Drinking Water Vaccination: Easy and Effectivekenanaonline.com/files/0080/...3-Water-Vaccination.pdf · Vaccination is an integral part of any chicken health management programme

Autumn 2011

This Technical Bulletin is a publication of Pacificvet Limited. ©Copyright 2011

Vaccination is an integral part of any chicken health management programme. The goal is to expose birds, in a controlled and benign manner, to diseases that they may encounter in the future. In this way, the bird’s own immune system develops a defence against such diseases when challenged in the shed.

There are two types of vaccines available for immunising poultry: killed and live. In New Zealand and the South Pacific, most vaccines given to poultry are live.

When it comes to poultry immunisation, drinking water vaccination is probably the easiest method when delivering a live vaccine to a large number of animals. Little, if any specialized equipment is needed. It also reduces bird handling, improves flock coverage, decreases labour cost and, above all, it is reasonably easy to use. However, drinking water vaccination is not for all types of facilities or vaccines. Killed vaccines are not suitable for oral delivery and not all live vaccines should be delivered by water. Marek’s disease is an example. If uncertain, check the vaccine instructions or consult with a veterinarian.

Often small flocks holders will just make up buckets of vaccine water and pour them into drinking vessels, which is not feasible for larger flocks. There are three main types of delivery systems for immunising birds through their drinking water: via header tank, medication tank, or with a dosing pump.

Nipple drinkers, bell drinkers, cups and troughs are the best choice for waterers in large poultry operations. Vaccination of day old chicks via a chick font can be harder but is still manageable. Techniques for chicks will be covered separately on page 3 of this bulletin.

Ensuring that all birds have the time to drink the vaccinated water is critical, so the minimum time that water should be made available to the flock is 2 hours. This allows sufficient time for all the birds in the flock to have their share of the water. The maximum time for all the vaccine water to be consumed by the flock is 3 hours. After this period, the live organisms of the vaccine cannot survive in the water any more, and any vaccine which has been dissolved in water that will not be consumed within this period loses its efficacy. The overall result is under dosing of the flock.

In addition, it is critical in drinking water vaccination to get three things correct:

1. Good quality water – adequate for vaccination (this point will be discussed on the next page)

2. The correct amount of water

3. Effective, quick and uniform distribution of the vaccine throughout the flock

To fulfil points (2) and (3), you must be aware of the type of structure in your poultry operation and the age of the flock to be vaccinated.

• Direct on chick fonts

• Header Tanks

• Medication tanks

• Dosing pumps

• Direct pouring on troughs or bell drinkers.

You should find the best solutions and all answers to your enquiries according to the type of water system on the following pages.

Drinking Water Vaccination: Easy and EffectiveEduardo Bernardi - Technical Services Manager – Pacificvet

with the assistance of Jed Johnson – Massey University

2

Water Quality and Stabilisers Water quality, correct volumes and proper availability is important

for good vaccine dispersal. It allows for live vaccine survival in

the water and all birds to be equally vaccinated. Often, residues

of disinfectants from routine chlorination or recent sanitation

of equipment will kill the live vaccine and make it ineffective. If

using well or ground water, minerals and other impurities found

on “pure” ground water will bind to the vaccine live organisms,

preventing them from reaching the desired tissues inside the bird.

Guaranteeing the water quality will allow for effective vaccination

and poultry will respond well. Keep in mind that not only turbid/dirty

water is inappropriate. Even if the water is clear, either naturally or by

the use of filters, it usually contains impurities such as iron, sodium,

clay and organics. Using a water stabiliser is highly recommended.

MilkTraditionally, skim milk has been the usual recommended product to

be added to the water before adding the vaccine (at the rate of 30-

50 ml of milk per litre of water – 3-5%). Although it does stabilise the

water, there are several disadvantages to using milk: shelf life is very

short/it goes off in a few days; it is not easy to access fresh skim milk

on the farm on vaccination day; and it needs refrigeration.

Moreover, milk at 3-5% in water does make the water whitish cloudy,

but only in large volumes. It is impossible to track vaccine distribution

throughout the shed or the flock, for in small volumes it looks clear.

Commercial Blue StabilisersModern commercial stabilisers are a convenient and cost-effective

substitute to milk. Not only do they protect the vaccine from the

harmful effect of free ions such as you would see from hard water,

but they contain a safe dye that indicates where the vaccine water

is going. It does not stain equipment, feather or birds. It allows

the operator to see where the vaccine is being delivered to (and

sometimes where it is not), as well as allowing the operator to

check the uptake by the chickens, with successfully vaccinated

birds showing a light coating of the dye on the tongue. With long

shelf life and no need to refrigerate, a commercial stabiliser is also

significantly cheaper than using milk.

