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.

 

[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.

 

[BDutch]

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

 

[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?

 

[Boogiemaam]

I appreciate your advice. Thank you. I know antibiotics wont help egg shells. She has been laying only three weeks and 100% of her eggs are soft. So I just started addressing that yesterday. She has been caught walking around the yard squatting and pushing twice And out came a soft egg that cannot hold shape. All broken. So she definitely could have some part of an egg inside her causing an infection. Or an infection of her reproductive tract. She has a nicely functioning crop and no disharge from anywhere. No wheezing. no other sick chickens. Just serious lethargy. So an educated guess is infection or worms. Maybe I’m wrong. I have to try something.

 

[Boogiemaam]

Her poop for past few 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.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

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? (in relation to onset of lay)

 

[Boogiemaam]

Thank you. my packets are 250 milligrams each. About a 1/2 teaspoon. (That info was stupidly NOWHERE on the packet). I have liquid ivermectin for worms. I could dose her with that immediately. Will search for dosage.

 

[Banana01]

Thank you. my packets are 250 milligrams each. About a 1/2 teaspoon. (That info was stupidly NOWHERE on the packet). I have liquid ivermectin for worms. I could dose her with that immediately. Will search for dosage.

What % is the ivermectin? Ivermectin is also a very tiny dose. 1% ivermectin dose for your chicken is 2 or 3 drops (probably 2 for a small hen). But if you have a 5% ivermectin, then it is less than 1 drop. It isnt the best dewormer, but if she is having worms now then it will work. You could give the ivermectin see if she is better tomorrow.