Poulvac NDW

Vaccination Schedule
Broilers:
For spray or eye/nose drop administration.

Revised: May 2025
MA split from NI MA following AN: 00175/2025
One dose per broiler chicken to be administered via spray or eye/nose drop
from one day of age. An additional dose may be required for broilers or so
called heavy roaster birds to be taken beyond 45 days of age at slaughter.
Future layers, Breeders:
One dose by spray or eye drop at one day of age. Revaccination by atomiser
at 4 and 10 weeks of age. Where atomiser administration is impossible,
revaccination by drinking water may be carried out.
Spray:
The product has been successfully used in most types of spray equipment; the
droplet sizes varying from coarse (knapsack) to very fine (aerosol). Remove
the aluminium seal from the vaccine vial. To dissolve the vaccine pellet, the
rubber stopper should then be removed whilst the vial is immersed in a plastic
measuring jug containing one litre (approximately 1 quart) of clean cool water.
Half fill the vial with water, replace the stopper and shake to dissolve any
remaining vaccine. Stir carefully to ensure even dispersal of vaccine. The
vaccine concentrate should then
be added to the water in the sprayer tank and thoroughly mixed. Use
deionised water or cold clean drinking water containing as little chlorine and as
few metal ions as possible.
Vaccination should preferably be performed in the hatchery by hand spray,
automatic spraying equipment or by eye/nose drop. Later vaccination should
be given by an atomiser.
For spray administration, 250-500 mls of water per 1,000 chicks in the
hatchery and 500 mls per 1,000 chicks on the farm is recommended.
Spray Method:
Hand spray and automatic spraying equipment (coarse drop spray):
- Spray the birds (the distance from the spraying head to the birds must
be approximately 50 cm) and make sure all the birds get the vaccine
directly.
- Use drops with a diameter of 0.12 – 0.15 mm.
- In warm weather, vaccination should preferably take place during the
coolest part of the day.
Atomiser:
- Use the atomiser preferably in position 5 (drop size +0.05 mm).
- The birds should not be touched directly, but the area must be sprayed.
- Ensure that the ventilation is switched off and that air intakes and
outlets are closed during vaccination and for twenty minutes afterwards.
- In warm weather, vaccination should preferably take place during the
coolest part of the day.
After atomiser vaccination, intake of the vaccine by the birds is by inhalation.
The air volume per bird in 30 minutes is independent of the number of birds
per house (per m
). Therefore the vaccine concentration in the air has to be

Revised: May 2025
MA split from NI MA following AN: 00175/2025
constant and independent of the number of birds per house volume (m
). For
a good immune response about 10 doses per m
(giving at least 10
EID50 per
m
) are required. This means that the number of doses needed has to be
calculated on the size of the house expressed in m
and multiplied by 10.
Intranasal:
For use in birds from one day of age. Reconstitute the vaccine as directed
below. Fit the drop dispenser on the bottle. Place finger over one nostril of the
bird, allow one drop of the vaccine to fall into the other nostril. Vaccination is
completed when the vaccine is inhaled into the nasal cavity. Do not release
the bird until this occurs.
Eye Drop:
For use in birds from one day of age. Reconstitute the vaccine as directed
below. Fit the drop dispenser on the bottle. Hold the bird so that one eye is
pointed upwards and allow one drop of vaccine to fall into the eye. Birds
should swallow during vaccination.
Reconstitution for intranasal and Eye Drop Routes:
Remove the aluminium foil and rubber stopper from the vaccine vial and add
sterile water for injections to half fill the vial. Replace the rubber stopper and
shake so that all the vaccine material is completely dissolved.
Dissolve the freeze-dried pellet in 30 ml sterile diluent for each 1000 doses.
Shake gently until completely dissolved. The sterile water for injections should
be at room temperature when used.
Drinking Water:
1. Make sure that all conduit pipes, tubing, troughs, drinkers etc are
thoroughly clean and free of any trace of disinfectants, detergents, soap,
etc.
2. Allow water to be consumed so that levels in drinkers are minimal before
vaccine is applied. If water is still present, drain lines before applying
vaccine. Apply vaccine over up to 3 hours, ensuring that all birds drink
during this time. It may be necessary to withhold water on some sites
prior to vaccination in order to ensure that all birds drink during the
vaccination period.
3. Open the vaccine ampoule under water. Mix the contents of the vaccine
ampoule with cold and fresh drinking water at the rate of 1,000 doses of
the vaccine to 1 litre of water per day of age for 1,000 chickens. As the
concentrated vaccine is slightly viscous, care should be taken to empty
the ampoule and its top completely by rinsing them in water. Low-fat
skimmed milk powder (ie <1% fat) may be added to the water (2 – 4
grams per litre) or skimmed milk (1 litre per 23 litres of water) to increase
the stability of the virus. All tubing should be emptied of plain water, so

Revised: May 2025
MA split from NI MA following AN: 00175/2025
that the drinkers contain only vaccine water. Ideally vaccine should be
administered in the volume of water consumed by the birds in up to 3
hours. If in doubt, measure water intake the day before administering
vaccine.
4. Use the dissolved vaccine immediately following preparation.
5. Avoid exposure of the vaccine suspension to sunlight.
6. Water used for drinking administration of a live virus vaccine must be
non-chlorinated and contain as few as possible metal ions.