I had heard rumors on the chicken message boards of a avian vet who saw chickens in Santa Monica. I emailed some folks through the board, and was able to confirm that there are vets at VCA Wilshire Animal Hospital in Santa Monica who will see chickens. So, I called and set up Peggy and Tina with an appointment. I mentioned I wanted to get them Marek's vaccinations when I set up the appointment, but when I called back a few days before the appointment to confirm, they revealed that they don't have that vaccine. Dang!
After some scrambling, I came up with a new plan. I would order the vaccine online from Jeffers Livestock, and the vet would administer it for me. The vaccine was FedExed to me this morning, and Peggy, Tina and I drove to Santa Monica this afternoon to get their shots, peeping all the way.
The chicks were very good when they got their vaccines. They didn't struggle or cry or anything. It's a small subcutaneous shot, so I guess it doesn't hurt too much. I watched the vet when he did it, and it actually looked pretty simple. I bet I could do it myself if I ever needed to. That might be a good idea, because the appointment wasn't cheap. The things I do for these chickens.
All the vet techs were cooing over Peggy and Tina while we waited for our appointment. They are pretty cute. And look how big they are getting! The girls were weighed at their appointment, and it turns out that Tina weighs a lot more than Peggy. She seems a lot taller, too. I guess that's the difference in their breeds. It'll be interesting to see how else their development differs as they get older.
As you can see, they've transitioned to pine shavings and a starter perch, and grown lots more feathers. Chicks grow up so fast. Sigh.
Hooray for the shots!
Chickens grow up entirely too fast. Is there anything in the world quite as cute as a baby or adolescent chick?
Your little easter egger looks just like two of mine did...they have grown to be my prettiest pullets.
Oh my goodness. I had never heard of Marek's. Did you vacinate b/c Jackie or Becky had it? Thanks.
tracy, I did get them vaccinated because that's what I believe Jackie died of. And if Jackie had it, Lisa does too, even if she never shows any symptoms. So, I figured it would be a good idea to vaccinate the new girls. Marek's is a pretty common disease among chickens. You can read about it in the Chicken Health Handbook or other poultry manuals.
thanks eappster. i did a lot of reading this weekend. it was in a couple of books we have and for some reason i never took it in. thanks for the heads-up!
Try Dr. Rosskopf at the Avian and Exotic Animals practice on Rosecrans in Hawthorne.
I believe that the vaccine for Marek's must be administered within the first 48 hours of life or it's not effective.
Last commenter, do you have any citations or anything to back up the 48 hours vaccine time limit? The reason I ask is that
(1) I'm a bit sensitive to spreading misinformation. I've found a lot of it out there, and I really want this blog to be helpful and as accurate as possible.
(2) I did as much research on the Marek's vaccine as I could, and my understanding that the reason people vaccinate chicks right away is because they want to make sure they don't get exposed before the vaccine takes effect. (Plus, it's easier.)
I obviously couldn't guarantee that my chicks weren't exposed to Marek's before they got the vaccine (at the feed store, say), but I kept them out of my yard and well away from my infected hens until two weeks after they received their shots so that the vaccine had time to take effect.
So far, it seems to be working.
I found this, which may explain Anonymous' comment:
The good news is that the vaccines for Marek's disease are highly effective if vaccination is done correctly. It is best to order chicks already vaccinated at the hatchery. If this cannot be done, be sure to vaccinate all new birds the first day they arrive on the farm. The vaccine is not very effective if a bird has already been exposed to the disease for more than a few days.
Found it here:
http://www.thepoultrysite.com/articles/377/small-flock-vaccination
Thanks Kathi. I think that's the information I found as well.
After reading up on Marek's, I tried to make a very small hatchery order so I could get pre-vaccinated chicks, but most don't let you mail order only 2 chicks. So, I decided to get mine at the feed store and vaccinate them as soon as possible, which ended up being two weeks after I got them.
I think I was careful enough by keeping them inside and always washing my hands before I touched them until the vaccine took effect, and they do seem quite healthy so far. I am hopeful that they were not exposed in those two weeks. I reeeeeally don't want to lose another chicken anytime soon.
I'm betting yours are going to be just fine.