Poultry

Vaccination
 Vaccination
Is an effective and economical means of preventing infectious poultry diseases.
Live vaccines are available against most viral diseases. However, availability of
bacterins against bacterial infections is still limited.
The interval time between the administration of a vaccine and the appearance
of protective antibodies usually takes 10-14 days after initial vaccination.
To avoid severe vaccination reactions, only healthy chickens should be
vaccinated following proper vaccination procedures.
A vaccination program should be developed based on disease history of the
area where the poultry farm is located.
Vaccination schedule for broiler chicks
Age of Chicken Type of Vaccination
7-10 days NCD – Newcastle Disease (B1
strain ) + IB - Infectious
Bronchitis (Live vaccines)
7-15 days IBD – Infectious Bursal Disease,
mild or intermediate strain (live
vaccines)
21-28 days NCD – Newcastle Disease (La
Sota strain ) + IB - Infectious
Bronchitis (Live vaccines)
Route of Vaccination Remarks
Intraocular (eye drop) Chicks from unvaccinated
intranasal (Nose drop) parents may be vaccinated as
early as 1-3 days of age
Via Drinking water If chicks are vaccinated before
7 days old, re-vaccination at
21 days of age may be
indicated for optimum
protection.
Via Drinking water
Recommended Vaccination and deworming program for egg-
type chickens
Age of Chicken Type of Medication Route of Vaccination Remarks
Day-old Marek’s vaccine Intramuscular (IM)/ Usually done by hatchery
subcutaneous (SC)/ operators
coarse spray/ in ovo
system
10 days ND or avian pest vaccine, B1B1 Intraocular (eye drop) Chicks from nonvaccinated
or B1 type intranasal (Nose drop) parents should be vaccinated
as early as 3 days
14 days Infectious Bursal Disease Via Drinking water In areas where the disease is
(Gumboro disease) rampant
28 – 30 days ND or Avian pest vaccines, la IM Check immune response 10-
Sota strain or equivalent 14 days after vaccination by
HI test.
Age of Chicken Type of Medication Route of Vaccination Remarks
6 – 8 weeks Fowl pox vaccine Wing web In areas where fowl pox is
common
8 – 12 weeks Infectious Coryza vaccine SC Administration is under the
(inactivated vaccine) skin at the back of the neck.
Booster can be given 4 weeks
before point of lay
10 weeks ND or Avian pest vaccines, la IM Check immune response 10-
Sota strain or equivalent 14 days for post vaccination
14 weeks Deworm Drinking water Droppings of sample should
first be examine for worm
eggs. If negative, dewormer
may not be given
14 – 15 weeks Egg drop Syndrome Vaccine SC Administration is under the
(inactivated and oil adjuvanted skin at the lower back of the
vaccine) neck region.
Age of Chicken Type of Medication Route of Remarks
Vaccination
16 weeks ND or Avian pest vaccines, la IM Check immune response 10-14
Sota strain or equivalent days for post vaccination. Single
dose of oil adjuvant ND vaccine
can protect the birds in 18 months
18 weeks Insecticides Spray Spray only when there are lice and
mites infection. Transfer pullets to
cages 24 hours after delousing.
Repeat spraying 2 weeks later
18 weeks Deworm Drinking water Administer only if pooled sample
of droppings are positive for worm
eggs
30 weeks Deworm Drinking water Administer only if pooled sample
of droppings are positive for worm
eggs
32 weeks ND vaccines, la Sota strain or IM Egg production may drop after
equivalent oil based vaccine each vaccination, but this is better
than dead birds
Vaccination Failure
Administration of vaccines that do not contain the appropriate
strain or serotypes of the pathogen causing the disease
Decreased vaccine potency due to improper storage and or
handling or use of expired vaccine
Improper methods of administering the vaccine or giving of
inadequate dosage
Presence of high level of maternal antibody that interferes with
the immunization process, particularly in very young chicks
Stress, incomplete development of immune-competence, poor
nutrition, mycotoxin, presence of concurrent immunosuppressive
infection (eg. Infectious Bursal Disease, Chronic Respiratory Disease,
coccidiosis) that tend to cause less effective or incomplete immune
responsiveness to vaccines
Vaccination Tips
Purchase recommended strain/type of vaccines from reliable sources
Keep vaccines cool at all times. They are best stored in the refrigerator at 4˚C
where they are kept cold, but not subjected to freezing and thawing
Put vaccines in an icebox during transport
Take note of the expiry date, which is stamped on each packet of vaccines.
Vaccines lose potency slowly even when stored under ideal conditions.
Vaccines should be purchased as required, stored properly, and used within the
expiry periods.
Follow strictly vaccination schedule and proper use of vaccines as indicated by
the manufacturer
Administer the correct dose. Dosage should not be decreased nor increased
unnecessarily
Vaccinate healthy chickens only. Do not vaccinate the flock when there is an outbreak
of disease in the farm (eg. Infectious coryza, Chronic Respiratory Disease, coccidiosis
etc.)
Administer live vaccines within 1 hour after reconstitution. Keep vaccines cool during
vaccination time. If used after 1 hour, the desired protection may not be attained.
Avoid unnecessary stress during vaccination. Anti-stress supplement may be given via
the drinking water at least 2 days before and 3 days after vaccination that requires
individual handling of chickens (eg. Intraocular or intranasal route of administration)
Destroy unused reconstituted live vaccines. Burn and bury empty vials/
bottles and leftover live reconstituted vaccines.
Check or monitor the immune response to NCD or IBD live vaccines by using
the hemagglutination-inhibition (HI) test of ELISA, 10-14 days after each NCD or
IBV vaccination. These test are conducted in most diagnostic laboratories.
Revaccinate flock if the protection or antibody titer is low.