[jalayra]

Doc,

What type of vaccinations are necessary for imported fowl from the US? Should the fowl have vaccinations before leaving the states? If so, what dosages? Thanks ahead of time.

[tjtcokngacademy]

I don't recommend that they be vaccinated before the trip simply because it would add more stress. To begin with, you should follow strict quarantine rules and it would be best to put them on a soft diet for about 2 weeks upon arrival to prevent gastro-intestinal disorders.

The first vaccine to be given to them is Fowl Pox Vaccine. Please take note that giving such vaccine will depend on the present health status of the roosters because there are some cases wherein they already have contacted the virus and since it was not properly detected, giving the said vaccine can do more harm than good.
Presuming that they are okey...You can proceed with your vaccination but you have to check if there was a positive(+) take or negative take. If it's a negative(-) take, then it needs to be repeated.
The next vaccine to give is the NCD but you have to evaluate your bird's condition??...if they recovered fully?? or are still in the process of adjusting to their new environment.

It is difficult to recommend something without knowing the present health status of your roosters. This topic is discussed thoroughly in the academy for almost two hours just to make sure that each & every student doesn't miss out on anything.

It would be beneficial for you to join the academy one of these days because gamefowl importation is such a big investment and entering such endeavor needs a technical know-how on the proper management of newly arrived birds.

[Kampakirit]

The Fil-Am breeder I talked with is suggesting otherwise. In fact, I raised this issue with him over the phone after his newly arrived cocks got sick in their farm in the Philippines post arrival. The question is HOW ABOUT THE CARRAIGE/HOLDING ROOM IN THE PLANE THAT MAY HAVE BEEN USED BY A CARRIER BIRDS? WILL IT NOT BE A CONCERN FOR WOULD BE IMPORTER OF GAMEFOWL? I therefore, suggest to rethink the wisdom of no-vaccination of birds before travel. As to the stress factor, you have to wait for 2 weeks at least post vaccination before transporting your birds.

[tjtcokngacademy]

I agree with you, kampakirit, if vaccination was done 2 weeks prior shipping, it would avoid post vaccination stress.

But I would suggest to make it more than 2 weeks because it takes no less than 10 days for the birds to have the needed protection and would require at least a week more to recover.

In addition to that, I suggest that the carriers be disinfected prior to loading your roosters.

Lastly, the only problem I forsee in this procedure is that if ever these newly arrived birds still got sick after a few days upon arrival, then one of the suspected cause would be the vaccination that was done before it was transported. Because that was the only unusual thing that was done before those healthy birds were shipped to the Philippines.

Kidding aside, I appreciate your sharing and I consider you an asset in this forum. Keep it coming!

[tjtcokngacademy]

Vaccination is needed to prevent the occurence of diseases in our farm. But it is a known fact that vaccination is just a protection and not a guarantee that they will never get sick.

Here are some factors to consider prior to your importation of gamefowl.

One of the major concern that we have to consider are the people who will receive the birds upon arrival? Are they knowledgeable about quarantine measures and the proper handling of newly arrived birds?

Biosecurity and quarantine measures should not be taken for granted. These birds should be kept in an isolated holding area before they are transeferred to your actual farm to prevent the possible transmission of diseases among your flocks. Their low resistance due to the long trip, can make them susceptible to any existing infection from your flocks. Or they can also serve as "carriers" that can cause an outbreak. I hope everybody understands the importance of what QUARANTINE IS ALL ABOUT.

We invest so much on our birds as well as their medications, vaccinations and including your veterinarian's professional fee. But sometimes we neglect the fact that human factor is also involved.
Your farm-hands/handlers should learn the basic technical know-how on these things and enrolling them in a cocking school is the only solution to minimize wrong procedures.
Remember that long range planning is essential to avoid losses and educating farm hands is one of your best investment. I am very happy to learn from those who have graduated from the academy...starting with the farm owners themselves or their farm managers and even down to their farm hands that they were able to apply successfully what they've learned from the 3 day workshop.

[tjtcokngacademy]

Good disease prevention practices are perhaps best explained as a chain that is only as strong as it's weakest link. Many sound principles can be discredited by failure to carry out one or two related ones that are either overlooked or not considered essential. While it may not always be possible to use all the practices, the more that are followed, the greater the chances of avoiding disease outbreak.