Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
such an endeavor was unlikely. So we vaccinated them
through their drinking water.
The question is how do you translate dosage instructions
intended for 1,000 birds so they work for a small flock of
10-30 birds? Here's how I do it.
I rehydrate the vaccine in the vial using high-quality bottled
water. I shake it thoroughly and then dump it into a 100 ml
graduated cylinder. I add water to bring the total volume to
100 ml. Now I know that each milliliter has enough vaccine
for 10 birds. I set that aside.
Then I turn my attention to the waterer. I take it apart and
clean it thoroughly with hot soapy water, rinse it thoroughly,
and then dry it with paper towels. My water at home isn't
chlorinated. If you have chlorinated water, do the final rinse
with bottled water.
Then, I put 1 gallon of bottled water, 1 teaspoon of powdered
milk, and 1 ml of vaccine for every 10 birds into the waterer
and stir it up. Then I make sure that for the next 24 hours it is
the only source of water available for the birds. The next day,
I clean out the waterer thoroughly and then fill it up with my
normal watering solution plus a vitamin supplement. The
vaccines are live virus vaccines, and they put some stress on
the birds, so I give them the vitamins to help them deal with
that.
Speaking of live viruses—I should mention that if you aren't
careful while playing with this vaccine, you'll get a mild case
of conjunctivitis—also known as “pink eye”—or maybe some
cold-like symptoms. Nothing serious though.
