Marek’s Disease, and Veterinarians not vaccinating chicks…

[RoyalChick]

That's actually an inaccurate and outdated source. A more recent 2019 study by Avian Pathology found that 98% of flocks in the US test positive for Mareks

Can you share a link to the source?

 

[LtDanFan]

From a veterinary perspective, asking a small animal veterinarian to vaccinate backyard chickens is akin to asking a surgeon to manage your irritable bowel disease. And that to me is malpractice. Just because people choose to keep chickens in the city does not mean that I am obligated to treat them. My staff does not feel comfortable restraining (nor do they know how) and improper restraint can do harm, opening up me and my practice to liability that I do not want to take on.
I remember not much at all of what little poultry medicine and management i learned in school. Since graduation, the only chicken ive touched (until getting my own chickens this year) have been on my dinner plate. I would not risk my license to practice medicine on yours either.
As for the issue of driving an hour to find care for your flock, yep. That’s the reality these days. There are fewer vets and as medicine becomes more specialised (because the knowledge base is growing exponentially), mixed animal practitioners cannot keep up. Its hard enough to keep up with the knowledge base for 2 species, let alone the staggering breeds/species of farm animal or exotic pets and whatnot that people are keeping these days.
I have driven my personal dogs an hour to see a specialist because there are none closer and that particular speciality is not within my scope of knolwedge. That’s the reality of the world we live in.

 

[Toasty525]

I am very disappointed and shocked to find out that every veterinarian that I have called in the cities around me where I live, does not, and will not vaccinate baby chicks. I am speaking in reference to the Marek’s disease specifically.

Really your disappointed and shocked? Why exactly? Do you have any clue what it takes to vaccinate chicks? There’s a reason unless you do it urself that u can only get it done when ordering from hatcheries.
They only come in 1000 bird doses. They do not keep and have to be burned to be disposed of. The chicks have to be vaccinated right after hatch and cannot be exposed to any other birds. They then have to be quarantined. The supplies have to be sterilized and burned after. Those are the directions from the manufacturers themselves. So before you go bashing your local veterinarians who are licensed and professionals maybe look into why they don’t instead of thinking it’s just about money. There is obviously a reason you aren’t doing it yourself.