Vaccination procedure

Proper vaccination procedure will ensure that your flock is protected against certain health challenges. The following are the procedures and considerations for three different vaccination methods: water, spray and injection. Always remember to follow vaccine manufacturer instructions when storing and preparing the vaccine.

Water vaccination is, in general, the least stressful for the birds and less labor-intensive for farm staff. Be sure to properly store, handle, and mix the vaccine.

Preparing waterlines for vaccine

• Turn off chlorine and run vaccine stabilizer 24 hours before vaccination

Day of vaccination

• Flush tank and pump with clean water
• Turn off water to flock (6:00 am preferably)

• Raise drinkers so the birds can't reach (7:00 am)
• Fill tank with required water to last for 2.5 - 3 hours (normally this is about 25-30% of the daily water consumption)
• Mix vaccine and stabilizer in a clean bucket (used only for vaccinations) and add to tank, stir vigorously
• Include dye to track vaccine water

• Turn on pump and flush drinker lines until dye comes out at the far end of the line
• Dump all bell drinkers into a bucket until blue dye appears, prior to lowering the lines
• Be certain all nipple line cups are blue prior to lowering the lines
• Restrict water access for 1 - 1.5 hours (calculate back from the time the drinkers were raised)
• Lower drinkers to bird level and allow access
• Stir the flock every 15 minutes to encourage drinking
• Vaccine should be consumed in about 2.5 - 3 hours
• Perform 100 bird tongue checks to confirm vaccination accuracy
• Return to normal water sanitation system about three hours after vaccine is finished

Below are some common considerations when performing spray vaccination.

• Provide for 500 or 1000 doses more than the total number of animals to vaccinate (as per the vaccine manufacturer instructions)
• Add water into the bottles and homogenise the solution in the bottle
• Using the syringe, fill up the contents of the bottle from the bottle into the spray container
• Once ready, the vaccination must be done within one hour
• In the summer during hot temperatures, spray the vaccine in the morning when temperatures are the lowest
• Droplets should be uniform
• When spraying, walk across the barn from front to back, covering all areas of the barn

Below are some common considerations when performing injection vaccination.

• Use clean, disinfected syringes and new needles. Change the needles every 100 injections
• Check the that the volume injected corresponds with the amount recommended by the vaccine manufacturer