The vaccine should be re-constituted in the drinking water immediately before use. All the water to come into contact with the vaccine should be treated with skimmed milk powder at a rate of 2g per litre or 10g per gallon at least 20 minutes prior to adding the vaccine.

The choice of vaccination schedule employed should be determined at the discretion of a veterinary surgeon taking into account the historical vaccination programme employed, level of IBD field challenge on the farm and level of maternally derived antibody in the birds to be vaccinated.

The recommended vaccination schedules are :

Three doses :

At one day of age in the hatchery, one dose administered to each bird by coarse spray.

At 9-12 days of age, one dose administered to each bird via the drinking water.

At 17-25 days of age, one dose administered to each bird via the drinking water.

Two doses:

At 0-14 days of age, one dose administered to each bird by coarse spray at day old, otherwise via the drinking water.

At 14-28 days of age, one dose administered to each bird via the drinking water.

ADMINISTRATION BY SPRAY

Day old chicks may be dosed by coarse spray, in their chick boxes in the hatchery. The vaccine should be reconstituted in fresh distilled or demineralised water. Application can be best carried out in an automatic cabinet, as for Infectious Bronchitis vaccine. The spray nozzle should be adjusted for a coarse spray with separate droplets which can be checked by spraying into an empty chick box. Droplets fall mainly on the head and shoulders, and bright light will facilitate rapid intake by birds preening each other. Where an automatic cabinet is not available, a garden type spray, producing large droplets, may be used.

ADMINISTRATION IN DRINKING WATER

The vaccine should be administered to the birds in the drinking water over a 1-2 hour period.

The volume of water required should be calculated and treated with skimmed milk powder at a rate of 2g per litre or 10g per gallon at least 20 minutes prior to re-constituting the vaccine.

The required number of doses should be re-constituted in a small volume of water which has been treated with the milk powder in a clean, disinfectant free plastic bucket.

Once re-constituted, add the vaccine to the drinking water volume previously calculated and mix thoroughly.

Drinker lines should be primed with vaccinated water prior to allowing the birds access to the drinkers.

Birds may be deprived of water for up to one and a half hours prior to vaccination, if necessary, in order to encourage drinking. Activating feeding systems during vaccination will also encourage drinking.