There are several commercial water stabilisers for vaccines on the

market, such as AviBlue (effervescent granules) or Cevamune®

(effervescent tablets). They all include a blue dye in their formulation.

The most practical use of this feature is to verify if and when the

vaccine water flows at the end of the drinking line, before lowering

it to the chickens. There are blue dye tablets such as Hi-Light™

which are just for dyeing the water – but they are not stabilisers and

should never be used on their own. Stabiliser dosing instructions

vary according to manufacturer (1 cap of AviBlue / 200 litres of

water, 1 tablet of Cevamune / 100 litres of water). If you feel the

blue colour is not strong enough to be easily seen at the end of the

line in a shed with dimmed lights, concentration can be doubled

or tripled. For stock solution in dosing pumps, concentration will

be from 20x more (5% injection rate) to 50x more (2% injection

rate). This is a reason why the pump should work within this range.

Survival of vaccine in concentrations above 100x (less than 1%

injection rate) cannot be guaranteed.

Water Quality

Milk does the job of stabilising the water, but it is not easy to track in the drinker line.

No matter how crystal clear and pure the water may appear to be, it is always adviseable to use a

stabiliser before mixing the vaccine in.

Before any vaccination, clean all the lines and drinkers and the

dosing system, if one is being used to deliver vaccines. If the

lines or tanks are extremely dirty, let the lines settle after cleaning

and check again in a few hours to make sure that there is no

additional residue collecting. Open the end of drinker lines to let

any floating grime out.

Stop any chlorination or water treatment 24 hours prior to starting,

not just overnight. All cleaning should be done without soap or

disinfectants. This is to prevent destroying the live vaccine when

it runs through the system. Also set aside staff time to have

people available during the vaccination. The process should take

a minimum of 2 hours and a maximum of 3. This will allow all birds

to receive a drink of vaccinated water, but not so long that the live

vaccine starts to die off and become ineffective.

Concentrate for Stock Solution

(20x, up to 50x)(2x)Normal

(1x)

3

Chick Fonts

Direct on Chick Fonts

It is difficult to calculate the ideal amount of drinking water for

vaccination during the first days of the chick’s life. Some poultry

operations start the chicks already on their definitive drinkers,

whether they are in cage or on floors, on nipple, bell or cup

drinkers. Most chicks can usually adapt well to these systems,

from their first day of age, as long as (1) the availability of drinker

equipment is sufficient for the all the birds to have a fair chance

to drink, (2) that the source of water is clearly evident to the young

birds, (3) that it is properly spread out, and (4) at the correct height.

However, many poultrymen supply the chicks with extra drinkers

during these first days. These are the so-called chick fonts, which

provide the young chicks with a wider and more easily visible

surface of water.

Chick fonts (also called chick fountains, chick drinkers,

fountain drinkers, jug waterers) are usually made of plastic or

galvanised steel. The recommendations on the table below also

will apply for bell drinkers (ex. Plasson®) when they are used for

flocks during their first week of age.

Recommended rates of availability of drinking space may vary,

depending on the management guide, breed and breeding

company. Although a common suggestion is to use 50 birds

per drinker of one gallon / 4 litres, a more appropriate measure

is centimetres of linear drinking space per bird. Ideally, use 1.5

centimetres of linear drinking space per bird. The pictured drinker

(right) measures 60 cm and it is good for 40 birds (60/1.5 = 40).

When vaccination is done in chick fonts, no water should be

available from a different source (e.g. when chick fonts have

been added to a shed with nipple drinkers, use only one type of

source for the vaccination – if the fonts are to be used, do not

leave any water available from a nipple drinker during vaccination).

Volume of water is also a difficult estimation for the first days

of life. In general, the recommendation is to use 5 litres per 1000

birds at the date of hatch. As the birds age, quantities increase

differently according to the type of bird. The table below indicates

precise quantities of drinking water to be used for broilers,

breeders and commercial layers.

This is an estimated quantity of water to be consumed by 1000

birds in an interval of 2-3 hours in the morning (especially after

the first allocation of feed. These are just suggested guidelines.

If your experience is that these suggested quantities take too

much or too little to be consumed, make your own adjustments

accordingly.

