Administering Eimeria maxima oocysts through drinking water improves coccidiosis vaccine uptake in broiler chickens

Vaccination against avian coccidiosis is increasingly being used by the poultry industry to prevent outbreaks of this parasitic disease, but problems with nonuniform administration of Eimeria oocysts by spray vaccination at the hatchery is affecting efficacy. The purpose of the present work was to compare Eimeria maxima oocyst uptake between hatchery spray vaccination (d 0) and in-house drinking water (d 3) administration. Different parameters affecting vaccine uptake were conducted in commercial broiler houses utilizing a laboratory strain of E. maxima (APU2) and/or a commercial Eimeria vaccine (CoccivacB52) to optimize drinking water application to young chicks. Regardless of vaccine source, administering Eimeria oocysts through drinking water to 3-day-old chicks was superior to spray vaccination (mean percent positive: 93% vs. 16%). This paper provides details of a method for administering a coccidiosis vaccine through the drinking water to 3-day-old chicks that leads to patent E. maxima infection in virtually all chickens.