Most poultry vaccines contain living, weakened organisms or delicate proteins. Heat, freezing and light damage them — and the damage cannot be seen. A vial that has lost its potency looks exactly like a good one, so the only protection is handling it correctly every time.
The basic rule: 2–8°C, dark, never frozen
- Refrigerate at 2–8°C as soon as the vaccine arrives. Do not leave cartons on the counter while you finish other work.
- Do not freeze ordinary vaccines. Keep them away from the freezer compartment and the back wall of the fridge, where ice forms. Inactivated (oil) vaccines are especially damaged by freezing.
- Keep them dark. Sunlight destroys live vaccines quickly — store them in their cartons.
- Exception: some Marek's disease vaccines (cell-associated) are stored frozen in liquid nitrogen at the hatchery. These follow their own special handling instructions.
Setting up your farm refrigerator
- Use a dedicated fridge for vaccines and medicines — not one that is opened all day for food or drinks.
- Keep a thermometer inside and record the temperature morning and evening.
- Place bottles of water on the lower shelves; they help hold the temperature steady during power cuts.
- Do not overpack — cold air must circulate around the cartons.
Transport to the shed
Carry vaccines in an insulated box with ice packs, but do not let vials touch the ice packs directly — wrap them in paper or cloth. Take out only the quantity you will use in the next session.
Check before every use
- Expiry date and batch number (record the batch in your farm register).
- Label is intact and the vial is not cracked.
- Appearance matches what the manufacturer describes — no unusual colour, clumping or separation that does not mix back.
After reconstitution, the clock is running
Once a live vaccine is mixed with its diluent, it starts losing strength. Use it within the time stated on the leaflet (often 1–2 hours), keep it cool and shaded while you work, and discard what is left. Never save mixed vaccine for the next day.
Disposal
Empty and unused vials still contain live organisms. Dispose of them as advised by your veterinarian or the manufacturer — for example by burning or deep burial — never by throwing them where birds or children can reach them.
Key points
- 2–8°C, in the dark, never frozen
- Thermometer and twice-daily temperature log
- Ice box for transport, vials wrapped
- Use mixed vaccine within the leaflet time — discard the rest