Storage
Vaccines are fragile and are easily destroyed if not stored and handled correctly. Once collected or delivered place them in a clean fridge immediately. Continuity of storage temperature needs to be maintained. Depending on the amount of vaccine you are using, a dedicated fridge is advised so a regular check on temperatures can be made. Store between +2 and +8 degrees centigrade, but check the product data sheet.
Do not directly reconstitute vaccine with tap water (chlorinated water), as the chlorine will inhibit the vaccine. Use purified/distilled water with no preservatives included or tap water with a chlorine inhibitor added. We can provide this and in the long run it is more convenient, effective and cost efficient than using purified or distilled water. Chlorine inhibitors also contain a dye.
Objectives
The main objective of vaccination is to increase the specific immunity to infections to which the poultry are likely to be exposed, so that when challenged, they either do not suffer the disease, or suffer to a lesser extent than if they had not been vaccinated. Vaccines are used to assist in the control of diseases caused by viruses, mycoplasma, bacteria or parasites.
Hygiene
All persons handling vaccines and undertaking the vaccination must understand the fundamentals of hygiene. Vaccines will be less effective and can easily be destroyed if they come into contact with organic matter, detergents, disinfectants or other chemicals. Disposable gloves should be worn after washing hands; a clean preparation area should be used. All equipment should be used solely for the purpose of vaccination – syringes, needles, jugs, sprayers and stirrers etc. If the vaccine or the equipment becomes contaminated then there is a risk of infection as well as the vaccine being destroyed. Attention to detail and consistency of all aspects of administration will give greater success. Deficiencies in the handling and administration are the most common cause of a poor response.
Safety
- Needles, vials and any other sharps should be disposed of in a sharps box.
- Batch numbers and vaccine details should be recorded in a medicines book.
- Unused vaccine should be destroyed by pouring hot water onto it.
- Wear disposable gloves and a mask as advised.
- Read the data sheet.
Prepare and Plan
- Identify the vaccines you require and the quantity
- Order in advance
- Ensure storage is suitable
- Ensure the correct equipment is available and is clean and ready for use
- Have enough help ready
- Have pens ready to put the vaccinated birds in
Methods of Administration
All vaccines are approved for use by specific routes and doses – these will be detailed on the product data sheet, along with full details of reconstituting the vaccine.
Subcutaneous Injection
Using a syringe and hypodermic needle (or other preferred equipment) the vaccine is injected into the space between the skin and the underlying tissues. The upper neck is the preferential location, as there is some loose skin at the back of the neck. Care needs to be taken not to inject into the muscle. Needle length and angle of insertion need to be taken into consideration. This can be very fiddly in day old chicks and it needs to be checked that the vaccine has not been injected straight through the skin and out the other side.
Intramuscular Injection (im)
This is very similar to sc injection, but the vaccine is deposited within a mass of muscle. The typical routes are the breast muscle or the thigh muscle. Because the requirement is to deposit the vaccine further into the bird’s body, there is a greater potential of causing damage. The needle is capable of causing injury to nerves, blood vessels, joints and tendons. If the thigh is used in the chick, care must be taken as the chick is so small, especially with bantams and other small breeds. Often by gently blowing on the down, to part it assists in the administrator seeing the correct location to insert the needle. Take care with the length of needle used in small chicks. With regard to breast im injection, this is not carried out in chicks as they have not developed sufficiently. The angle of injection into the breast is paramount, due to the possibility if the needle being inserted into the liver or abdominal cavity. The aim is to inject the thickest part of the breast where there is less chance of damaging the bird.
Intramuscular Breast Injection
Site of injection into the breast muscle. Note the injection is in the thick part of the muscle to avoid entering into the body cavity.
Intramuscular Leg Injection
Site of intramuscular injection into the thigh. This is the muscle above the hock. Care must be taken not to use a very long needle otherwise damage to the bone and internal tissues may occur.
Eye drop (conjunctival or ocular)
Can be used for administering live respiratory vaccines. The vaccine is reconstituted in a dropper bottle, usually with a dye-containing diluent. The chick/bird is restrained with its head to one side and a drop of the vaccine is placed in the uppermost eye. Keep in this position until it blinks, to ensure the full dosage remains in the eye so it drains into the nasal cavity via the tear duct.
Coarse spray
Depending on the number of chicks/birds this can be carried out using a basic hand sprayer, back-pack sprayer or more sophisticated motorised equipment for large numbers of birds in commercial situations. The birds need to be separate from other birds which are not being vaccinated, so if there are any in very close proximity, then they need to be separated. Once the vaccine has been reconstituted (prepared) then the birds are sprayed so that they breathe in the vaccine. The droplets lodge in the bird’s respiratory system which is the target area for the vaccine. Birds need to be sprayed evenly and it often helps to lower the light levels so they don’t panic.
Reconstitution
- Wash hands and put on some disposable gloves
- Pour 500ml of water into a large plastic jug
- Add the chlorine inhibitor according to instructions (not if using distilled/purified water)
- Remove the metal ring from the top of the vaccine vial, but not the rubber bung
- Place the vial into the water and remove the bung
- Swill the vial out, making sure all the contents are dissolved in the water
- Work out how much of the stock solution will be required to vaccinate the number of birds you need to vaccinate – eg 1,000 doses in vial, you have 100 to vaccinate, therefore you will require: 500ml divided by 1,000 doses equals .5ml x 100 equals 50ml
- Put the calculated amount into the hand sprayer and spray the birds from above so a fine mist covers them
- Wash out jug and do not use for anything else but vaccination
Drinking water
This vaccination is used mainly for vaccines in which the target area is the birds gut. Drinking water vaccination may also be used for respiratory system vaccines due to the cleft in the roof of the mouth which allows infiltration into the nasal cavity plus the spray and flicking which occurs between birds when they are drinking. It is essential that the water system (header tanks/bell drinkers/font drinkers or nipple lines) are free from contamination and chemicals. The aim is to get the birds to uptake a dose of vaccine in a short time frame, before it deteriorates. Therefore the volume of water which the birds drink, according to their age, over a two hour time period needs to be calculated.
Reconstitution
- Wash hands and put on disposable gloves
- Calculate roughly how much water the group of birds due to be vaccinated will drink over a 2 hour period. This may seem quite difficult, but the reason is to ensure all the birds drink a dose before the vaccine deteriorates.
- Withdraw water from the birds
- Pour 1 litre of water into a plastic jug
- Add the required amount of chlorine inhibitor
- Remove the metal ring from the vial
- Drop the vial into the water and remove the rubber bung under the water
- Swill the vial out and ensure it has completely dissolved
- Add the stock solution to the amount of water the birds will drink over a 2 hour period. If using a header tank, shut the water off so that the vaccine does not get further diluted until the vaccine has been consumed
- Distribute between birds by filling the drinkers. Birds should drink readily as water was previously withdrawn
- Wash out jug and do not use for anything else except vaccination
There is no need to withdraw water for more than 30-45 minutes; otherwise the birds will become stressed.