Once the volume of water is determined for that vaccination day,

here are the steps to be taken:

Instructions:

1. Mix up vaccine – fill a bucket or larger tank with the

desiredamountoffresh,cleannon-chlorinatedwater.

2. Stabilisewaterbyadding5%of thevolumewith fresh,

lean milk or by adding the recommended amount of a

commercialwaterstabiliser(keepinmindtheproportions:

1capofAviBluemakes200litres;1tabletofCevamune®

makes100litres)

3. Prepare vaccine according to manufacturer’s

recommendations.Generallythevialsshouldbeopened

under water in the mixing bucket, although any clean

placeshouldbeacceptable.

4. Rinsevialsseveraltimeswiththevaccinewatertogetall

vaccine into the solution. Mix thoroughly in the tank

usingacleanpaddleorotherdevice.Theuseofgloves

is recommended, especially when using a commercial

stabiliser(withabluedye).

5. Fill chick fonts with the vaccine water or pour it into

chick-fontsorbelldrinkers.

6. If this is for vaccinationatday zero (uponarrival in the

shed), have the drinkers filled with vaccine and ready

before placing the chicks in the brooders. If not,

givevaccineearlyinthemorning,afteronehourofwater

withdrawal.

Litres of Water per 1000 Birds

Age (days) 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Broilers 5 5 6 7 9 11 13 15

Breeders 5 5 5 6 7 8 9 10

Layers 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5

4

Header Tanks

Header Tanks

Most poultry operations will have one or more header tanks per shed. These header tanks (also

known as water towers, châteaux d’eau) are usually large liquid storage containers (1,000 litres or

more), which can be made of plastic, fibreglass, concrete or steel. Header tanks usually sit outside

the chicken sheds, on a water tower, or inside, in the ceiling. Water is fed into the drinking system

through gravity.

Although it is not the ideal system for the administration of vaccines through drinking water, it is

often the option that requires least investment (no need for the installation of extra medication tanks

or dosing pumps). Header tanks do not always offer easy access to vaccinating crews and often the

current staff has no idea of the true capacity of the containers.

Important precautions must be taken before using the header tanks for drinking water vaccination:

• Farm staff and vaccinating crews must know the precise capacity of the water tank.

• The tank’s interior must be accessible – through opening/lid on top - to calculate level/

quantity of water to be used for vaccination.

• Keep the lid closed, to keep undesired things from going into the water (such as wild birds and/

or their droppings).

• Once water levels have been calculated for routine vaccination, write the tank calibration

on the outside or on a rod, with a marker or exterior paint. Still, every time a new vaccination

through drinking water is done, staff must look inside the tank to verify the correct amount

of water, comparing to the marks outside (unless the tank is made of a transparent/see-

through material).

• Most header tanks are exposed to the elements, directly under the sunlight. Ensure that the

water used for vaccination is cool. If not, re-fill it to the desired level for vaccination with

new, cool water.

• Outlet pipes must come from the bottom of the tank. Do not use tanks with outlet pipes

placed on such heights that allow for large quantities of residual water to remain in the tank

(picture below).

• Water tanks must be clean inside. If they are dirty, this can affect the availability of live

organisms from the vaccine and the overall quality of the vaccination.

• In drinking water vaccination, avoid using header tanks that are supplying water to more

than one shed at the same time. This can easily lead to confusion, risking problems with

underdosing or unvaccinated birds.

• If the tank is made of more than one container, connected through the bottom, mix equal

quantities of the vaccine solution in all containers.

5

Header Tanks (cont.)

Water Quantities The table below will give you a guideline of water quantities for each one thousand birds, according to the age and the type of birds

(commercial layers, broiler breeders or broilers). This is the expected consumption of 1,000 birds for 2-3 hours at the morning feeding,

when they are at their thirstiest. (Quantities can be adjusted to your own conditions, after a few runs).

For more precise figures adapted to your facilities and your climate conditions, you can run a “mock vaccination” one or two days before

the actual vaccination day. This will determine the amount of water that the birds drink in 2-3 hours. The best time to do this is at the

morning feeding as if you were vaccinating.

Header tanks are usually too large to handle small quantities of water required to vaccinate birds at a very young age. So put out

supplementary drinkers and follow recommendations for chick fonts.


