Consolidated Kansas

[ChooksChick]

Hey, all. I have a reference for quick diagnosis and treatment in my signature.

The reason there are so many antibiotics and whatnot is because each disease is susceptible to different things. Some respiratory infections are viral, so no antibiotic would ever help, and instead they harm. They kill off good bacteria as well as bad, so if you don't treat with a live culture yogurt or probiotics (my favorite method is baby parrot formula, which tastes good to them and is easy to serve) they can get a secondary infection like e. coli from the imbalance in the gut. That can kill them fast!

Some bacteria are gram negative. Others are gram positive. Each type is best addressed by a specific type of antibiotic. Some one-celled diseases respond to sulfa drugs or other antibiotics even though they aren't really bacteria. It's all quite variable and it really does come down to trial and error unless you go to the vet and they can send off blood or look under the scope to diagnose. We have two chicken vets in Lawrence, so you can always bring them here!

Also: Tylan injectible can be used as an oral, as can most injectibles, but not the other way around. Non-sterile liquids should never be injected.

 

[Hawkeye95]

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WOW, that is kind of amazing about your cat showing you where your chick had run off to. I can't even imagine any of the cats I know of doing that. Yeah, I suppose there have to be good cats out there to balance out the crazy ones.

I'm okay with indoor cats-- just don't want to be bit or scratched or sit on anything they peed on.

Okay, so I just checked on Zorro- I think he must be feeling LOTS better! He is out there giving himself a bath in the shavings! That's the sign of a happy chicken, right? He's clucking to himself while he's doing it. The other two are watching him intently and trying to peck him thru the bars. He's kicking it up on his back and making a mess of his little home. Then he turned around and went at it from another direction. I'm feeling much more relieved!

 

[Trish44]

Hawkeye, the males that are not neutered are the ones that pee on everything in the house to mark their territory. If you neuter them young they don't usually do that. However, I just have spayed females in my house. The outside cats are a mix of male & female, but they don't ever come in the house. Cats are just like any other animal, they have their own personalities. We have one that is really sweet in the house & one that is a total grouch that you only touch if she decides it's OK. Then we have one that was given to me by a friend that broke her leg for the 2nd time recently & she is ornery. She sometimes reaches out & grabs your leg just because she can. I think she was teased a lot by my friend's son & that is why she acts like she does. Most of the time she's OK, but there are times she isn't. I have two young female cats outside right now that are the sweetest things. I wish I could bring them in instead of the two in the house, but they're too old to throw them out now. I'm so glad your rooster is on the mend, it sounds like he's pretty happy.

 

[chicken danz]

Hawkeye so glad to see your roo is doing better. Hope the others do as well. With your experience with animals I am sure you know when to give them shots.
I have to agree with Chooks for the most part. I don't give antibiotics unless it is warranted, but when they are necessary they are absolutely necessary. That is also why I prefer to give a broad spectrum antibiotic as opposed to something that will treat just one thing. Unless you have a personal lab on hand, broad spectrum antibiotics like baytril will increase your chance of healing the problem. Viruses don't respond to antibiotics but antibiotics attack the resulting infections from viruses. It's like in humans. AIDS doesn't kill you, it's the infections that result from not having a destroyed immune system that kill you. When in doubt a vet is the best bet.
I discovered this morning that one of my new black silkie chicks has a splayed leg. He hasn't been any place where his feet could slip so I assume he must have injured while hatching. That is so sad. I have tried but never had any good luck repairing splayed leg. In a setting with just a few chicks he would do ok but in my groups it probably won't live to maturity. I can't sell him obviously. Maybe someone will come along and decide to adopt him. I just can't kill a chick for something that simple.
Sounds like this weather is going to the dogs for the next couple of weeks. Ugh! I need to get busy setting up cold weather provisions. I'm ordering a bunch of 85 Wt spot light bulbs for heat. I think today I'm going to prep some old food warmers so they will be waterproof.
They can be used to keep waterers warm.
Speaking of which, Hawkeye I did notice the last time I was at Walmart that they had some nice big round cookie tins for $3.50. Hate to pay for something we used to get for free but at least you could make your cookie tin waterers if you haven't. I have a short wide popcorn can I am going to convert to a warmer for one of my big 5 gallon waterers to put in the houses. It's a lot taller than what you would use for young chicks but I think it will be a great heat source for adult birds.

