Consolidated Kansas

[adventerousone]

adventurousone, I would go get some Tylan injectable from the farm store & some syringes tomorrow & give the rooster a shot of it. He does sound like now he's got a respiratory infection.

Prairie Fluer has the Roo with concerns... I have varmit concerns

 

[tweetybaby2005]

Oh boy saw what I think was a hawk flying low over my backyard tonight... luckily all my babies were put up... Really hoping I am mistaken though.. pretty big bird though.. as far as the cat goes after I chased him away from my yard I didn't see him again.. but my ducklings will be in the house unless I am home they are only 12 days old... getting bigger but still young

Hawks used to frequent my yard frequently. One even swooped low and close to me once. Come to think of it, once I got the GPs, I haven't seem one close by. My youngest one launches toward flying birds so if a hawk gets close enough, I bet she will have a go at it.

I hope the hawk doesn't return to grab your ducklings. They are vulnerable at a young age.

 

[tweetybaby2005]

Prairie Fluer, like Trish suggested, get some Tylan injectable if your roo does have respiratory issue. I know Atwoods has it. Not sure about TSC. Check your local farm and feed store. I also heard people steam or for their birds with Oxine if you have it. Kinda like treating people with asthma.

Hope your roo pulls through.

 

[Prairie Fleur]

I was just out there and he's much the same. I crated him with a heat lamp and he seemed to really like that. I also gave them all a warm mash and he ate some of that. I put some immune boosters in it to help with the infection and I also put some in their water. Thankfully all the rest seem energetic and happy. I have a natural antibiotic that I really like and I tried giving him some of that but I had a hard time getting it down his throat. :/ I'll check him in the morning and DH is going to town and he can pick something up for me if I need it.

 

[Prairie Fleur]

If I get the Tylan injectable how do you give it? I've never given an injection in all my life!

 

[HEChicken]

If I get the Tylan injectable how do you give it? I've never given an injection in all my life!

Sorry I've been MIA and haven't had a chance to chime in before this. Giving injections can be intimidating at first but its really pretty easy. Practice a few times with just the syringe and water before you do anything. Practice the pressure needed to deploy the syringe and know what it feels like.

The chicken breast is large and a great place to inject because you don't have to worry so much about hitting major arteries/veins or bones. I tuck the bird under my arm to immobilize. Then with my fingers, I feel around for the breast muscle. Once I have decided on the location, I picked up the syringe, pull the cap off with my teeth, and insert the needle where I previously decided was a good location. The needle will simply slide into the muscle, without too much effort. Some birds will react but most barely seem to notice. Once you are confident the needle is through the skin and into the muscle, pull back slightly on the plunger, just to be sure you're not in a blood vessel. If you are, you will see blood drawn up into the syringe (going into the breast this is really unlikely but its a good habit to get into). If no blood, then depress the plunger fully and withdraw the whole thing. Easy peasy.

 

[Trish44]

Sorry Prairie Fleur I guess I was a little too tired when I posted & replied to the wrong person. I had never given an injection to a chicken before either till last year & now it's really easy like HEChicken said. Most of them really don't even notice you did anything or only briefly.

My son came into town for just a few hours yesterday, it's always a nice surprise when he shows up & he brought my granddaughter over as well.

 

[chicken danz]

Prairie Fleur, the dose for tylan for an adult bird is 1cc or ml. Don't confuse this with 10th of ml on the gauge which of course will have
a . in front of it. To draw the medicine, pull the plunger back to fill with air before you insert it in the bottle, then depress it putting the air in the bottle. Then follow HEChickens directions. This is a big shot so its a lot of fluid to put in a bird breast. You can make it two shots, but since this is your first time I'd just give it all in one shot. Tylan is kind of a thick medication, so you want a syringe with at least a 22 gauge needle. The smaller the number, the bigger the gauge.
When giving the shot don't try to be gentle. It causes more pain if you don't just insert it all at once. You could practice on an orange with water. That is the closest thing to a chicken breast feel I can think of. Be sure to clean the needle though before you use it on the chicken. LOL
Tylan is pricy but it is the best medication to have around if you have chickens. Have your DH pick up some extra syringes so you have them on hand.
If you don't want to pay the price for Tylan, I have also found that Di-methox which is a really broad spectrum sulfa drug works very well for many things. It can be harder to find though. You just mix it in water according to package directions.
Also keep in mind that if your bird has a virus, an antibiotic will not cure the virus. It will only cure the resulting infections from the virus. So you may not see immediate results and may have to treat a couple of weeks with either shots or medication in water. The virus will run it's course regardless.
I honestly don't like using antibiotics unless they are necessary. You risk creating super bugs and then you won't have any way to cure them later if that happens. I prefer to use probiotics and more natural methods first before giving antibiotics. In your roosters case if you tried the oil to make sure he doesn't have something caught in his throat and he is still acting the same I would use the antibiotics.

