The demand for vaccination of backyard flock has increased with the popularity of keeping chicken

Why should we vaccinate?

Vaccination is commonly used in commercial poultry and increasingly in
backyard birds to control disease. Vaccines mimic natural infection,
allowing the birds to build up immunity to the disease without any of the
harmful effects. This way you can prevent your birds getting the

disease.

vaccine

Are there any problems with vaccination?

No vaccine can be 100% effective, if the birds are vaccinated but
exposed to large levels of the wild disease then the immunity generated
by the vaccine can be overcome. Also many diseases, such as
Infectious Bronchitis (IB), will have several strains so it may mean the
strain your bird has been vaccinated against may not be the same as
the disease strains in your area.

Many of the vaccines come in large doses for
commercial flocks and therefore there is a lot of
wastage; however even with the waste it is still
reasonably cheap to vaccinate.

It is very important to remember that the
success of the vaccination depends on good
vaccination technique. Vaccines are very

vulnerable and are therefore easily destroyed.

What diseases can I vaccinate against?

There are a range of diseases which can be vaccinated against but
below are some of the most common ones:

*Mareks Disease
*Infectious Bronchitis (IB)
*Avian RhinoTracheitis (ART)
*Mycoplasma gallisepticum (MG)
*Salmonella.

Should I vaccinate?

The need to vaccinate, and which disease you should vaccinate against
will depend on your holding, the number of birds you are keeping and
whether or not you buy in or sell out birds.

With regard to Mareks disease , in general, we recommend against
vaccination unless there is a problem on the site. The vaccine is given
to day old chicks as an injection into their breast, thigh or the back of
the neck but remember that day old chicks are small and fragile and
can easily be injured by an inexperienced vaccinator. Incorrect
vaccination with a needle can cause excessive damage to the chicks or
even death.

The three respiratory diseases (IB/ MG/ ART) can all be vaccinated
against. If you have respiratory disease on your holding it is probably
worth getting a blood test carried out to ascertain which of these
diseases are involved to ensure you are vaccinating against the
correct ones. In general, if you are buying or selling a lot of birds it is
worth considering vaccinating against all three. The vaccination consists
of giving your birds two injections four weeks apart followed by an
annual booster.

Salmonella vaccination in backyard flocks is possible, however we
think, provided you have good kitchen hygiene there should not be any
major need to vaccinate. The vaccination consists of giving your birds
two injections four weeks apart followed by an annual booster.
However it is important to note that the vaccination only protects your
birds against S. Enteritidis and S. Typhimurium and as such your
birds have the potential to pick up other Salmonella species.

In conclusion, you can vaccinate against a number of diseases and
which ones you should vaccinate against will depend on your individual
holding, how many birds you have, if you buying/selling a lot of
birds and which diseases have been found on your holding in the past.
Please remember vaccination is not without its problems and it is not
100% effective.

Vaccination advice

*do not add vaccine to chlorinated water without using a protective dye.

* make sure the area where you make up the vaccine is clean.
*do not contaminate the vaccine with disinfectants.
*do not withdraw the water for too long.
*make sure the birds all have vaccine added water at the same time.

We would normally recommend a site vist to help you set up the
vaccine correctly.

Vaccines by injection.

The most common times to give a vaccine by injection is at day old for
Mareks disease or at point of lay to ensure a good level of protection
during lay against Infectious Bronchitis, Turkey Rhiontracheitis Virus,
Newcastle Disease, Egg Drop Syndrome and possibly Mycoplasma
gallisepticum .

administration syringe

We will provide one to one training for any client wishing to vaccinate
birds by injection as there are many problems and possible welfare
issues if the technique, which is not difficult, is not carried out
correctly. For further advice contact your vet, register with one of
our associated practices.

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