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Vaccination schedules
How do vaccination schedules impact overall flock performance?
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2 Replies
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An adaptable vaccination schedules is of very important in preventing or reducing impact of infectious diseases outbreak in poultry, as the saying goes ‘prevention is better than cure’.
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1. Disease Prevention<div>The appropriate vaccination schedule will minimize the risk of significant infectious diseases (e.g., Newcastle disease, Gumboro, Marek, Infectious Bronchitis). Healthy birds use nutrients on growth, egg production and immunity instead of combating infections. Fewer deaths and illnesses are an improvement in the uniformity of the flock.</div>
<div>2. Growth and Feed Conversion</div><div>Birds that have good immunity also have good feed conversion ratio (FCR) as nutrients are utilized effectively.</div><div>Unvaccinated or poorly vaccinated flocks can have subclinical infections which decrease weight gain and egg production </div>
<div>3. Uniformity</div><div>Regular vaccination provides uniformity of the flock that is important in:</div><div>Broilers → attainment of target slaughter weight in good time.</div><div>Layers – mutual synchrony (lay and sustained) egg production.</div>
<div>4. Long-Term Immunity</div><div>The maternal antibody (day old chicks) levels are taken into account in the vaccination schedule to prevent interference. Long term immunity is achieved through proper priming and boosting (e.g. in the case of Newcastle, Gumboro).</div><div>
</div><div>5. Economic Impact</div><div>Vaccination is an expense but the payoff is increased productivity, reduced mortality, improved uniformity and reduced drug use.</div><div>Ineffective schedules contribute to higher risk of outbreaks that result in increased costs in terms of treatment, losses and culling.</div>
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