Age (weeks) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 Post-peak

Broilers 15 28 43 55 67 80 95 103

Breeders 10 17 20 24 25 26 28 30 32 33 35 37 39 41 43 44 47 49 65

Layers 5 6 8 11 13 15 18 19 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 29 30 31 37

Instructions:

1. 1-2hoursbeforevaccination:Turnoffthemaintaptothedrinkersystem.Raisethedrinkerlines/emptyallbelldrinkers.

2. Drainthelinesfromanychlorinatedwaterremaininginthesystem.

3. Mixupvaccine:Inabucket,dissolvepartofthestabiliser(commercialstabiliserwithabluedye,or leanmilk).Dissolvethe

remainingstabiliserintheheadertank(forstabiliserquantitiespervolumeofwater,seepage8).Usenon-chlorinatedwateronly.

4. Preparevaccineaccordingtomanufacturer’srecommendations.Generallythevialsshouldbeopenedunderwaterinthemixing

bucket,althoughanysterileplaceshouldbefine.Rinsevialsseveraltimeswiththebucketwatertogetallvaccineintosolution.

5. Addbucketsolutiontoheadertank.

6. Mixthoroughlyinthetankusingacleanpaddleorotherdevice.

7. Opentheendsoftheshedlinesifrunninganautomaticsystem(nipples,cups.),andthenopenthemainvalveontheheaderuntil

vaccinewaterflowsfromtheends.Closetheends.Thisisanimportantsteptoensurethatthebirdsintheendoftheshedhave

thesamechancestodrinkvaccinewaterasthebirdsatthefrontofthedrinkinglines.

8. 1-2hoursafterstep“1”above,restorewatersystemstothebirds-lowerthedrinkinglinesorbelldrinkers.

9. Increaselightingandofferfeedifnotalreadyfeeding.

10. Monitorfordeliveryproblems(e.g.closednipplevalves,spillage,fouling).

11. Monitorforvaccinewaterusageattheheadertank.

12. Afterthevaccination(2-3hours),refilltheheadertankwithregularwaterandletitflowdowntothesystem.

13. Recordvaccinationinflock/shedrecords

6

Medication Tanks

When working with header tanks is too impractical and bulky, medication tanks can be a handy alternative. These medication tanks

(also known as vaccination tanks) are usually smaller liquid storage containers (less than 1,000 litres), mostly made of plastics, fibreglass

or steel. IBC tanks (Immediate Bulk Containers, photo “E” below) are ideal to be used as a medication tank for poultry.

Medication tanks usually sit inside the chicken sheds, at a height sufficient to feed all the water lines through gravity (photo “A”); or

outside, on a water tower (“B”, “C”). During vaccination, water is switched off from the main source and the vaccine water from the

medication tank fills the lines instead. As they carry less volume of water and they are not frequently used, it is very important to maintain

them covered, protected from the sun (D).

Medication tanks should always be clean and very well rinsed, to prevent any residues of disinfectants from inactivating the live

vaccines.

When installing a new medication tank, ensure the size is sufficient to hold enough water to vaccinate the maximum number of birds in

the shed at their oldest vaccination age (e.g. 10,000 broiler breeders: tank must have a capacity of at least 400 litres).

Water Quantities The table below will give you a guideline of water quantities for each one thousand birds, according to the age and the type of birds

(commercial layers, broiler breeders or broilers). This is the expected consumption of 1000 birds for 2-3 hours at the morning feeding,

when they are at their thirstiest. (Quantities can be adjusted to your own conditions, after a few runs).

Medication Tanks

A B C D E



Broilers 15 28 43 55 67 80 95 103

Breeders 10 17 20 24 25 26 28 30 32 33 35 37 39 41 43 44 47 49 65

Layers 5 6 8 11 13 15 18 19 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 29 30 31 37

7

Medication Tanks (cont.)

Medication Tanks (cont.)

If you want more precise figures adapted to your facilities and your climate conditions, you can run a “mock vaccination” one or two days

before the actual vaccination day. This will determine the amount of water that the birds drink in 2-3 hours. The best time to do this is at

the morning feeding as if you were vaccinating.

It is important to know the actual capacity of your tank, Medication tanks are usually too large to handle small quantities of water

required to vaccinate birds at a very young age.

Instructions:

1. 1-2hoursbeforevaccination:Turnoffthemaintaptothedrinker

system.Raisethedrinkerlinesoremptyallbelldrinkers.

2. Drainthelinesfromanychlorinatedwaterremaininginthesystem.

3. Fill the medication tank with the desired amount of water for

vaccine.Usenon-chlorinatedwateronly.

