Have questions about Sulmet, can someone help me please???

[chicken_china_mom]

Quote:
My package says each pound contains chlortetracycline bisulfate equivalent to 102.4 grams chlortetracycline hydrochloride activity and sulfamethazine bisulfate equivalent to 102.4 grams sulfamethazine. I bought a 4oz bag meant for swine. It was all the store had. I had TSC call the manufacturer and the manufacturer said they don't recommend using it on poultry and they aren't sure of the correct doses. On top of that, both stores only had expired sulmet in stock! Expired last month. Do you by chance know how to dose it out? I'll use it now if I can be sure that I won't accidentally kill my entire flock. I have 19 week old birds, 9 week old birds, and one 5 week old. I need to treat everyone just to be safe.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

I am NOT good with dosage conversions like that. The fact that it also contains an antibiotic makes it worse. I'm hoping someoine else will jump in and be able to perform the conversions for you.

Are there any other feed stores in the area?

Worst case scenario add a strong does of apple cider vinegar to the water until you get the correct sulmet--it may buy you some time.

 

[chicken_china_mom]

I only have TSC and Big R, and I hit them both yesterday. TSC was more helpful, but they don't carry any antibiotics other than duramycin for chickens. I do have that already. So I went to try Big R cause TSC referred me to them, and the guys working there were only teenagers and were clueless about anything that had anything to do with antibiotics. Those are the only farm stores around here, and they're 30 miles away.

 

[threehorses]

Quote:
Definitely understood! Shipping is crazy. Use yogurt in the mean time, daily.

Is she still having diarrhea? Can you give her electrolytes in the water, even pedialyte?

Don't give her extra protein in case it's coccidiosis. You can give her cooked oatmeal (a little) to help with her digestive tract.

I would also recommend vitamins - so a combination vitamin/electrolyte package in the water might be nice. OR organic apple cider vinegar (not regular ACV) 1 teaspoon per gallon of water, 1/4th teaspoon per quart plus the yogurt and cooked oatmeal.

 

[chicken_china_mom]

Quote:
Definitely understood! Shipping is crazy. Use yogurt in the mean time, daily.

Is she still having diarrhea? Can you give her electrolytes in the water, even pedialyte?

Don't give her extra protein in case it's coccidiosis. You can give her cooked oatmeal (a little) to help with her digestive tract.

I would also recommend vitamins - so a combination vitamin/electrolyte package in the water might be nice. OR organic apple cider vinegar (not regular ACV) 1 teaspoon per gallon of water, 1/4th teaspoon per quart plus the yogurt and cooked oatmeal.

Thank you. I really appreciate your help. I luckily bought a large container of plain yogurt yesterday as a probiotic to use with the Sulmet after reading other people's threads and hearing that the antibiotics are so harsh on their stomachs. So I was ready with that! I'll get the electrolytes. Now, as far as the vitamins, what kind should I use? The TSC I go to doesn't carry a whole lot by way of chicken meds, probably because owning chickens is illegal in Danville Illinois, so they focus mainly on horse, swine, and cow meds. You could walk in there and get tons of stuff for a horse, but next to nothing for chickens. Should I use something like Polyvisol for human babies? My next question is: how much yogurt to give? My daughter just went and gave the one chicken a 1/4 teaspoon full. She gave the second chicken that had a bit of blood in some of her stool this morning a full teaspoon. How much is too much? She's kinda hand feeding them which they like as opposed to just putting it in their brooders and having it potentially draw more bacteria from the moisture. Priscilla, that's my sick bantam white cochin, she pooped out pure liquid the first time which is what made me start this thread, she scared me so bad. After that time she is pooping more firm with only very minute tinges of blood in some of the poop, not every time. This morning my EE pullet that I got when I got Priscilla, her name is Misty, she pooped, which is what chickens do, and when I went to clean it up I noticed what looked like a tinge of blood which sent another twinge of fear through my heart. I can't be sure, cause she's a nervous chicken and when she gets really nervous her poop gets watery, until she calms down. But she doesn't have diarrhea. I'm worried about this spreading further. I tell you, the Sulmet can't get her fast enough! Once I have more money though, I'm keeping a gallon of that stuff on hand! I am hoping you get a chance to respond to my questions. I only want to help my birds, not hurt them further! Thank you so much for the help you have already given me. I can't thank you enough!

