Vaccinations

[Guest]

I have a question which I have never seen addressed in any of the Forum or Sharing Place areas.

I know that some of you vaccinate your birds as most shows will not allow entrance unless you can show valid health documents. I also know that vaccination can vary widely from one area of the country to another. That being said, I would be interested in finding out what others vaccinate their birds for/against?

We all discuss getting birds ready for shows, what to feed them and other things like hatching problems and successes - but what about this basic of health issues? Or do you not vaccinate and breed for disease resistance? (Oops, sorry - I guess it\'s two questions)

[John]

No vaccinations are required to show birds at any of the shows I\'ve attended, but in Michigan we can either refuse birds that have been vaccinated for LT or put a waiting period on birds that have been.
In some areas of the country that have had problems with Mereks and Fowl Pox I know that some of our members vaccinate for them, but I don\'t.  I do and have for many years vaccinated each year for Laryngotracheitis (LT) and Newcastle/Bronchitis.
With the years of time and money that I have invested I feel it would be foolish not to vaccinate, but I don\'t vaccinate for every possible disease.

[Guest]

John, is the restriction on the LT vaccine due to the vaccine being a live or attenuated live virus? I know that using live vaccines can (doesn\'t mean it will) have a bird considered a \"carrier\" for a time.
I, too, vaccinate for N/B as our pasture has a creek in it and I have not figured out a way to keep the wild waterfowl out of it and I have a few hens that just love to be down in the mud looking for bugs, etc. A few years ago Arizona did have a rather large outbreak of a form of Newcastle (and there are many forms) in the songbird population. We never had any problems here, however. I believe partly due to a sound vaccination schedule and bio-security measures. (When the State Health people come to collect blood samples of the chickens for their West Nile Virus study, they have to disinfect their footwear before I let them into the pasture before they even get to the inner area where the chickens are kept - then I insist they wash their hands before handling any of the birds and after again before they leave)

[Guest]

The only thing I vaccinate for is Mareks, as day-olds. It was interesting to take my experience at giving shots to horses and translate that to poultry, especially bantam chicks with their teeny necks!

[John]

Kathy,
Yes, on the LT vac.  Here is our rule on it from the Bay City Poultry Club:

Poultry vaccinated against Infectious Laryngotracheitis (ILT) are allowed in the show, provided the vaccine hasn’t been administered within the six week period prior to the show date.

[Guest]

Laura -
I know what you mean about adjusting the shots as I had to re-learn everything from horses, cattle & sheep (plus the house cats) down to the chickens. I had the same feelings when I gave my first Marek\'s vac. - How do I get this into that tiny thing?
I also give Marek\'s for chicks when I do hatch. It has been a while since I have hatched my own eggs, but I do know of one person in this area who expanded their flock of 12 and added 25 chicks from a hatchery in California. Well, the 25 had not been vaccinated for Marek\'s and they lost every single one of their birds, including the original 12, to Marek\'s. From what I understand it was tracked back to the hatchery stock. I never did hear what eventually happened (compensation?). It illustrated that a simple vaccination can be really inexpensive insurance. After word of that incident got around everyone started either vaccinating or ordering chicks that were vaccinated at the hatchery. Even the local feed store orders their chicks with vaccinations for Marek\'s.

[Guest]

Kathy,

I agree with you on the Marek\'s thing, it\'s relatively cheap insurance in my book. Although I do wish the manufacturer would sell it in smaller lots, making enough to vaccinate 1000 chicks and then just doing 40-odd is annoying.  

John, what is the timing on the Newcastle/Bronchitis vaccine? Do you do it at day-old? And if so, does that mean you don\'t do Mareks too? I would think both would be stressful for chicks. Can you do the N/B on older birds and have it work? I do show some (not a lot, but some) and worry about bringing home bad things. I wish I had an entirely separate barn I could quarantine birds who\'d been to shows in, but don\'t at this time (workin on it!) I think the N/B vaccine might give me more peace of mind, as long as it didn\'t have to be done at birth.

Thanks,

[John]

The N/B is very easy.  I just put it in the drinking water, so you don\'t need any diluent.  I do it once per year, after I\'ve culled most of the birds I want to.  I did it this past week.  The directions come with it.
 

[Guest]

Not an injection?? How interesting. Where do you order it?

Thanks,

[John]

Peter Brown, First State Vet Supply.  He has a full page ad in the Poultry Press.

[Guest]

Laura,

I usually do N/B in the Fall. I\'m like John in that I cull and determine who I\'m feeding through the winter, etc. It is VERY easy to do.
Just make sure that you do not have any disinfectant in/on your waterer when you do it as it will kill the good critters the birds need to innoculate themselves.
One thing to keep in mind is that this does not protect the birds from every form of Newcastle. I can\'t remember exactly how many there are, but there are quite a few strains carried by wild birds. While you cannot vaccinate for ALL the Newcastle, having a flock vacinnated will give them better immunity to fight off most forms and certainly give them a better chance than nothing.
When California had a Newcastle outbreak a couple of years ago, our county\'s health people advised making sure poultry flocks were protected with basic Newcastle. Arizona is not a big poultry producing state (commercial-sized operations) so sometimes it is very hard to find out what to vaccinate for.
We have a joke around here that everything comes from Southern California - movies, rain, people getting out of CA and poultry diseases.

Have a good one!

Kathy
Flagstaff, Arizona

[Guest]

John -

Don\'t you have to re-do the LT vaccinations in about 6 weeks from the initial vaccination?

Gracias,

Kathy

[John]

Yes, with this milder LT Vaccine you have to hit them twice.  There again I vaccinate for LT so that the second vaccine is given at least 6 weeks before I take birds to a show and the first time about 6 weeks before that.
I give the N/B vaccine in between the two LT vaccines.

[Guest]

Thanks, John -

This is good information to know and share with everyone.

[Guest]

Just a bit of info for everybody who does vaccinate....I have just received word from Peter Brown at First State that the recommended withdrawal time after some of these vaccinations is 21 days, specifically regarding slaughter. I asked Peter about eating eggs from these vaccinated chickens and he believed a safe rule of thumb was to follow the withdrawal time for slaughter - so no eggs for 21 days after the last vaccination.
I will be contacting the manufacturers of these vaccines (as soon as I get them) to find out their recommendations.

This is the time of year that we have very happy crows around here, as the eggs are broken into our compost/manure pile. The crows glean what they can out of what I break open. (Maybe that\'s why our crows, pardon me - ravens here in Arizona - are so healthy!)