Antibiotics will soon require vet prescription

[roosterhavoc]

I would suggest the same to you.

Yeah well I have a bunch of birds and have never vaccinated for mareks. And I’ve never had a bird with any respiratory issues or mareks. I only breed the strongest healthy birds and don’t prop up anything. Technically everything on here is hearsay.

 

[roosterhavoc]

The research is conflicting. I suppose everyone has an opinion of the best approach.
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/science/tthis-chicken-vaccine-makes-virus-dangerous

 

[duluthralphie]

Yeah well I have a bunch of birds and have never vaccinated for mareks. And I’ve never had a bird with any respiratory issues or mareks. I only breed the strongest healthy birds and don’t prop up anything. Technically everything on here is hearsay.

You have been very lucky.

If you actually had developed a Mareks strain of chickens, you would be sipping mai tais on your yacht in the South Pacific instead of trying to convince me you had developed a Mareks resistant flock.

 

[microchick]

No problem, ralphie. Like I said, I'm tired. Long day being disrespected and laughed at by deer....yeah, deer hunting season in Missouri.

But the Marek's is one of the reasons that this law, necessary or not is going to hit flock owners like myself hard. I butchered the last of that flock this past spring. I still lose the occasional bird but not like it was several years ago where I was having two a week drop over on me. The logical thing to do is cull birds when they start showing signs of decline but I have had birds recover from whatever they were suffering from and live for a while longer before succumbing.

I also care about some my birds as pets and I enjoy having them around. But for over two years I was in a constant state of putting out brush fires with some of the birds. And putting out those brush fires sometimes meant having to use antibiotics on the affected bird. They fought the good fight, and so did I but in the end if I hadn't had access to antibiotics like Terravet terramycin I would have lost a lot more birds a lot sooner. The good news is I have a lot of surviving birds left.

Marek's is a virus. But viruses can and do weaken the immune system of birds leaving birds susceptible to bacterial infections. Even though I know I'm fighting a loosing battle I still have to fight.

If they take away the antibiotics that I fall back on for my sick birds so they have a chance to survive a little longer...the fight will be come one sided. And my birds will be the losers. They don't have a vet. They only have me and my husband to pull their little tail feathers out of the fire.

 

[duluthralphie]

No problem, ralphie. Like I said, I'm tired. Long day being disrespected and laughed at by deer....yeah, deer hunting season in Missouri.

But the Marek's is one of the reasons that this law, necessary or not is going to hit flock owners like myself hard. I butchered the last of that flock this past spring. I still lose the occasional bird but not like it was several years ago where I was having two a week drop over on me. The logical thing to do is cull birds when they start showing signs of decline but I have had birds recover from whatever they were suffering from and live for a while longer before succumbing.

I also care about some my birds as pets and I enjoy having them around. But for over two years I was in a constant state of putting out brush fires with some of the birds. And putting out those brush fires sometimes meant having to use antibiotics on the affected bird. They fought the good fight, and so did I but in the end if I hadn't had access to antibiotics like Terravet terramycin I would have lost a lot more birds a lot sooner. The good news is I have a lot of surviving birds left.

Marek's is a virus. But viruses can and do weaken the immune system of birds leaving birds susceptible to bacterial infections. Even though I know I'm fighting a loosing battle I still have to fight.

If they take away the antibiotics that I fall back on for my sick birds so they have a chance to survive a little longer...the fight will be come one sided. And my birds will be the losers. They don't have a vet. They only have me and my husband to pull their little tail feathers out of the fire.

I wholeheartedly agree. And I have been laughed at by deer for the last 10 days...

 

[roosterhavoc]

You have been very lucky.

If you actually had developed a Mareks strain of chickens, you would be sipping mai tais on your yacht in the South Pacific instead of trying to convince me you had developed a Mareks resistant flock.

Hilarious. I never said I did. I just don’t keep weak birds. It’s amazing how we still have chickens around all this time especially when all the vaccines and medications weren’t always available. I wonder how they managed.

 

[microchick]

Yeah, but it's so humiliating to be outsmarted by a deer!

 

[casportpony]

If they take away the antibiotics that I fall back on for my sick birds so they have a chance to survive a little longer...the fight will be come one sided. And my birds will be the losers. They don't have a vet.

You could just buy a selection of fish antibiotics, mortar and pestle, gram scale, a suspension syrup like Ora-Blend, and make your own liquid antibiotics.

 

[microchick]

You could just buy a selection of fish antibiotics, mortar and pestle, gram scale, a suspension syrup like Ora-Blend, and make your own liquid antibiotics.

That is what I have been doing for the past year or so. Thomas Labs is my friend, LOL. Between my fish antibiotics and a small hoard of terravet (amazed my vet that I could find it on line) I get by. I'm hoping I can come up with a terramycin substitute once the terravet expires.I think I saw a fish formula of tetracycline somewhere. Just gotta remember where.

DH is my rock. With his background he is able to titrate out dosages for me, helping me weighing and dosing birds as they need it. Plus he's great helping with bumble foot surgeries! Hens or roosters soaking feet in the utility room sink is no longer bizarre. Now he says 'what's wrong with that one's foot? Need help?'

 

[pennyJo1960]

okay did pickup a couple I can keep a bit