.
 
14. Use all the vaccine from 1 vial within 1 hour after rehydrating. Do not save any vaccine that has been rehydrated. Burn vaccine containers and all unused contents.
--- End quote ---


I use a 1 ml, 25 gauge insulin needle that I buy at walmart in a big box.  It is 5/8 of an inch long.  You don\'t want anything longer as you will poke through the skin alot with a longer needle.  This needle has hash marks on the side and is labeled 1-10 and each 2 units is .02 mls.

I called one of the Veterinarians at Fort Dodge to verify if the needle I was using was ok and they said it was the smallest they would recommend.

John:

--- Quote ---embryo vaccinations and/or practice it?
--- End quote ---

I\'ve only heard of it used by large commercial hatcheries.
http://ameraucana.org/abcforum/index.php?a=topic&t=1547
http://ameraucana.org/abcforum/index.php?a=topic&t=1563

Beth C:
I\'ve been intrigued by the idea as well, but I\'ve never heard of it being done outside of a commercial setting. It would be nice to vaccinate hen-hatched eggs.

The other extreme on needle size: I had my vaccine mixed last night when I realized was out of 20 gauge needles, and I had to use an 18. It can be done, but I think I\'m better inoculated than the birds... :stare:

Birdcrazy:
I use a 22 gauge x 1/2 inch needle on day old chicks. I buy these at my local Orscheln store. Yes you are correct for the .2 ml dosage per chick.

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