Hatching "Medicated" Eggs?

[Anon112]

I want to start by saying that this is a purely hypothetical question, and no one is currently brooding!

I have a chicken who did a course of antibiotics, and we're currently still in the withdrawal period for her eggs. I went out at one point and she had just laid an egg. Just for a moment it looked like she was in a brooding posture.

It got me thinking: are there any issues or complications if a hen tries to hatch chicks from eggs that are in that withdrawal period? I guess I'm really asking if lingering medications (in this case, antibiotics) have an impact on the ability of eggs to develop into healthy chicks.

Just curious and my googling only turned up a thread from 10 years ago.

 

[cavemanrich]

I of course don't know,,,,, but my thinking,,, is the egg will not develop well. Then if it does go to hatch,, the chick my be disformed. I see all life as precious,, so would not experiment.
Even in best case situations,, not all eggs incubated make it to hatch. And not all chicks make it to adult chicken stage.

In people,, it is best not to take medicine during pregnancy. This way newborn has best chance of growing up healthy.
Of course there are many children born with drug addiction. Their chances for a healthy life are reduced.


WISHING YOU BEST,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

 

[SourRoses]

It depends on the specific medication.
Some have no impact on the egg. Some have a severe effect.
Antibiotics are more likely to be safe. But again it depends on the antibiotic. A preliminary check would be to search if it can be used for pregnant women. Most will say, under a Dr's supervision, that's a yes.
Mammals and birds aren't the same, but most of the time what is safe for one is safe for the other.

Keep in mind that the hens body is processing the drug, and only minute amounts have a chance of making it into the egg.
The half life of every medication is different. The egg withdrawal times are given as an abundance of caution for human health, they don't have a lot to do with the actual persistence of the drug (shorter).

In people,, it is best not to take medicine during pregnancy. This way newborn has best chance of growing up healthy.

That is not actually true.
Doctors use many different medications for pregnant women, just under more careful monitoring. They will often choose a safer version of one drug out of concern for the fetus.
But if the mother dies or becomes severely ill, that does not give the fetus a chance to grow up healthy. Because mothers are living breathing beings who sometimes need medicine too. They may even need more medicine to keep a pre-existing condition under better control during the pregnancy.

 

[NorthwoodsChick]

I of course don't know,,,,, but my thinking,,, is the egg will not develop well. Then if it does go to hatch,, the chick my be disformed. I see all life as precious,, so would not experiment.
Even in best case situations,, not all eggs incubated make it to hatch. And not all chicks make it to adult chicken stage.

In people,, it is best not to take medicine during pregnancy. This way newborn has best chance of growing up healthy.
Of course there are many children born with drug addiction. Their chances for a healthy life are reduced.


WISHING YOU BEST,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

This, of course, greatly depends on the medication and the development stage of the embryo. Antibiotics are not addictive, but some interfere with bacterium’s ability to reproduce by way of interruption of protein synthesis; others by way of interruption of bacterium’s cell wall. Personally, I would not risk it.