Rattling breathing open mouth!

[SusanPC]

Wow. Tube feeding - kind of scary, but I will try if I can get the tubing. Great links. Will try the pharmacy for catheter tubing. My hubby and I fed two different exotic baby birds when we were first married. Syringe with food we mixed from raw ingredients straight into their crops. Hopefully this isn't too different from that although I was 25 years younger without any stress or the fears that life gives you. Of course, I never gave an injection before today. My hubby usually gets the medical chores as he is an RN, but he is out of town until Thursday. Thanks so much - off to get tubing.

 

[casportpony]

You can use aquarium air line instead, you just need to need the melt the end with a lighter so it's not too sharp. FWIW, all my tubes are 16" long.

-Kathy

 

[casportpony]

Tractor supply will have large syringes, and I like to use warmed pedialyte or Gatorade.

-Kathy

 

[justplainbatty]

You can use aquarium air line instead, you just need to need the melt the end with a lighter so it's not too sharp. FWIW, all my tubes are 16" long.

-Kathy

Darn, remember the 6 yr old hen we were talking about last month? I never did need to tube feed her but I bought a foot of aquarium air tubing. Not long enough for a standard? I'm sure it's long enough should the 6 yr old bantam need it?
Sorry@SusanPC for the quick little hijack! Good luck! Kathy helped me with a bird too!

 

[SusanPC]

Thanks so much for the support! With my hubby out of town and working full-time, this is a bit overwhelming to deal with. I don't know what I would have done without BYC and your help. I know I should have started sooner, but I did get the airline tubing last night and will attempt the tube feeding on my lunch hour today (have to pick up the baby bird mix on the way home). I did give her more Gatorade by mouth/syringe last night and this morning, but she only takes about 10 cc before she gets antsy and won't let me hold her. The good news is that at least she's fighting me a bit as opposed to pure lethargy. She still sounds the same, though, and sounds like she chokes sometimes. I feel bad... I probably introduced the culprit disease/condition when I gave my broody hen the chicks from a local breeder. One of the chicks has been sickly for several weeks and everyone (mostly the hens not the chicks) started sneezing within the last week. I also cleaned out all the straw and pine shavings throughout the run and coop this weekend and I wonder if the dust I created or the uncovering of the dirt under the straw didn't intensify the whole issue. I also have allowed the chicks and broody mama to have "field trips" into the run and pen area over the last 10 days or so (while moving the other hens into the opposite area), so now everything has been contaminated if it came from the chicks. I hope I don't lose my whole flock over this.

5 QUESTIONS:

1. Do I give the injections of 1/2cc Tylan50 1x/day or more often?
2. How many days do I continue the injections?
3. Should I also keep antibiotics (either terramycin or Tylan50) in the water?
4. How long should I treat and look for improvement before I should "give up"? I know this sounds brutal, but Lulu sounds like she is terribly distressed struggling to breathe. If she doesn't improve after a certain amount of time, I want to have an idea of when to stop treatment and put her out of her misery if it's not possible for her to improve.
5. I gave the two worst hens the injection, but gave my other hens their 1/2 cc. orally squirted on a small piece of bread. That is also how I gave them all their 1/2 cc. of Safeguard wormer (except for Lulu who I simply squirted in her beak and she swallowed). Should I give the other two hens injections as opposed to orally?
6. Should I do anything else for the 5 1/2 week old chicks besides the Teramycin in their water? (they have not been wormed)

 

[justplainbatty]

I recently read in another thread, trying to find it but haven't yet the following: Aggressive treatment: Tylan 50 injections 3x daily,as tylan only works in the body for 8 hrs. Course of treatment, 5 consecutive days. Probably should dose less affected and asymptomatic birds 2x daily. Not sure what you should do for the chicks, except tylan orally for 5 days as only source of drinking water.
Check with Kathy, I will continue trying to find the thread. If the worst hen is salvageable, it may take as much as 10 days for decided recovery.

 

[casportpony]

The one time I I gave a shot of Tylan it caused a necrotic reaction, so if I were to use it again I would give it orally instead, and the amount I would give, based on what the mfg's suggests for the powder is 50 mg per pound daily. That means that a 4 pound hen would get 4 ml Tylan 50 per day. One would probably get the best results by giving 1 ml 4 times a day, 1.3 ml 3 times a day or 2ml twice a day. Make sense? How much does the bird weigh?

-Kathy

 

[justplainbatty]

I cannot find the thread! I may not have been subscribed or commented on it.

 

[casportpony]

I recently read in another thread, trying to find it but haven't yet the following: Aggressive treatment: Tylan 50 injections 3x daily,as tylan only works in the body for 8 hrs. Course of treatment, 5 consecutive days. Probably should dose less affected and asymptomatic birds 2x daily. Not sure what you should do for the chicks, except tylan orally for 5 days as only source of drinking water.
Check with Kathy, I will continue trying to find the thread. If the worst hen is salvageable, it may take as much as 10 days for decided recovery. 

I agree that one injection per day is not enough in poultry, yet that is what is most often suggested even though most veterinary literature says to do it 2-4 times a day. The injectable can be given orally, which is what I would do, but I would give 50 mg per pound per day (110mg/kg per day). Three or four times a day is probably best, so I would give 0.25ml per pound four times a day or 0.33ml per pound 3 times a day.

-Kathy

 

[casportpony]

I cannot find the thread! I may not have been subscribed or commented on it.

It's okay, you are correct, a once a day dose is not the best way to treat birds.

-Kathy