4. Mixupvaccine:dissolvethestabiliser(commercialstabiliserwith

a blue dye, or lean milk) in the medication tank (for stabiliser

quantitiespervolumeofwater,seepage8).Alternatively, tomix

vaccineinamoreaccessibleplace,useabucket.Dissolvepartof

the stabiliser in the bucket and the remaining stabiliser in the

medicationtank.

5. Prepare vaccine according to manufacturer’s recommendations.

Generally the vials should be opened under water in the mixing

bucket or medication tank, although any sterile place should be

fine.Rinsevialsseveraltimeswiththewatertogetallvaccineinto

solution.Ifmixedinthebucket,addbucketsolutiontomedication

tank.

6. Mixthoroughlyinthetankusingacleanpaddleorotherdevice.

7. Open theendsof theshed lines if runninganautomaticsystem

(nipples,cups.), and then open the valve on the medication tank

untilvaccinewaterflowsfromtheends(picture).Closetheends.

Thisisanimportantsteptoensurethatthebirdsintheendofthe

shedhavethesamechancestodrinkvaccinewaterasthebirdsatthefrontofthedrinkinglines.

8. 1-2hoursafterstep“1”above,restorewatersystemstothebirds–lowerthedrinkinglinesorbelldrinkers.

9. Increaselightingandofferfeedifnotalreadyfeeding.

10. Monitorfordeliveryproblems(e.g.closednipplevalves,spillage,fouling).

11. Monitorforvaccinewaterusageatthemedicationtank.

12. Afterthevaccination(2-3hours),switchthewaterlinesbacktobefedbytheheadertankwithregularwater,andletitflowdown

tothesystem.

13. Recordvaccinationinflock/shedrecords

8

Dosing Pumps

Dosing Pumps Header tanks are certainly very bulky, but even medication tanks can pose a challenge in terms of their size, access and for being difficult to clean. For many farms, dosing pumps are the ideal solution, especially when vaccinating birds in sheds that contain larger flocks (>20,000 birds). Dosing pumps (also known as Proportioners, Medication Pumps or Doseur Proportionnel) use the flow of water as the power source. The flow of water activates the pump, which takes up the required percentage of stock solution and injects it into the water.

Stock Solution (also known as Concentrate, or Solution-mère) is a small, practical volume of water where all the vaccine to be used for the whole chicken shed is dissolved in. This solution is pumped into the water lines. Inside the pump, the stock solution/concentrate is mixed with the water, and the water pressure forces the solution downstream. The pump requires no action or external control – meaning no electrical power or engine. The actual water consumption by the birds makes it work. Dosatron® and Dosmatic® are among the most common and reliable brands available in the market. The proportionality of these pumps guarantees a precise dose independently of pressure and water flow variation (the actual water consumption of the birds). In many ways, this is an easy distribution method of vaccine for drinking water.

Important precautions must be taken before the installation and use of dosing pumps for drinking water vaccination in poultry:

• Verify that the brand and model of choice has clear and immediately-available technical support. Dosing pumps should always be in perfectly working conditions.

• The choice of pump must include an injection rate range that covers 2% to 5%. If your dosing pump does not inject up to at least 2%, you do not have the correct model for drinking water vaccination for poultry.

• On installation, ensure that there is a by-pass and that water flows from the filter to the pump.

• Install one dosing pump per shed. Do not have one moving pump per farm and transport it from shed to shed. Dosing pumps are precision instruments. They are durable and highly reliable, but they are designed to be fixed in one spot – not to be carried around.

• Do not use the same dosing pumps for vaccination and chlorination. Not only disinfectants will kill vaccines, but the models and specifications are different. (see page 12)

• Avoid using Vitamin and Electrolytes (V&E) products in your dosing pump. Many of such products are of difficult dissolution. They create lumps which may clog or stick to the pumps, damaging its precision. (Exception: the Pacificvet Vitamins and Electrolytes for Poultry is a powder that dissolves well and can be used in dosing pumps at 5% injection rate. Product tested). Rinse pump well with water as stock solution, after any use.

• Do not use milk as a water stabiliser when using dosing pumps. As recommended milk inclusion in drinking water vaccination is 3%-5%, the stock solution would need to be of pure milk. There is no sufficient knowledge of how vaccines would perform if initially dissolved into a stock solution of pure milk.

• Do not use powdered milk as a stabiliser when using dosing pumps. The concentrated stock solution would be too lumpy and sticky. It could easily adhere to the pipes and internal mechanism, thus deteriorating the use and life of the pump.