 

[threehorses]

You're very welcome! Honestly, I really like polyvisol vitamins for individual birds, but a regular vitamin/mineral supplement (foil package for poultry - or Nutridrench) is good stuff and you should be able possibly to get that at TSC? If not, try Polyvisol for baby (humans) non-iron fortified formula from the vitamin (not baby) section of CVS, Walmart, Walgreens. For adults, 3 drops in the beak daily. Babies 1 drop (after they eat a little something at least).

Yogurt: 1 teaspoon is a great round-about for adults or about four babies that aren't brand new. It's not an exact science - you just don't want to give them say 4 heaping teaspoons too often.

Your daughter has the exact right idea!

Is it possible that TSC has the Corid in their cattle section? If you could get that, that would help. blood in the stool is a big sign. Keep up the yogurt. You can try a little cooked oatmeal to sooth their digestive tracts, too - it can help firm up diarrhea but the Sulmet or (better yet) Corid will be the most important thing.

Everyone's still active not lethargic?

I'm very glad to help. I wish I could bring you a bottle of Corid or Sulmet - just put it through the computer. /sigh

Quote:

 

[mom2chicksandpups]

Even though my liquid bottle had instructions, we had to do some math to figure out how much to put in the small quart jars we use for watering our young babies. We got some from a hatchery that were sick and dying months ago and they told me what to buy for them over the phone. The instructions were how much to put for every so many gallons, so we had to figure out how many quarts were in that and divide it up.

Good luck! I hope your chicks get well quickly!

 

[chickabator]

If you use the quart waterers it is 1/2 of a tablespoon per quart for 2 days then drop down to 3/4 of a teaspoon for 5 more days . I know that if you use the gallon it is 2 tablespoons of the sulmet per gallon for 2 days and then 1 tablespoon per gallon for 5 more days after that. I have had to treat cocci before where my chickens overnight looked like they were hemoraging out of their bowels and getting them to drink the sulmet seemed impossible let alone to eat even had to force feed a few with the yogart. but they made it. I only lost 2 out of 13. I hated that I lost any but I am so glad I didn't lose my whole flock.

 

[chicken_china_mom]

Out in the coop I have the one gallon waters. Everyone is doing good so far. Everyone out in the coop appears healthy, no problems. Inside the house I have the isolated pullet in the bathroom and she is active, firmish poop with only a tinge of blood in it. No diarrhea. The other pullet that I suspected was sick, she just normally doesn't have the firmest poop. She's sweet but a little high strung as it is, and I think it's due to lack of human contact before I got her. There appears to be something brown or slightly red in her poop, but I can't for sure say it's blood. She's thriving, eating well, so is the pullet in the bathroom. I am still waiting on my Sulmet. I will try to check the TSC for Corid. What does the Corid do again? I have to leave for work now and I can't check right now. I'll check back in with the tread when I get home tonight. Thanks everyone for your help. We've been giving them the yogurt, and today I will offer the oatmeal. Is instant ok?

 

[threehorses]

Quote:
Corid is strictly an anti-cocci treatment medicine. It's the treatment strength of amprolium, the meds in baby starter (which is not near a treatment strength). It's really the much preferred coccidiosis treatment as it doesn't have any antibiotic action at all. (Sulmet does, and will kill good bacteria.)

Instant is ok. Yogurt is good. I wonder if the hen has had a less-healthy digestive tract this entire time.

Note that worms can also cause blood in the droppings. If she hadn't been wormed, then after the Corid in a week or so I'd consider worming her with Wazine 17 (piperazine 17%) if she is over 4 months old and the Corid doesn't help.

Corid also kills all 9 species of cocci. Sulmet kills 8/9. One of the ones it doesn't kill is one of the most common varieties, too.