Direct dosing doxycycline fish powder? Help she’s dying.

[Boogiemaam]

Hey everybody. I can find this answer so I’m posting. Please someone tell me how to direct dose a chicken who has been laying only soft eggs since beginning laying. About 3 weeks. I’ve just started calcium treatment. Other chickens are fine. HOWEVER she is lethargic. Drinking but not eating and really sleepy This morning. Weak. I have API fish doxy Packets. (All we can buy here in my county) They are 250 mg. Per packet. I want to direct dose her immediately. Please help.

 

[Eggcessive]

Thank you your patience in this. This doxybisvfish doxy meant to go in an aquarium.

oh snap! So that’s tiny. I measured out 100 ml of my doxy solution. It’s about 4oz. I can easily get her to drink that much in a day. Syringe. Then I can be sure. How many days? And do I have to make it new every day?

Are there any directions and strength that you can take a picture of? It is always best to dose a chicken directly and doxy can be given twice a day. How much does your chicken weigh?

 

[Eggcessive]

Some older chickens can still have coccidiosis, especially if weakened or having immunity problems. A fecal float by a vet could rule it out, along with worms. Her poop looks suspicious, so the Corid is probably not a problem. Since she has been laying soft eggs all of her laying time, it may be another problem with her oviduct, but I would give the calcium (calcium with D3) for several days to see if it makes a difference. If not, then discontinue it if she is eating layer.

I do agree that chickens should not eat layer feed until about 20 weeks or when they start to lay. An alternative is to feed all flock/flock raiser feed with a separate container of crushed oyster shell available. I would also discard any of her eggs for a month after treatment with doxy. I think most other tetracyclines will remain in eggs for 21 days.

 

[Banana01]

Have you dewormed? I usually consider worms and parasites before antibiotic treatments. Maybe she is egg bound with recently taking calcium? There may be internal blockage somewhere from parasites or egg.

Just posting this to prevent you from overdosing, i dont claim it is correct, but im just warning of how strong the medicine is. A dose I would give is based on using 2% of a human dose, which would be 4mg initially, and then 2mg every 12 hours. Measuring mg is really really small amount. A grain of sand is between 1 and 20 mg, so maybe just count out 5 grains of the powder as 1 mg. So a dose would be maybe 10-20 powder grains. Very tiny amount.

Maybe your medicine comes in 100mg packets, and you can estimate what 1/100 of the pack would be.

 

[Eggcessive]

Doxycycline dosage for chickens is 10-12 mg per pound of weight given daily for 3 days.

 

[Eggcessive]

I cannot see 250 mg in the pictures, but I would add 10 ml of water which would equal 25 mg per each ml. Give 1.4 ml for a 3.5 pound bird daily. Give 3-4 days. You could also divide that dose into 2 doses 12 hours apart.

 

[casportpony]

Better not use Corid or dewormer with other medicines at the same time. Just one at a time.

All of the medications mentioned in this thread can be used at the same time.

 

[Boogiemaam]

Wow thank

I mean you are trying to save her life, I cant help myself from stressing out too when they are sick. I treat five sick chickens a day, and they all over the house and even laying eggs in my bed because I have too many lol.

I think you are set with the ivermectin and corid instructions you said.

The antibiotic, it would be best to give the medicine as (i think) eggcessive said. But I tried to explain that is how it should be, but you said you already put 500 mg into a gallon. I keep some antibiotics refrigerated to preserve them, but I dont think it will spoil in the water it is designed for fish water right?

A full dose of the powder in smaller amount of water is how the medicine is designed to work, its called immediate release and the powder you have is designed for immediate release a single dose. If you give the dose eggcessive said, it would be 2x per day 10 mg. There isnt a correct length of time published.

The way you set it up in the water (500mg in a gallon given all day) is called sustained release. Corid has to be given through sustained release and the fresh water has to be removed so the corid is delivered properly. But it really wouldnt hurt to give your antibiotic that way, but it is not per the instructions, more difficult, and prone to error in the dosage.

oh you get me! I ditched the doxy water because I finally got instructions for direct dosing. Yes. I’m going to dose as Eggsessive suggested, already started. I have her personal water corid treated (fresh mix daily) and already did 3/4 drops ivermectin. Thumbs up? We do ivermectin one time right? She didn’t eat today but drank a ton. She has the strength to sit on her perch. (She is near one) I actually prayed like a stone cold crazy chicken lady for her. Will report back in morning. P.s they sleep in my room.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

I won't attempt to give you a dose because I could be wrong.
I just wanted to tell you that doxycycline will do nothing to improve egg shells.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

: Antibiotics should not be given if you don’t know what is wrong with her.

That too but I didn't say so because I think people on here are tired of hearing me say it.

The only thing in the first post that indicates something could be wrong with the bird is the lethargy. Lethargy could be a dozen things. Most of which are not bacterial that could be cured with an antibiotic.

Any problem could just as easily be viral, fungal, parasitic, nutritional or environmental.
Where are you located?
What are they fed and what is the calcium treatment?
At what age did you switch the birds to layer feed?