• Use commercial water stabilisers for drinking water vaccination, such as AviBlue or Cevamune®. Remember that you must dissolve into the stock solution enough stabiliser required for the total water to be consumed during vaccination time. The stock solution will be very dark, much more concentrated than the vaccine water at drinker level (20x more if at 5%, or 50 times more if at 2%). Some foaming may occur. Give it some time to dissolve, stir it well and ensure no excessive foam is floating on the stock solution.

• A well-maintained dosing pump will withdraw stock solution from a container below it. There is no need for gravity to play any roles here. There is no need to suspend the stock solution container.

• When in doubt, read the pump manufacturer’s manual.

9

Dosing Pumps (cont.)

Water QuantitiesThe easiest way to determine the amount of water to use for stock solution is to run a “mock vaccination” one or two days before the actual vaccination day, running the pump with water, allowing the birds to drink for 2-3 hours (picture, right). The best time to do this is at the morning feeding when the birds will be at their thirstiest. Remember to adjust the injection rate from at least 2%, up to 5%. The difference of volume in the stock solution tank should be used for as the water volume for the actual vaccination day. Alternatively, the table below will give you a guideline of water quantities and stock solution volumes for each ten thousand birds, according to the age and the type of birds (commercial layers, broiler breeders or broilers) and according to rate of injection elected. (Quantities can be adjusted to your own conditions, after a few runs).

Litres of Water per 10,000 Birds (TEN THOUSAND BIRDS)

Age (weeks) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 Post- peak

Broilers

Total water consumed during vaccination time 150 280 430 550 670 800 950 1030

Stocksolutionat2%injectionrate 3.0 5.6 8.6 11.0 13.4 16.0 19.0 20.6

Stocksolutionat5%injectionrate 7.5 14.0 21.5 27.5 33.5 40.0 47.5 51.5

Breeders

Total water consumed during vaccination time 100 170 200 240 250 260 280 300 320 330 350 370 390 410 430 440 470 490 650

Stocksolutionat2%injectionrate 2.0 3.4 4.0 4.8 5.0 5.2 5.6 6.0 6.4 6.6 7.0 7.4 7.8 8.2 8.6 8.8 9.4 9.8 13.0


Layers

Total water consumed during vaccination time 50 60 80 110 130 150 180 190 210 220 230 240 250 260 270 290 300 310 370



Instructions:

1. 1-2hoursbeforevaccination:Turnoffthemaintaptothedrinkersystem.Raisethedrinkerlinesorempty allbelldrinkers.Drainthelinesfromanychlorinatedwaterremaininginthesystem.

2. Fill the stock solution tank with the desired amount of water. Use non-chlorinated water only. Mix up vaccine:Weargloves.Dissolvethestabiliserinthestocksolutiontankorbucket(PhotoA-rememberthat thisisthestabiliserquantityfortheoverallvolumeofwatertobeused.Youcancalculatethatbyeither checkingthetableaboveordividingyouramountofstocksolutionbythepercentageofinjectionrate).The stocksolutionwillbeverydarkblue,whichisthereasonforwearinggloves.Somefoamingmyoccur(B). Mixthesolutiongently(C)andwaituntilitiswelldissolved(D)beforeaddingthevaccine(E).

3. Prepare vaccine according to manufacturer’s recommendations. Generally the vials should be opened underwater in the stock solution tankorbucket, althoughanysterileplaceshouldbefine.Rinsevials severaltimeswiththewatertogetallvaccineintosolution.Mixthoroughlyinthetankusingacleanpaddle orotherdevice.

4. Opentheendsoftheshedlinesifrunninganautomaticsystem(nipples,cups).Shutthebypassandopen thevalvetothemedicationpump.Assoonaswaterpassesthroughthepump,itshouldstartpumping stocksolutionintothesystemimmediately.Whenbluevaccinewaterflowsfromtheends,closetheends. Thisisanimportantsteptoensurethatthebirdsintheendoftheshedhavethesamechancestodrink vaccinewaterasthebirdsatthefrontofthedrinkinglines.

5. 1-2hoursafterstep“1”above,restorewatersystemstothebirds–lowerthedrinkinglinesorbelldrinkers. Increaselightingandofferfeedifnotalreadyfeeding.

