FIELD VACCINATION 3.3 Intraocular (Eye Drop) or Nasal Drop Vaccination Vaccine Preparation » To prevent the contents of the vaccine vial from getting warm against the hands of the vaccinator, divide the contents of the reconstituted vaccine into two or three empty vials, and alternate their use while keeping the others in a cooler with ice or cool packs. » Confirm that the vaccine is approved and manufactured for eye drop application. Serious issues may occur if the wrong vaccines are dropped into the eye. Therefore, designate one person to mix the eyedrop vaccine. » Open the vaccine vial and the diluent bottle. Reconstitute the vaccine with diluent that is between 2 to 8 °C (36 to 45 °F).
Post Vaccination » Open the diluent bottle and, using a syringe, remove 3 ml of diluent and inject it into the lyophilized vaccine vial. Some vaccines come with a special adapter to mix diluent and vaccine – in this case, connect the adaptor on the diluent bottle to the vial of lyophilized vaccine. » Check the number of doses used versus the number of birds vaccinated. Record all information regarding the vaccination as well as any problems that may occur with the birds or the vaccination process. COBB VACCINATION MANAGEMENT GUIDE » Rinse the vaccine vials several times with diluent in order to remove any residues.
» Slowly shake the diluent bottle with the already reconstituted vaccine, without shaking vigorously. » Attach the dosing/eye drop nozzle onto the diluent bottle. Vaccine Administration » The vaccination will only be considered successful if the drop (0.03 ml) is placed into the opened eye or nasal cavity and absorbed. For this to occur, it is important to wait a few seconds after administering the drop, before releasing the bird. » If the drop is not totally absorbed, a new drop should be administered. For correct administration of the eye drop vaccine, the vaccinator may use his/her free hand to gently restrain the head of the bird.
He or she can then rest the side of the other hand behind the bird’s eye and then carefully tilt the tip of the bottle towards the eye. This should result in correct placement of the drop into the eye with minimal distress for the bird. The tip of the bottle should never touch the eye. ANIMAL WELFARE TIPS 22