Antibiotics Question

My hen has had bubbly discharge coming from her eyes, sneezing, and congestion even after eight days on Duramycin 10 in her waterer.

• Do I have to wait for the Duramycin 10 to leave her system before I can try Tylan 50-injectable orally?
• What kind of syringe can I use to give it to her orally? (I'm not good with needles).
• What is the best method to give the antibiotics to her? I've seen people shove the entire needle-less syringe down their esophagus before, while others just tilt it to the inside of their mouths and gradually give it to them.

If the Duramycin had no effect, I'd suspect the problem is viral or some other cause. In which case, continuing antibiotics is like chasing one's tail.

cmlew99 said:

My hen has had bubbly discharge coming from her eyes, sneezing, and congestion even after eight days on Duramycin 10 in her waterer.

• Do I have to wait for the Duramycin 10 to leave her system before I can try Tylan 50-injectable orally?
• What kind of syringe can I use to give it to her orally? (I'm not good with needles).
• What is the best method to give the antibiotics to her? I've seen people shove the entire needle-less syringe down their esophagus before, while others just tilt it to the inside of their mouths and gradually give it to them.

Click to expand...

I would try Baytril, not Tylan.

• http://www.allbirdproducts.com/newproductpages/baytril.html
• http://www.ladygouldianfinch.com/product_baytril.php
• http://gamebirdsupplies.com/eng/index/item/11/4/enfloxil-10-100ml
• http://www.mexi-cali.net/eng/index/item/24/29/enfloxil-25-ml-same-as-baytril

Read this before using Baytril:

• https://sites.google.com/a/poultrypedia.com/poultrypedia/medicine-chart/baytril-for-birds

If Baytril is going to work you will see improvement in 24-48 hours.

Pretty sure the Tylan dose for poultry is much higher than people here normally recommend, and I also think the injectable is supposed to be given several times a day, so Tylan powder might be a better option?

http://www.elanco.us/products-services/poultry/water-soluble-crd-control.aspx

• Administer medicated drinking water for three days; however, medicated water may be administered for one to five days depending upon severity of infection. Treated chickens must consume enough medicated water to provide 50 mg per pound of body weight per day. Only medicated water should be available to the birds.

-Kathy

Oh my goodness- everyone has different methods and diagnoses, I don't know which one to use! It's so overwhelming and stressful when an animal gets sick... I feel like I'm going to explode:,( I just want her to get better
@ChickenCanoe how would I deal with it if it's viral? Would it just pass?

@casportpony I shall look into baytril, thanks!

I am still wondering though, if I have to wait for the duramycin to leave her system before starting a new antibiotic (whether it's tylan 50 or baytril)

cmlew99 said:

Oh my goodness- everyone has different methods and diagnoses, I don't know which one to use! It's so overwhelming and stressful when an animal gets sick... I feel like I'm going to explode:,( I just want her to get better
@ChickenCanoe how would I deal with it if it's viral? Would it just pass?

@casportpony I shall look into baytril, thanks!

I am still wondering though, if I have to wait for the duramycin to leave her system before starting a new antibiotic (whether it's tylan 50 or baytril)

Click to expand...

Duramycin 10 is tetracycline and is often not very effective on *many* types of bacteria. Baytril is probably the most powerful antibiotic available to us. There was a gal that had a chick that had been sick for weeks... she tried the Duramycin, then huge doses of Tylan twice a day, but her chick continued to get worse, so she tried Baytril and her chick was much improved in 24 hours and 100% by day 3.

As far as I know, there are no drug interactions between tetracycline and Baytril or Tylan, so you could start either as soon as you got it.

-Kathy

@cmlew99 , there is a table in this PDF that shows the efficacy of the various antibiotics against some bacteria.
http://www.octagon-services.co.uk/articles/poultry/gamebirds.pdf

-Kathy

@cmlew99 here is the thread about the peachick that was treated with tetracycline in water, then Tylan 50 orally:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/846873/please-help-with-sick-peacock/10#post_14278819

Not positive, but I think she also dewormed with Safeguard and treated for coccidiois with Corid. She came very close to losing this chick.

-Kathy

Because of her knowledge base, I've always followed Casportpony's advice on antibiotics. Different antibiotics work on different bacterium. It's pretty much a guessing game with antibiotics, and we end up learning what is good for what by experiences of others. With any respiratory ailment, I would always go with Tylan first. Because some antibiotics are more or less specific than others. Since none of us are doctors, we end up using antibiotics which are the best for several different bacteria , and treat for the most common ailments that chickens get. If 2 antibiotics tried don't work, I would have to think it's a virus as well and requires supportive care.

Tylan should work if it's mycoplasma, but will not work if it's E.coli or Pseudomonas. @cmlew99 , you could call your state vet and ask about having one of your birds tested for the various respiratory diseases.

-Kathy

cmlew99 said:

My hen has had bubbly discharge coming from her eyes, sneezing, and congestion even after eight days on Duramycin 10 in her waterer.

• Do I have to wait for the Duramycin 10 to leave her system before I can try Tylan 50-injectable orally?
• What kind of syringe can I use to give it to her orally? (I'm not good with needles).
• What is the best method to give the antibiotics to her? I've seen people shove the entire needle-less syringe down their esophagus before, while others just tilt it to the inside of their mouths and gradually give it to them.

Click to expand...

Sick birds rarely drink antibiotics mixed in water, if they do, it's usually not enough to be effective. Additionally, birds drink less in cooler/colder weather. I recommend tylan 50 injectable be given orally to your sick hen. Dosage is 1/2cc once a day for 5-7 days, no more than 7 days. Then give her buttermilk mixed with scrambled egg to eat for 3 days.
Use baytril as a last resort.