Another item to consider having on hand is Oxine. Again you pay for it. But it has so many uses. Be sure to get it with the activation granules which are actually citric acid. You can use it with or without activating it. It is much stronger activated, but for some uses you might not want to. You will have to order that on line. Do a search to find the least expensive price with shipping.
In example, I had a group of chicks in my trailer that started sneezing a week or two ago. I simply put a little oxine (not activated) in their water for several days and it cured whatever they had. I also sprayed down the floor with a disinfectant (you can also use activated oxine and water for that).
I use oxine for all kinds of things. Even mopping the floor, washing eggs for customers, as a foot soak, cleaning the bathroom, etc etc. If it is activated you use so little it lasts for a long long time.
Just a little more food for thought. You can spend a fortune for things for your chickens. But things you buy can also be used for other pets or for personal use. I keep a total pharmacy I think for the birds. I use a lot of the products for my dogs and cats as well. I guess you kind of have to weigh in what is important or not and whether you want to go to the expense. I can say without a doubt that keeping your birds in the best of health is the cheapest way to keep them well. Spending a little more up front saves a lot of expense later on.
Sometimes I get very disgusted with myself because I have so many birds and I have to keep colors and breeds separated. When I had free range birds that mixed I didn't have nearly as many issues with health. The penned birds don't get the grass and bugs and things that they would otherwise. I feel like a bad chicken mom.

 

[Prairie Fleur]

Prairie Fleur, the dose for tylan for an adult bird is 1cc or ml. Don't confuse this with 10th of ml on the gauge which of course will have
a . in front of it. To draw the medicine, pull the plunger back to fill with air before you insert it in the bottle, then depress it putting the air in the bottle. Then follow HEChickens directions. This is a big shot so its a lot of fluid to put in a bird breast. You can make it two shots, but since this is your first time I'd just give it all in one shot. Tylan is kind of a thick medication, so you want a syringe with at least a 22 gauge needle. The smaller the number, the bigger the gauge.
When giving the shot don't try to be gentle. It causes more pain if you don't just insert it all at once. You could practice on an orange with water. That is the closest thing to a chicken breast feel I can think of. Be sure to clean the needle though before you use it on the chicken. LOL
Tylan is pricy but it is the best medication to have around if you have chickens. Have your DH pick up some extra syringes so you have them on hand.
If you don't want to pay the price for Tylan, I have also found that Di-methox which is a really broad spectrum sulfa drug works very well for many things. It can be harder to find though. You just mix it in water according to package directions.
Also keep in mind that if your bird has a virus, an antibiotic will not cure the virus. It will only cure the resulting infections from the virus. So you may not see immediate results and may have to treat a couple of weeks with either shots or medication in water. The virus will run it's course regardless.
I honestly don't like using antibiotics unless they are necessary. You risk creating super bugs and then you won't have any way to cure them later if that happens. I prefer to use probiotics and more natural methods first before giving antibiotics.  In your roosters case if you tried the oil to make sure he doesn't have something caught in his throat and he is still acting the same I would use the antibiotics.

Another item to consider having on hand is Oxine. Again you pay for it. But it has so many uses. Be sure to get it with the activation granules which are actually citric acid. You can use it with or without activating it. It is much stronger activated, but for some uses you might not want to. You will have to order that on line. Do a search to find the least expensive price with shipping.
In example, I had a group of chicks in my trailer that started sneezing a week or two ago. I simply put a little oxine (not activated) in their water for several days and it cured whatever they had.  I also sprayed down the floor with a disinfectant (you can also use activated oxine and water for that).
I use oxine for all kinds of things. Even mopping the floor, washing eggs for customers, as a foot soak, cleaning the bathroom, etc etc. If it is activated you use so little it lasts for a long long time.
Just a little more food for thought. You can spend a fortune for things for your chickens. But things you buy can also be used for other pets or for personal use. I keep a total pharmacy I think for the birds. I use a lot of the products for my dogs and cats as well. I guess you kind of have to weigh in what is important or not and whether you want to go to the expense. I can say without a doubt that keeping your birds in the best of health is the cheapest way to keep them well. Spending a little more up front saves a lot of expense later on.
Sometimes I get very disgusted with myself because I have so many birds and I have to keep colors and breeds separated. When I had free range birds that mixed I didn't have nearly as many issues with health. The penned birds don't get the grass and bugs and things that they would otherwise. I feel like a bad chicken mom.

Thanks for the info!!! You've given me a lot of good information!! Reggie rooster is doing much better this morning. I let him out to free range and he was running around eating bugs and stuff and he wasn't shaking his head as much. His comb didn't seem quite as discolored either. I've been watching the others pretty close and they're all happily eating bugs except for the two new BCMs that I got. I was worried they wouldn't stay around or wouldn't come when I need to pen them back up. I think I'll give them another day or so to get used to me before I let them free range.
Ahh you're not a bad chicken mom you just do things the best way you can. I feel pretty lucky that I can let mine free range like they do.

 

[jennyjane73]

I'm super excited and nervous. I gave my broody frizzle some eggs to sit on. I've never tried this before. I'm thinking they'll hatch late next week. Hopefully, the chicks are healthy and my hen is a good mother.