6. Monitorfordeliveryproblems(e.g.closednipplevalves,spillage,fouling).Monitorforstocksolutionusage atthetankorbucket.

7. Afterthevaccination(2-3hours),switchthewaterlinesbackthroughthebypass,tobefedbytheheader tankwithregularwater,andletitflowdowntothesystem.

8. Recordvaccinationinflock/shedrecords.

A

B

C

D

E

10

Manual Distribution of Vaccine

Pouring Vaccine Directly on the Drinkers Some poultry operations may have to resort to manually pouring the vaccine water into the drinkers throughout the chicken shed. This could be the only alternative on farms that do not have a dosing pump, a medication tank, or a header tank that could be handy and appropriate to administrate drinking water vaccine (see specifications for vaccinating in header tanks on page 4).The manual procedure is as complicated and labour-demanding as the distribution of vaccine water into chick fonts, but with one aggravating factor: the quantities of water required are much larger.

When vaccine water is poured directly onto the drinkers, no water should be available from a different source (ex. when bell drinkers have been added to a shed with nipple drinkers, use only one type of source for the vaccination – if the bells are to be used, do not leave any water available from a nipple drinker during vaccination).

Remember that drinking water vaccination should take no less than 2 hours of vaccine water available to the birds. As bell drinkers or troughs do not have capacity to hold much water, the birds will dry them quickly and more vaccine water must be poured during those two hours. Therefore, it is important to:

• Respect the minimum drinker space recommendations as per breeder’s guide.

• Respect the minimum and maximum time for vaccination.

• Respect the water quantities.

• Have enough people in the vaccinator team to simultaneously re-fill the drinkers uniformly throughout the house and keep them filled for 2 hours.

The table below indicates precise quantities of drinking water to be used for broilers, breeders and commercial layers.



Broilers 15 28 43 55 67 80 95 103

Breeders 10 17 20 24 25 26 28 30 32 33 35 37 39 41 43 44 47 49 65

Layers 5 6 8 11 13 15 18 19 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 29 30 31 37

Instructions:

1. Mixupvaccine–fillatankwiththedesiredamountoffresh,cleanwater.

2. Stabilisewaterbyadding5%of thevolumewith fresh, leanmilkorbyaddingthe

recommendedamountofacommercialwaterstabiliser(keepinmindtheproportions:

1capofAviBluemakes200litres;1tabletofCevamune®makes100litres).

3. Preparevaccineaccordingtomanufacturer’srecommendations.Generallythevials

shouldbeopenedunderwaterinthemixingtank,althoughanycleanplaceshouldbe

acceptable.

4. Rinse vials several times with the vaccine water to get all vaccine into solution.

Mixthoroughlyinthetankusingacleanpaddleorotherdevice.Theuseofglovesis

recommended,especiallywhenusingacommercialstabiliser(withabluedye).

5. Dividethevaccinewater intoseveralbuckets,sodrinkingwatercanbedistributed

evenlyacrosstheshed.

6. The team should pour the vaccine water simultaneously into the bell drinkers or

troughs.Thefirstpouringshouldnotbesufficienttouseallmixedwater.

7. Re-filldrinkerswithmoreofthevaccinewaterassoonasbirdsdrinkitall.

8. Continuefor2hours.

9. Givevaccineearlyinthemorning,afteronehourofwaterwithdrawal.

10. Recordvaccinationinflock/shedrecords.

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Shed Information

Farm

Address

Technical Responsible

Veterinarian

Shed # Floor / Cage

Type of Shed

Type of Drinking System

Date of Last Disinfection on Water Systems

Vaccine on:

Header Tank

Medication Tank

Dosing Pump

Other:

Flock & Vaccine Information

Age of Flock

# of Birds

# of Birds per Drinker

Vaccine Type

# of Doses per Vial

# of Vials Used

Batch #

Expiry Date

Date of Vaccination

Before Vaccination

Public Water? Y / N

Water Chlorinated / Treated? Y / N

Water Treatment Stopped? Y / N

Time at Water Withdrawal?

Emptied Water Troughs / Bells? Y / N

Emptied Water Lines? Y / N

Mock Vaccination Carried out/ Y / N

During Vaccination

Waited for lines to fill up? Y / N

Verified for blue drop at the end of the line? Y / N

Time at lowering drinkers / drinker line

Water meter reading before vaccination

Total time of water withdrawl (B minus A)

Verified for flock behaviour? Y / N

Time at empty tank

Total time of vaccnation (C minus B)

Adjustments to be made for next time? Y / N

If yes, how much + or - volume of water?

