Detailed Explanation of Nine Immunization Methods for Chickens

Immunization is an indispensable task on @#@230@#@ farms, and the success or failure of immunization is directly related to the level of chicken farming profitability. Practice has proven that under the same conditions, choosing an effective immunization method can achieve better immunization results.

The author has collected the experiences of some chicken farmers and, combined with theory, summarized ten methods and the applicable vaccine types, for the reference of the majority of chicken (goose and duck) farmers.

1. Intranasal and intraocular drip method. Dilute a 500-dose vaccine with 25 ml of sterilized physiological saline and shake well, then use a standard dropper (a plastic eyedropper bottle also works) to place one drop (about 0.05 ml) in each chicken's eye and nostril, allowing the vaccine to be inhaled from the trachea into the lungs and seep into the eyes. This method is suitable for vaccinating chicks with Newcastle disease virus vaccine strains II, III, and IV and with attenuated vaccines such as infectious bronchitis and infectious laryngotracheitis. It ensures uniform vaccination of chicks and produces relatively good immunization results, and is called by the farming industry the best method for attenuated vaccines.

2. Head-dipping and nasal-holding method. Dilute the vaccine with physiological saline at 0.5-1 ml per chicken (0.5 ml for young chicks, 1 ml for those over 1 month old), place it in a teacup, hold the chicken's legs and wings, and have an assistant press the chicken's head into the vaccine (the eyes must be submerged) for two seconds, then quickly remove it, so that the vaccine contacts the chicken's eyes, nose, and mouth. This method is suitable for attenuated vaccines such as Newcastle disease virus strains II and IV or infectious bursal disease vaccine. Antibody monitoring has shown that the immunization effect is better than nasal drip, drinking water, or injection alone, and many chicken farmers also report that it is easy to perform and fast.

3. Intramuscular injection method. Dilute the vaccine with physiological saline at a dose of 0.5-1 ml per chicken, and inject it with a syringe into the muscles of the chicken's leg, chest, or wing. For leg injection, choose the outer side of the leg where there are no blood vessels, and insert the needle along the direction of the leg bone to avoid injuring blood vessels and nerves. For chest injection, the needle should follow the direction of the sternum, be inserted at the middle portion at a 30-degree angle, to prevent vertical insertion from damaging internal organs. Chickens over 2 months old can be injected into the wing muscle, and the injection should be made where there is more muscle at the base of the wing. This method is suitable for Newcastle disease virus strain I vaccine, oil-emulsion vaccines, and attenuated or inactivated fowl cholera vaccines.

4. Subcutaneous injection method. This method is suitable for Marek's disease vaccination in chickens. Dilute a 1000-dose vaccine in 200 ml of special diluent, and inject 0.2 ml subcutaneously into the chicken's neck. During injection, pinch up the skin and insert the needle to prevent injuring the blood vessels and nerves of the chicken's neck.

5. Wing-web stab method. Dilute a 1000-dose vaccine with 25 ml of physiological saline and shake thoroughly. Use a pen with a nib (available at @#@89@#@) or a vaccination needle to dip up the vaccine and stab it into the inner side of the chicken's wing where there are no blood vessels. Chicks within 20 days of age receive one stab, and older chickens receive 2 stabs. This method is suitable for vaccination with Newcastle disease virus strain I vaccine and Newcastle disease vaccine, but the stab site must be checked three days later. If there is a small swelling or red spot, it indicates successful vaccination; otherwise, re-vaccination is needed.

6. Spray vaccination method. Before spraying, close the ventilation openings. Dilute a 1000-dose vaccine with 150-300 ml of distilled water, filter it through gauze, and use a sprayer (gun) to spray it into the air of a chicken house holding 500 chickens. The spray must be uniform, with the nozzle 1.5 m away from the chickens. Open the ventilation openings 20 minutes after spraying, and add antibiotics to the feed after immunization to prevent airsacculitis. This method is suitable for vaccination with Newcastle disease virus strains II, III, and IV and infectious bronchitis vaccine.

7. Anal brushing method. This method is mainly used for infectious laryngotracheitis vaccination. Dilute a 1000-dose vaccine with 30 ml of physiological saline. Pick up the chicken and hold it upside down, press the abdomen with the hand to evert the anal mucosa, and use a vaccination brush or cotton ball to brush the anal mucosa until the mucosa turns red. Change to a new brush for every 500 chickens.

8. Drinking water immunization method. Stop water for the chickens 3 hours before drinking water immunization (2 hours in summer). Scrub the drinkers repeatedly and clean them, then rinse them once with cool boiled water to ensure there is no residual disinfectant or foreign matter. Dilute the vaccine at 2 times the chicken dose with cool boiled water, and strictly control the water amount: 5-10 ml per chicken for chickens aged 5-15 months, 10-20 ml for chickens aged 16-30 days, and 20-30 ml for chickens aged 30-60 days. Dilute the vaccine according to this water amount, and add 0.1% skim milk powder to the water. The vaccine should be finished within one hour, and feeding can begin only after another half hour. Within 24 hours, do not let them drink potassium permanganate or other disinfectant solutions. This method is suitable for vaccination with Newcastle disease virus strains II and IV and infectious bursal disease attenuated vaccine.

Feed-mixing vaccination method. This is mainly used for free-range chickens in rural areas. In recent years, Australia has developed a simple and effective Newcastle disease vaccine. This vaccine, V4-UPm, is a heat-resistant variant of the Australian V4 strain. Laboratory instruments are used to coat the V4-UPm vaccine virus onto feed pellets, and feeding chickens this feed can produce immunity to Newcastle disease.

9. Hair follicle smearing method. This is suitable for Newcastle disease vaccination. Dilute a 1000-dose vaccine with 30 ml of physiological saline and shake well. Pull out several feathers from the chicken's leg, dip a cotton ball in the vaccine, and smear it against the direction of feather growth. After 3 days, the hair follicles will become red and swollen, indicating that it is effective. (Provided by Fengliu Caizi)