Best way to administer Valbazen?

[Henriettamom919]

So I have Valbazen coming Monday and was wondering if there is a better method than just holding them and forcing the medication in their beak? I'd do the drop from the top method but the dosing is so specific I'd be concerned if they didn't swallow it right away or didn't get it all.

Can I hide the dose on a few pieces scrambled egg? Any tried and true tricks?

TIA!

 

[ChickenCanoe]

I've heard of people putting the dose on a small piece of bread. But that way you have to get one piece to each hen. How many birds are you talking about?
I had to do about 40 birds in 4 different buildings. I got a box of 1ml syringes and filled them all with the proper dose. With the help of a friend, I went into each coop at night and dosed each bird and leg banded them with zip ties. Then 10 days later when doing the second dose, I cut the zip ties off. That way I could keep track of which one of the all black birds were treated.

 

[Henriettamom919]

I've heard of people putting the dose on a small piece of bread. But that way you have to get one piece to each hen. How many birds are you talking about?
I had to do about 40 birds in 4 different buildings. I got a box of 1ml syringes and filled them all with the proper dose. With the help of a friend, I want into each coop at night and dosed each bird and leg banded them with zip ties. Then 10 days later when doing the second dose, I cut the zip ties off. That way I could keep track of which one of the all black birds were treated.

40!?! That's a genius system!

I only have three Three very affectionate and friendly birds and now I feel like an idiot for wondering if I can spare them the 'trauma' of being pinned down and force fed two drops of yucky medication

ETA- I have four 10-12 week old pullets who will need it when they're a little older and who are not as hand friendly so I was looking for cheats that would work on more skittish birds as well.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Sometimes I have as many as 100 but this was winter when my numbers are down.
With 3, the bread system may work. I've never done it but I recommend very small pieces so they'll gobble them right down. Perhaps throw each a piece without medication and then each one with.
I highly recommend a syringe so you can accurately measure dosage.

 

[Henriettamom919]

Sometimes I have as many as 100 but this was winter when my numbers are down.
With 3, the bread system may work. I've never done it but I recommend very small pieces so they'll gobble them right down. Perhaps throw each a piece without medication and then each one with.
I highly recommend a syringe so you can accurately measure dosage.

Thank you for the advice! I'll use a medication syringe regardless of how they end up getting it! Since its formulated for larger livestock I wouldn't want to risk over dosing them. I'll probably just end up holding them down again; they'll hate it but better that than wondering if they got enough and having to throw out eggs for two weeks only for it not to have worked.

You're a chicken master, by the way!

 

[ChickenCanoe]

I like to use a 1 ml syringe, the size used for insulin. The sizes they carry at feed stores like TSC are for horses and cattle and not precise enough for chickens IMO.
Sometimes a place like Walgreens will give you a few syringes if you tell they are for chickens. Some drug stores ask for a prescription to administer a syringe. I've talked some into selling or giving me syringes by explaining what I needed them for.
Just make sure not to buy a box of syringes with needles attached that can't be removed.

Pick a chicken off the roost, put it under your arm holding its wings with another hand under its abdomen. You can even wrap a towel around the bird to keep it from flapping. Then pull down on the waddle and the mouth will open. Then squirt the meds into the side of the mouth to prevent aspiration. Search for a YouTube video on the topic.
This task is SOOO much easier with a second pair of hands.

I've been teaching this stuff for a very long time.

 

[aart]

Search for a YouTube video on the topic.

Here's a pretty good showing(great pics) of how not to drown a bird with a syringe:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...dications-to-all-poultry-and-waterfowl.73335/

 

[Henriettamom919]

Here's a pretty good showing(great pics) of how not to drown a bird with a syringe:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...dications-to-all-poultry-and-waterfowl.73335/

Thank you both @aart and @ChickenCanoe for the video and photo!

I worked at an wild animal rescue for several summers as a teenager and memories of syringe feeding newborn baby birds just came flooding back to me! I remember now watching the syringe markings through the skin of their bald little necks and knowing I was down the appropriate structure in their throats!

This should be easy in comparison- I hope