Coarse spray or in drinking water use.
Vaccination schedule
Future layers/breeders
Administer via drinking water.
One dose to chickens at 7 to 28 days of age. A second vaccination should be administered at 7 to 10 days after the first vaccination.
Broilers
Administer via spray or drinking water.
One dose to chickens from 1 day of age.
Depending on the level of field virus present, repeat administration of the vaccine may be required at 7 to 10 days after the first vaccination. If not vaccinated at day old, it is recommended to determine the date of first vaccination according to the level of maternally derived antibodies (MDAs).
Nipple-drinking systems are not an appropriate method of vaccine delivery for 1-3 day old chicks.
Reconstitution of vaccine
Upon reconstitution, light peach to a tan-brownish suspension depending on volume of water added.
Fill a container with an appropriate amount of preferably cold, fresh, non-chlorinated water that is free from metal-ions. Chlorine at levels as low as 1 ppm is known to have a detrimental effect on vaccine virus stability, therefore it’s recommended for drinking water application to add low-fat skimmed milk powder (i.e. < 1% fat, 2–4 grams per litre) or skimmed milk (20–40 ml per litre of water) to the water to prolong the life of the virus in the vaccine suspension. Only skimmed milk should be used, as the fat in whole milk may block the automatic drinking systems as well as reduce vaccine virus efficacy. After mixing, the solution should be allowed to stand for 15–30 minutes before adding the vaccine.
Remove the cap of the vaccine vial. Open the vaccine vial under water and dissolve thoroughly in the container. Empty the vaccine vial completely by rinsing the vial and the stopper in the water.
Administer to birds immediately after dilution.
Avoid exposure of the vaccine suspension to sunlight.
Drinking water
Make sure that all conduit pipes, tubing, troughs, drinkers etc are thoroughly clean and free of any trace of disinfectants, detergents, soap, etc. Contact with disinfectants makes the vaccine ineffective.
Allow water to be consumed so that levels in drinkers are minimal before vaccine is applied. All tubing should be emptied of plain water, so that the drinkers only contain vaccine water. It may be necessary to withhold water on some sites prior to vaccination in order to ensure that all birds drink during the vaccination period. Ideally, vaccine should be administered in the volume of water consumed by the birds in up to 3 hours. The aim is to give every bird one dose of vaccine. As a general rule, apply reconstituted vaccine to chlorine-free and fresh water at the rate of 1,000 doses of the vaccine to 1 litre of water per day of age for 1,000 chickens, e.g. 10 litres would be needed for 1,000 10-day old chickens. If in doubt, measure water intake the day before administering vaccine.
Coarse Spray
This method is for day old broiler chicks only and may be used in the hatchery or on farm.
Use clean vaccination materials only. No disinfectants or other substances impairing the performance of the live vaccine should be used in the sprayer.
Dilute and administer the reconstituted vaccine at a rate of one dose of reconstituted vaccine per bird, according to the directions of your specific coarse spray vaccination equipment. The recommended volume for 1 dose is between 0.1 and 0.5 ml. The spraying distance should be between 30 and 80 cm above the animals in order to ensure an even distribution and the recommended droplet size is greater than 100 µm.
Turn off ventilation during vaccination.
Ensure that birds are neither overheated nor chilled following coarse spray.