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Sandhill Veterinary Services provide a
comprehensive range of services to commercial poultry clients that are backed by our own
laboratory facilities.
Our Services include:
2)
Post-mortem examinations
5) Routine
flock monitoring
There is a range of commercial poultry
enterprises in the UK. These include:
1) Broilers
2) Laying
hens
3) Broiler
breeders
4) Turkeys
We are able to provide services for all
these classes of livestock with veterinary programmes specific to each individual site.
Vaccine Programme Advice.
There is a wide range of vaccines
available to commercial poultry producers in the UK to help protect against viral,
bacterial and protozoal diseases.
The vaccination programme for a particular
farm will depend on the class of livestock present, the clinical history of the site and
diseases present in the surrounding area. This programme needs to be agreed in
consultation with the veterinary surgeon responsible for the farm.
The source of vaccines may depend on their
legal category – either POM or PML
Vaccines are classed as either live or
inactivated with live vaccines usually being given orally (via the drinking water), by
spray or by eye drop and inactivated vaccines usually being given by injection. The type
of vaccine being given usually determines the route of administration.
Vaccines should be administered according
to the manufacturer’s instructions with additional veterinary advice as necessary.
The following general guidelines for oral
and spray vaccination should be used in conjunction with manufacturer’s advice
Most live vaccines can be damaged by the
presence of chlorine, certain metals and water sanitisers.
Spray
Vaccination.
When vaccines are to be dissolved in water
to spray over the birds the vaccine can be protected from chlorine, metals, sanitisers
etc. by using distilled or de-ionised water. The amount of water used will depend on the
age and type of the birds and should be done according to manufacturer’s
instructions.
The size of the spray droplet is very
important so it is necessary to use equipment that can deliver a set droplet size. The
smaller the droplet the further down the respiratory tract it can travel. By using the
correct size of droplet better immunity can be achieved and adverse reactions prevented.
In order to get a good take of the vaccine
the ventilation system of the house needs to be switched off whilst vaccination occurs. In
hot weather vaccination may need to be done early in the morning to prevent the birds
becoming heat stressed. To keep the birds calm the lights can be dimmed for a period of
fifteen minutes before and after the birds have been vaccinated.
Oral
vaccination via the water system.
When vaccines are given orally via the
water system it is important that all sanitisers are absent when vaccines are being given.
To neutralise the effects of chlorine and certain elements in the domestic water supply
skimmed milk may be added to the water (usually at a rate of 500ml of skimmed milk to 10
litres of water). This should be added about thirty minutes before the vaccine.
A more user-friendly product to use is
VacPac Plus TM. This is a second-generation water stabilizer with dye, which
has distinct advantages over the use of milk powder. The product activates immediately so
does not have to be added to water ahead of adding the vaccine. The concentrated formula
means added convenience, the blue dye marks the progress of the product in the water line
and it will not clog drinkers.
In order to achieve a good take of the
vaccine it is necessary to ensure that all the birds drink the vaccine medicated water
within two hours after which the viability of a live vaccine can rapidly decline. This may
be achieved by withholding water for about thirty minutes before giving the vaccine to
make the birds thirsty. As birds drink when feeding vaccination should be timed to
coincide with food being present in the feed tracks.
Following vaccination clean water should
be again made available to the birds.
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