We've been farming here for 17 years. There are things that come and go like fads. Folks that don't farm or ranch often grab onto a concept that feels important to them, and they don't always understand the true practice of the thing they are talking about. Like folks thinking pastured poultry ONLY eat grass (yeah, I wrote a blog post about that)
So, I hate to say it, but this feels political. I have gotten more questions about vaccines in the last 6 months than I have in the entire 18 years we have been here. As well as uneducated questions about MRNA vaccines in our livestock. (Yes, MRNA vaccines are in development for livestock, but likely will never be available for small producers, like me)
We do vaccinate. We believe in science over here. That means we question things and we seek evidence to support or refute a hypothesis. It's not rocket science that vaccines work and are beneficial. There are plenty of folks who eschew them in their practices, or claim to breed disease-resistant animals. That can work in some cases, but here on our farm, we have one predator lurking in the soil - that you can't breed away. And it's a killer.
The number one thing we vaccinate for is Tetanus. We've been doing it since day one at the encouragement of our veterinarian. And everyone we know who raises sheep. Tetanus is no joke. long ago, on the farm, we lost a lamb and a calf to tetanus. It was HORRID.
The image below is not our lamb. I don't take pictures in a time of crisis, I try to resolve the crisis. This was taken from an image search. But it's the real thing.
We had a lamb that started acting funny. He would fall over in the pasture. It got to the point where he couldn't stand, and we had to prop him up. Eventually, he stopped eating and turned stiff as a board. He was so young, he hadn't been vaccinated fully, yet. We weren't sure what it was. Lots of things can cause different symptoms - polio, pneumonia, listeriosis - we didn't realize until his jaw was shut stiff that it was tetanus. We couldn't figure it out, until I realized this was a lamb that keep sneaking out of the pen. He found a tiny gap in the fencing and would sneak out, and his legs had little scratches. That is all it took. And we lost him.
Months later, we bought a calf named Ferdinand. He was super sweet. And he got loose one day and walked under a grain bin and got a tiny scratch on his back. His previous owners told me he had a 7-way vaccine. I was sure that one of those 7 had to be Tetanus, so I never looked into it. Nope, you need the 8-way vaccine for Tetanus! The ONE little scratch on his back was it. It started with his tail sticking straight out - like he was pooping. But he wasn't pooping. And then his neck went stiff, and his eyes just looked so scared. His knees went stiff, and I found him on the ground, foaming at the mouth. The vet came out afraid it was rabies, but I was convinced it was tetanus. We had him euthanized and I had to take him to CSU for an autopsy to rule out rabies. It was a terrible day, and he was suffering.
So I vaccinate.
One year, our vaccine batch got mixed up, and my vaccines didn't include the standard clostridial vaccines. I started loosing perfectly healthy ram lambs at 3-4 months old. When my vet checked my vaccine bottles, we determined they weren't protected, and we re-vaxxed the entire flock, and the losses stopped.
So yes, I vaccinate. Tetanus is prevalent in our soil, an awful way to die and easily preventable.
The clostridial diseases also cause sudden death, spontaneous abortion, and more - and again, completely preventable. Just like I would treat my cattle and sheep if they had lice, I vaccinate them to prevent common illnesses. I don't want them to suffer.
For my poultry, we have a different story. The Mycoplasma Gallisepticum vaccine is relatively new, but the disease is not. It's so prevalent in turkeys, it's hard for me to be rid of it, as it crosses the egg barrier and can come from any hatchery to my farm. Easier to prevent it than to treat it. And one vaccine to prevent it feels a lot less impactful then treating and retreating with antibiotics when they have a flare up.
Most poultry vaccines, however, come in a large dosage container, that requires mixing and using in 24 hours. These doses are usually for 1000 birds, so it's completely wasteful for me to purchase and use. They generally have to be administered on day-old chicks, and I hatch small batches weekly. So the one disease that I breed out is Marek's. Marek's is a disease that generally does not afflict baby birds. So the theory here is that birds that are resistant to it, will survive to adulthood without catching Marek's and if they do - they are resistant to it, and their offspring should be as well. But basically, if a hen makes it to adulthood and it didn't get Marek's, you are good.
I am not sure I have ever seen Marek's on my farm. It is a neurological disease that causes paralysis and death. Now, hatcheries can provide this vaccine, and I do get it on my meat birds. Meat birds need to make it to 8-12 weeks. Marek's is NOT treatable. It is 100% death. And it is painful and awful. And contagious. So where my heritage breeds hopefully don't contract it, and are naturally resistant to it - my meat birds can't afford to take the chance. So we do vaccinate them. Marek's can look a lot like splay-leg, which is generally a nutritional deficiency. So if changing their feed or boosting them with vitamins doesn't eliminate the symptoms, then you might have Marek's. And if it goes past their legs, and impacts their neck and wing muscles, it is also Marek's.
I hate to see animals suffer. Vaccines are a good tool in my toolbox for animal care. These animals are all my responsibility. And I love them. I don't want any of them to get sick or suffer. So yes, vaccines are in my toolbox.
Here are the vaccines we use:
Cattle - CDT - 8 way vaccine (covers like 6 different clostridial strains, tetanus and black leg)
Sheep - Caseous Lymphadenitus, CDT and Pneumonia (Mannheimia Haemolytica)
Turkeys - Mycoplasma Gallisepticum
Meat Chickens - Marek's and Coccidia (done at the hatchery)
Let's end this with a happy picture. Healthy animals are happy animals. That's what I want for them!
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