After Vaccination

Checked for stained tongue / vaccine uptake?

Y / N

Percentage of vaccine distribution

Switch water back to the main line? Y / N

Tanks / equipment washed and rinsed? Y / N

Signature

Water Quantity / Quality

Header or Medication Tanks

Total Vaccine Water (litres)

Dosing Pumps

Total Stock Solution (litres)

Injection Rate

Stabiliser Granules?

# of Measuring Cups

Y / N

Stabiliser Tablets?

# of Tablets

Y / N

Lean Milk?

Litres

Y / N

Powdered Milk?

Grams

Y / N

Vaccination Check List - Audit Form

Water Vaccination Check-up list

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3 Hickory Place, PO Box 16-129 Hornby, Christchurch, New ZealandPhone: +64 03 349 8438 • National Toll Free: 0508 388 388 • Fax: +64 03 349 8863Email: [email protected] • Web: www.pacificvet.co.nz

Frequently Asked Questions

F.A.Q.

Can I use electronic injection pumps?It is not adviseable to use electric pumps or any motor-driven devices. Vaccines must be consistently mixed into the drinking water. Although electrical pumps are perfectly reliable to consistently inject a stock solution into a main flow, they do it at a set rate. However, the pattern of water consumption from a flock is highly variable, even within the 2-3 hours that we want them to drink the vaccine water. When the flow in the main is slower than average, the electronic pump will inject an excessive amount of stock solution into that water that remains too long in the pipe. Inversely, if the water consumption is increased, the flow will be fast in the main, but the concentration will be small, for the electronic pump will not increase the injection speed to accompany the demand. These inconsistencies can lead to underdosing or to some birds not getting the vaccine at all.

How do we water-vaccinate in drinking troughs with running water?Drinking troughs with running water are built on a sloped chicken shed, usually in conventional cage systems for commercial layers. The water is constantly dripping into one end, running along the troughs next to the cages, and dripping out of the shed at the other end. The rationale behind this system is the constant supply of fresh, easily available clean water - and obviously cheap. Drinking water vaccination should NOT be done on such systems. The vaccine would disappear immediately at the spillage site at the end of the shed, giving the birds little chances to drink it. Remember that all vaccine administered must be consumed by the flock. The only troughs that are still acceptable to use are closed systems, where there is no running water, either controlled by a float valve or manually filled. These systems are more common in floor operations.

Our water is good, potable and healthy. We don’t even chlorinate it. Do we really need to use a stabiliser?Yes, by all means. Often when water is good for human consumption, it may still contain minerals which are good for us, but very detrimental to live vaccines. Although frequently ignored by vaccinating crews, the use of stabilisers has been advised for water vaccination for the last 30 years, especially milk or powdered milk. More recently, animal health companies have developed the stabilisers with a blue dye, which has made it easier and cheaper for producers to vaccinate.

Can we use our chlorinator unit (dosing pump) to vaccinate?No! And there are two very good reasons why not:

1) Chlorine kills live vaccines. Running live vaccines through a chlorinator unit will kill the organisms and the birds will not develop immunity. There is no amount of rinsing that can be done in a chlorination unit to neutralise its damaging effect on vaccines.

2) Chlorinator pumps (such as Chemilizer™) usually work only with very small injection rates (0.1% to 1%) due to the highly concentrated chlorine stock solution and the low amounts needed for the water network. Although these pumps are good and highly recommended for chlorination or chemical dispensing, these rates are not practical to work with vaccines, for the stock solution would be excessively concentrated. The ideal vaccination pump should work with 2% to 5% injection rate.

A vaccination dosing pump should be exclusively used for vaccination.

Can we water vaccinate by filling directly the ball-valve tanks at the end of the cage rows? Ball-valve tanks are too small to be used as a vaccine water tank. They will not even hold enough water to fill a full line of drinkers. Vaccination by pouring into these tanks, especially for older pullets, would be too labour-intensive.

Can I hold a bucket/tank at the end of each drinker line on my floor operation and improvise a connection for the vaccination time? The usual 20-litre buckets will hold as much volume of water as a 60 metres pipeline can hold. As in the answer to the question above, it would be too labour intensive. Using the correct amount of water would oblige vaccinator crews to have one bucket for each line, being refilled throughout the 2-hours period.

Documents

Drinking Water Vaccination: Easy and Effectivekenanaonline.com/files/0080/...3-Water-Vaccination.pdf · Vaccination is an integral part of any chicken health management programme