 

[Hawkeye95]

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Danz, sorry about your splayed leg chick. I've seen a lot of attempts with band aids, and medical tape. I don't think I could kill him either. Well, I know I couldn't! I saw those cookie tins last week and bought two of them! I also found one in a thrift shop- so now I have 3! I just need to get them set up. I already bought the light fixtures, cord, etc... Just need to assemble it.

Thanks, Chooks for the link! I really could have used that last week when I was in need! I've been to the vet now, so I'm taken care of.

(for now!)

I found a big tub of Probiotics today! It is a powder, and was only $11 at TSC. I saw a quarter of the size at the organic food store yesterday for a little more money. I went to walmart to hunt it down, and nothing. Atwoods- no dice. So, I'm pretty happy to have found the probiotics to help counter act the antibiotcs. Says it's for goats-- but figure it'll be fine for chickens? Says it can go into the water, or be a top dressing on food. I think I'll just dump some on their crumbles. ANyway, it has the Lactobacillus acidophilus in it. It also has other vitamins in it... but I was reading their feed bag, and noticed a lot of the same vitamins. The only thing I don't know about is Niacin, Choline, and Riboflavin. I'm guessing they are fine, since I know that stuff is in OUR food, and people feed their chickens scraps all the time- so I imagine they get that stuff and still go on living.

 

[Hawkeye95]

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He's crowing and happy out there! The other two must be feeling better today too, because they ate more food today than they have since they arrived! It was nearly gone! I'm so happy!

See? Dogs are way easier than cats. You know exactly what they're saying and feeling. No guess work. And a dog isn't going to suddenly lunge at you and slice thru your leg with no warning what so ever.

 

[Hawkeye95]

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What do you suppose my birds had/have? My vet just treated by symptoms. I read the link you provided and tried to figure out what we have, but none of it sounds right. My birds never had any discharge from their eyes or from their nose. Just head shaking and sneezing. Oh- and the yawn from time to time. No bubbling eyes or nose, or whatever. And my vet said that their lungs sounded clear-- no gurgling or any sounds. Only my rooster had runny poops- and only after we started antibiotics, and after a couple days, even it was gone. ???

 

[chicken danz]

Niacin, Choline, and Riboflavin are very essential minerals in a bird's diet. And in some birds, game birds, ducks and turkeys need a lot more niacin than a chicken does. Minerals, vitamins, etc are super important to them and can cause some terrible side effects if they don't have enough. In example, since you now have silkies, Hawkeye, they need additional vitamin E. If they become deficient they loose their ability to hold their head up and keep their balance. There are a few other breeds that can result with the same problems but it is predominant in silkies. I keep Vitamin E capsules around and if I see a bird acting off balance I simply start cutting open a capsule and squirt the vit E on top of their feed for a few days. It does wonders. If you don't have free range chickens with access to bugs and what grows naturally all the time they are going to need extra vitamins, minerals and probiotics at least from time to time. Commercial Feeds are formulated to replace natural food but it can't cover all areas and all kinds of birds with different needs. It's kind of like taking vitamins. Even if you take them they aren't going to meet all your dietary needs that eating the proper foods would.
I had company today so got very little done. I'm ready to relax for awhile.

 

[Hawkeye95]

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Oh, good to know! Yeah, the probiotic is full of vitamins, and E is one of them! Looks like I did well, then. I top dressed their feed with the probiotics today, so hopefully I'm doing something right for them to get their bellies balanced back.

 

[chicken danz]

What brand did you buy and what size container did it come in. I would love to buy some. It obviously would cover a wider range than yogurt would. Sounds like a winner to me. I'd like to find some.