chick gasping and wheezing

[Muffinburgler]

A week or so back all the chicks in my brooder caught a "cold". Everyone was sneezing and dripping and gross. Since then they've been on tetracycline, and the worst seems to be over. A few sneezes here and there, but not much.

Except for one chick. She's my dark brahma of the group, and she's just not getting better. She has to breathe through her mouth and is wheezing and huffing and puffing. She seems fine with everything else, she runs across the brooder to chase the others, cleans herself, poops normally. She just has a hard time breathing.
Should I keep up with the tetracycline and see if that eventually helps her or should I try something stronger on her?

 

[Eggcessive]

Do you think they have infectious bronchitis or MG? You could give it Tylan 50 either as a shot or orally (dose 1/8 to 1/4 cc or ml depending on size) for 5 days. Be careful not to choke her, drip a small amount in and let her swallow it.

 

[Muffinburgler]

I'd hate to buy such a big bottle for a (hopefully) one-time use, but she doesn't seem to be getting better on the tetracycline, so I'll bite the bullet and buy the bottle.


Thankfully I'm going into town today, so I can pick some up at the Tractor Supply store. Assuming they have it. Hopefully she can hang on until this evening!

 

[Eggcessive]

Tylan 50 is a small bottle around $14 and can be used as a shot or orally given undiluted. The Tylan soluble powder for oral administration is in a small jar and a large tub, and can be expensive..

 

[Muffinburgler]

They were out of Tylan 50 so I got Tylan 200, which I understand is a lot stronger? I'll be giving it orally, since she's such a tiny chick I'd hate to stab her in the wrong spot.

How small a dose would be good for a 4 week old chick?

 

[Michael Apple]

They were out of Tylan 50 so I got Tylan 200, which I understand is a lot stronger? I'll be giving it orally, since she's such a tiny chick I'd hate to stab her in the wrong spot.

How small a dose would be good for a 4 week old chick?

Injectibles given orally on a mature bird is one thing. But I would advise against giving that to a 4 week old chick. LS-50 soluble powder should be used at 1 tsp per gallon of water for 5-7 days. It has a sweet taste which encourages chicks to drink enough of it compared to other antibiotics labeled for CRD.

There is also a Tylan soluble powder available which would be better to use on 4 week old chicks than an injectible.

 

[Eggcessive]

How are your syringes marked? With Tylan 50 the dose would be 1/8 to 1/4 ml or cc depending on how large the chick is. The Tylan 200 is 4 times as strong, so you would have to divide the dose amount by 4. You would need a 1 cc syringe to get that small a dose. I wouldn't use Tylan 200 because it would be too hard to dose for a chick.

 

[Muffinburgler]

How are your syringes marked? With Tylan 50 the dose would be 1/8 to 1/4 ml or cc depending on how large the chick is. The Tylan 200 is 4 times as strong, so you would have to divide the dose amount by 4. You would need a 1 cc syringe to get that small a dose. I wouldn't use Tylan 200 because it would be too hard to dose for a chick.

Well that's frustrating. I shouldn't risk it at all? I guess I can return the Tylan tomorrow, but I'd just hate to have her go another night without help.

Injectibles given orally on a mature bird is one thing. But you've been given bad advice if you want to give that to a 4 week old chick. LS-50 soluble powder should be used at 1 tsp per gallon of water for 5-7 days. It has a sweet taste which encourages chicks to drink enough of it compared to other antibiotics labeled for CRD.

There is also a Tylan soluble powder available which would be better to use on 4 week old chicks than an injectible.

I'll see if I can return the Tylan injectable for the powder.

 

[Eggcessive]

Since they are so small maybe you should just give them the tetracycline in the water for now. I have a packet of Duramycin10 (tetracycline) and it does not say how old the chicken has to be to be treated. That might be safer (or give the LS 50) if you can find it.

 

[Muffinburgler]

. . . Oh. Well. My sister went and gave her the medicine while I was here at the computer talking to ya'll. She says it was the correct dosage going by what you've said, so . . . there went that! Hopefully she measured it correctly.

Since it's such a strong medicine, I'll make sure no one else in the family attempts to give her more.