Careful attention to the coccidiosis vaccination process and follow-up monitoring will go a long way toward ensuring a positive outcome. However, even the best programs will encounter an occasional hiccup.
A successful coccidiosis-vaccination program starts with proper vaccine handling and uniform application at the hatchery. Charlie Broussard, DVM, Merck Animal Health, offers several areas to monitor to determine whether the vaccination program is on track to protect the flock.
Getting chicks off to a quick start in the brooder house is always a priority, but it is especially critical when birds have been vaccinated for coccidiosis.
While most chicks are vaccinated for coccidiosis at the hatchery, it’s the first few weeks in the grower barn that determine coccidia exposure, cycling and eventual immunity.
Most poultry producers today use vaccines to help manage coccidiosis. Live coccidial vaccines are designed to uniformly infect birds with a controlled number of Eimeria oocysts to stimulate a protective immune response, but not all vaccines are the same.
