Antibiotics for chickens - suggestions?

[Eggcessive]

Infectious bronchitis usually causes sneezing, and a little nasal drainage. If you are seeing foam or bubbles from the eyes, then you may have MG or mycoplasma. Are you seeing any bloody mucus or foam, which can be a sign of ILT. MG can be treated with Tylan, Gallimycin, or oxytetracycline. IB is a virus, and there can be secondary bacterial or viral infections. If she is blown up, she may have a leaking air sac or subcutaneous emphysema, which can be from an injury to the neck or chest, or possibly from an infection of the air sacs or air sacculitis. a leaking air sac from an injury may be deflated with a needle from 18 gauge for a grown chicken to 22 gauge for a chick. Testing or a necropsy on a dead chicken is the only way to find out what you are treating since many diseases may have similar symptoms. Here is a good link to read about common diseases, and more info on a leaking air sac:
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ps044
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/171121/deflating-subcutaneous-emphysema
http://ijasvm.com/ijasvmadmin/upload/IJASVM_5113cbc51d31b.pdf

 

[krb2460]

thank you everyone for all the information. I was able to deflate her. I don't know if she's going to make it but she is feeling better.

 

[troub]

Hi Kathy,
I'm gail. I have about an 18 week old lavender orpington that has been lethargic with a pale comb and beak for about a week now. She was introduced to my flock a little over a month ago with another girl and has been bullied by a few of my other girls leading her to prefer staying in the coop rather than going out to the run. At night she sleeps in the corner of the coop with the hen I got with her. Her symptoms are lethargy, pale comb and beak and just yesterday started having watery diarrhea similar in color to her normal stool. she doesn't have any mites, has pin feathers coming in and she doesn't have any drainage from her eyes, ears or mouth. she doesn't seem to have any difficulty breathing but she is unsteady and puts her wings out to regain balance at times when she is trying to preen herself. I felt to see if she had an impacted crop and don't feel anything unusual. she has no sour odor either. She eats really well and drinks without any problem, maybe more than I would have thought. These last few days I have taken her into the house to reduce the stress of the colder days and the bullying and have put electrolytes into her water. She mumbles quietly while eating and when she isn't eating she goes back to dozing off with her head down and her tail up. Her diarrhea is almost constant. I would love to give baytril, but am afraid to take the chance since I have baby grandchildren that eat the eggs I get and don't want to have problems for them with resistance down the road to any antibiotics like cipro for any illnesses. I live in the U.S. is there any antibiotics you would recommend? My vet doesn't know anything about chickens. I prefer not to give injectables unless you think it would be better, but I would need you to tell me where to inject since I have never injected a chicken before. All my other girls are healthy except for heavy molting due to the shorter cooler weather we have here in new England. thank you so much for your help in advance.

 

[casportpony]

Can you ask your vet to check her poop for coccidia, worm eggs and bacteria? That's something that any vet can do.

-Kathy

 

[troub]

I will ask one of my adult kids to bring down a specimen to the vet for me. I just had spinal cord surgery and can't drive yet. I was going to see if i could just get them to pick up an antibiotic at an agricultural store for me, but you are right that it makes sense to know what i'm treating. I thought she might have been anemic because of the pale comb and lethargy until the diarrhea started yesterday

 

[casportpony]

I will ask one of my adult kids to bring down a specimen to the vet for me. I just had spinal cord surgery and can't drive yet. I was going to see if i could just get them to pick up an antibiotic at an agricultural store for me, but you are right that it makes sense to know what i'm treating. I thought she might have been anemic because of the pale comb and lethargy until the diarrhea started yesterday

So many things it could be. Support care is very important. Do you think you're up for learning how to tube feed? If not, just be sure to keep her in a warm room (80-85 degrees is ideal).

-Kathy

 

[casportpony]

Forgot to say that the poop sample should be fresh.

-Kathy

 

[troub]

I just called my vet and they said they don't do lab testing of stool on site. They said they send it out and that they don't do any poultry care so even if they got the results they wouldn't prescribe for me. they said it could take up to 5 work days for results and that it would cost a little over 60 dollars just to test the stool. Arghhh...... we don't have any avian vets in my area and since I can't drive, I can't ask my kids to drive great distances for me because they work and have babies so I am stuck right now. I don't believe she has any worms to be honest. I am more thinking her immune system is down between the bullying, the change in temperature etc. Is there an antibiotic that might cover a wider spectrum of bacteria that you think I should try rather than having the stool tested since 5 days would be too long to wait to treat this poor little girl. I don't think she will last 5 days like this

 

[casportpony]

Not positive, but I think there are three antibiotic powders at Tractor Supply, a sulfa, tetracycline and oxytetracyline.

-Kathy

 

[casportpony]

I have no medical training and I've not used any of those in poultry, but if I had to guess, maybe tetracycline or oxytetracyline? Do you have any human antibiotics?

-Kathy