** 2017 New Drug Law - What Are Your Plans? **

[a1c3owl]

I stocked up on all meds. There are no avian vets anywhere near me.

 

[casportpony]

I stocked up on all meds. There are no avian vets anywhere near me.

@a1c3owl , welcome to BYC!
I bought a few items as well.

 

[casportpony]

The one I was most concerned about was sulfadimethoxine (Albon, Di-Methox,SulfaSol, etc). I haven't ever had the need to use it before, but now I'll have it in case I do.






Chicken dose is 1892.5 mg per gallon
Turkey dose is 946.25 mg per gallon

One gram = 880 mg
One teaspoon weighs about 3 grams

Please check my math!

 

[Kikiriki]

I don't really think I'll do anything... I believe that nutrition, environment, etc will work better than meds. Plus, garlic has more potency than a shot of penicillin   So that's what I give.

This is along the lines that I was thinking...there are many plants that have antibacterial and antiviral properties. Some are even anti fungal. They frequently have the benefit of boosting the immune system through healthy nutrients. I think we got our first little flock in 2012 and we have never used a pharmaceutical antibiotic. We did lose chickens, but I suspect one batch was just a very unhealthy/weak immune system line breeding, and the others were hybrids designed to lay too frequently and burn out fast. We now have 2 GL Wyandotte hens, 1 "Ameraucana" (all from hatcheries), and 3 Light Sussex (1 is a rooster who is not good enough to breed. We gave away the 2 perfect boys. We do not use our eggs for hatching.) The light Sussex are from eggs from a hobby breeder who has a large flock, so it will be interesting to see how they fair compared to the hatchery hens. So far they are doing wonderfully at eight months old.
The Wyandottes are both prone to bumble foot...the other birds do not get it. I found that weird...never considered propensity to be genetic

 

[Shezadandy]

Curiously, have any of you seen any of the OTC to Rx drugs in your local feed stores since 1-1-2017?

-Kathy

Around here, I believe Coastal Farm and Ranch is an approved distributor -- they do require a prescription to obtain. But I think they're just local to NW Oregon.

https://www.coastalfarm.com/working-with-the-new-vfd-rule/

 

[casportpony]

Around here, I believe Coastal Farm and Ranch is an approved distributor -- they do require a prescription to obtain. But I think they're just local to NW Oregon.

https://www.coastalfarm.com/working-with-the-new-vfd-rule/

Thanks for the info!

 

[twinsmom6]

I am sure that having a vet that you know will help with this dilemma. Honestly I think the dosages and the duration etc.. and recognizing the right treatments are important. For those of you experts you may be actually educating your vets.. How could that hurt. I do agree that we jump to antibiotics sometimes too quickly but a well educated vet will help you find the best options. There are a lot of frauds out there to who might sell you medications at less potency than advertised etc... it will happen.. if it is priced too low to be true.. it probably is..

 

[stillok]

We have never given our adult birds any medications. We start the chicks out on one small bag of medicated chick feed. Once that is gone, we switch them to the unmedicated feed.

The only ones we have ever lost were one to a snake when it was a chick and 3 which suddenly dropped dead. I consulted an Oklahoma State University poultry specialist about the 3 sudden deaths. He said they were most likely due to physiological issues, rather than disease.

Of course, the most birds we have ever had is a flock of 14 and they have a large outside pen, plus we let them free-range 2-3 hours a day. Their coop, however, is pretty small, so we try to keep it clean by cleaning it every week.

I think it is a good idea to limit the use of antibiotics in ALL animals. There is too much evidence that overuse of antibiotics in animals is causing resistant strains that have a great impact on human health as well.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

I am not a proponent of medication. My recommendations:

1. Maintain a closed flock. This will help prevent bringing in some of those nasty "forever" diseases. Encourage wild turkeys to visit your yard. They carry a less virulent strain of Marek's disease which will provide natural immunity to your flock.

2. Provide good nutrition: which IMO includes fermented feed and providing chicks with access to local soil within their first 2 weeks of life. Maintain healthy soil: either covered with plant material or deep litter/compost.

3. Realize that parasites and illness when they do happen affect the weakest flock members. By keeping those weak members in your flock, you are leaving them to be a disease vector, and breeding forward for a flock that is increasingly at risk of disease issues. Appropriate culling will do wonders for building a strong flock that is not disease prone. I've never had issue with Mareks, coccidiosis (my chicks do not get medicated feed) or any respiratory illness. Will use permethrin as needed if mites show up. (no mite issues for over 3 years)

Short answer: taking antibiotics off the shelves won't affect my husbandry methods.

There are at least 7 strains of Mareks that afflicts chickens. This is one reason that Mareks vaccine is not marketed to backyard chicken keepers.

The best, most effective, and easiest way to prevent systematic chicken diseases from taking over your flock is to keep your hatchet sharp, and don't hesitate to cull sick birds.

 

[MCJam]

I have as yet (been keeping chickens over 30 years, geese, 4 years and Turkeys on and off 10 years) and have never needed antibiotics, or any meds at all for poultry. However, I do have a great working relationship with our local large animal vet, and different small animal vet, who both know we are knowledgeable and responsible and will prescribe meds as needed without necessarily seeing the animal. We describe symptoms over the phone, give our diagnosis, and always have been able to get what we need. If I do not know what is wrong, I am happy to pay the vet to diagnose and treat. With all the antibiotic resistant strains of bacteria in the world these day, I believe that the prescription requirement is wise. A good veterinarian relationship is a wonderful thing to have and is the best insurance for your animals health. We do not have specific avian or poultry vets, but other vets are more than willing to work with you and help if you have a good attitude.