Chicken first aid kit

[AliceGee]

I've seen the post where someone set out a first aid kit that's good to have on hand but some of those products (brand name) aren't available here in Australia so i was wondering if this is an appropriate first aid kit to have on hand.
- A broad spectrum antibiotic. I don't know if Oxymav B is the best or even something different? I had a chicken that was suspected of having chlamydia at one point who turned out she didn't but by that time i'd dosed the whole flock with psittavet, the vet initially said the eggs can never be eaten but he later consulted an expert who has spent a lot of time doing research on it and informed us it leaves the systems after 3 weeks, i wonder if oxymav B is the same?
Oxymav B -
Soluble broadsprectrum antibiotic powder for the treatment of diseases due to Oxytetracycline sensitive organisms in birds. Effective against a wide range of Gram positive and Gram negative bacteria, certain Richettsiae, Chlamidia, Actinomycetes, Mycoplasma, Protozoa and some of the larger viruses.
Dosage: Chronic Respiratory Disease (CRD) and bacterial enteritis: dissolve 5g (1 measure) in 50mL of water. Treat the bird for 3 - 5 days, or as directed by a veterinarian.
Prepare fresh solution daily and use as the sole source of drinking water.
Pack size: 100 grams
Do not use in birds produced for eggs or meat.
Active Constituents: 10g/kg Oxytetracycline Hydrochlodide (equivalent to 9.3g/kg oxytetracycline)+
Oxymav B

- Pest control (mites etc.)
- Amprolium - for coccidiosis
- A vitamin/electrolyte supplement
- Apple cider vinegar or garlic granules ( i already have apple cider so should i have both or is one better than the other?)
- Some sort of wound spray. I've heard Vetericyn is good but i don't think i can get it here
- Cotton balls, gauze all that type of thing

Anything else i should consider adding?
Thanks in advance

 

[vehve]

I would be a bit weary about using the tetracycline as first aid, it's a bit like calling the fire department to blow out your candle. Broad spectrum antibiotics should be a last resort, and you should preferably find out exactly what is wrong with anything animal or human before starting it. Antibiotic resistance is an actual thing, and it's getting more and more common, even the WHO has awoken to this issue. This is perhaps not the correct place to rant about such things, but unless people stop using antibiotics irresponsibly, the common cold will be a death sentence in 20 years.

Also, if you do give antibiotics, it's important to follow the correct dosage and to give it for long enough. Just giving a single treatment will only help the bacteria grow resistant to it.

Personally, I would not use antibiotics without a prescription, and I will never use them on my flock.

Then off of my soap box.

Vetericyn is a wonderful product, I use it on myself sometimes too. It should be available down under too, check online stores. It's a bit pricey though. Vetramil is another nice product, don't know if that's available over there. It's based on honey and herbs, and again, I've misused it on myself too (great for burns).

I would maybe add saline for rinsing wounds and eyes, and betadine or something similar to disinfect wounds before applying the Vetramil or Vetericyn.

*Edit*
Oh, and one thing you can add to the feed regularly, which seems to have made our flocks poops a lot better looking, is probiotics in some form. Don't know if you have Progut over there, but I mix a bit of it in their mash every day. It's a yeast based product. The best way to cure sickness is to not get sick

 

[AliceGee]

I would be a bit weary about using the tetracycline as first aid, it's a bit like calling the fire department to blow out your candle. Broad spectrum antibiotics should be a last resort, and you should preferably find out exactly what is wrong with anything animal or human before starting it. Antibiotic resistance is an actual thing, and it's getting more and more common, even the WHO has awoken to this issue. This is perhaps not the correct place to rant about such things, but unless people stop using antibiotics irresponsibly, the common cold will be a death sentence in 20 years.


Also, if you do give antibiotics, it's important to follow the correct dosage and to give it for long enough. Just giving a single treatment will only help the bacteria grow resistant to it.

Personally, I would not use antibiotics without a prescription, and I will never use them on my flock.

Then off of my soap box.

Vetericyn is a wonderful product, I use it on myself sometimes too. It should be available down under too, check online stores. It's a bit pricey though. Vetramil is another nice product, don't know if that's available over there. It's based on honey and herbs, and again, I've misused it on myself too (great for burns).

I would maybe add saline for rinsing wounds and eyes, and betadine or something similar to disinfect wounds before applying the Vetramil or Vetericyn.

*Edit*
Oh, and one thing you can add to the feed regularly, which seems to have made our flocks poops a lot better looking, is probiotics in some form. Don't know if you have Progut over there, but I mix a bit of it in their mash every day. It's a yeast based product. The best way to cure sickness is to not get sick   

Thanks for your reply. That's ok, ive always been into science and am doing a science degree so I definitely understand antibiotic resistance is a real thing, pretty scarey! I planned to only really have it for emergencies, I suppose im a bit paranoid beacuse I lost one hen not too long ago to something horrible, there isnt any bird specialists near me and the vet really wasn't sure what it was so they treated it with an antibiotic I cant remember the name of then for chlamydia which it turned out it didnt have. We had to put her down after a few hundred dollars worth of medicine, visits and tests unfortunately. So I just wanted something to be prepared if something really serious like that happened again but I might hold off on that then. Thanks for your recommendations!

 

[DianaR]

I think it's smart to have the antibiotic on hand. I added a chicken to my flock that caused some sort of respiratory illness. They were sneezing, running nose, keeping their heads down, just sad. There's no vets around here for chickens and our stores were completely out of the antibiotic! I tried all stores in the area and wasn't able to get my hands on some oxytetracycline powder until a week later and losing two hens. I think it's smart to have just in case. Just a sneeze here and there isn't reason to whip out the antibiotic but worth to have in your kit.

 

[DianaR]

If you can't get the wound spray you can use other brands or Neosporin (without the pain relief) but they won't have the blue coloring to keep other hens from pecking the wounds. So I've also added a dog crate/spare coop to my first aid.

 

[AliceGee]

If you can't get the wound spray you can use other brands or Neosporin (without the pain relief) but they won't have the blue coloring to keep other hens from pecking the wounds. So I've also added a dog crate/spare coop to my first aid.

Thanks yeah I definitely wouldn't just use it for anything and everything, my vet is great but theres no specialists around here that I can take them to in an emergency so I think it would just give me some peace of mind if I had something very serious like what killed my other hen. Ive been looking for neosprin but thats another thing I cant find in aus, ive looked for other triple antibiotic ointments but I can only find some online and shipping to Australia is nowhere near cheap! I think ive found a place to get vetericyn online though