Help - My Flock Very Sick

[hokankai]

Doesn't twisting of the neck/paralysis indicate a Newcastle outbreak?

 

[dawg53]

Quote:
For worms:
http://healthybirds.umd.edu/Disease/Deworming Birds.pdf
For lice/mites:
http://ohioline.osu.edu/vme-fact/0018.html
Jefferlivestock.com carries both valbazen and safeguard products. Prices are listed as well as product descriptions. Prescriptions are not required.

 

[chickenfeverforever]

I am going to give you the same advice that was given to me and thank got it was. Birds do not get colds. Ignore anyone who tells you otherwise. You need to contact your state vet and have a necropsy done on 1-3 of your birds. I submitted 2 birds for testing. They will be killed. In my state the necropsy was free. Anyone can GUESS what type of Upper respiratory infection your birds have, but there are many. The only way to know is to have them tested, Also.....Once you find out which URI they have you have face the horrible decision on culling the flock or not. The reason for this is because again, birds do not get colds, they get disease. And URI is not curable. They will ALWAYS have it. And whenever they get stressed out, will show signs again. They will pass the disease on to their offspring if you hatch their eggs. If you do choose to keep them, Any bird you ever introduce to your flock WILL get sick as well. Also you cannot consume the eggs after any antibiotic is used for at least 21 days. Your birds could also have Micro plasma. Which again, is why you need to have them tested if you really want to know. I tried to treat mine with antibiotics and I could never live in fear wondering if the chicks in my house would be safe. I culled my whole flock of birds and cleaned and disinfecting with bleach and water and then with dehydrated lime white wash.

I am so sorry your birds are sick. I have been there and I was soooo stressed out daily for at least 3-4 weeks. While it was sad and hard for me to to cull them, I knew in the long run, I was making the right choice. I hope you make the choice that's best for you and your flock. I am no pro, but have been there.

 

[Anianna]

Quote:
That has a 14 day wait period for slaughter after use and it says not to use in producing layers. Ever? Without effective dewormers labeled for use in chickens what do the food poultry and egg production industries do when their chickens get worms?

Also, what dosage do you use for Valbazen Suspension and Safeguard in chickens?

For wazine, the way I see it is if the chicken is good to eat after the 14th day, so are the eggs. Some people ignore withdrawal times and eat the eggs or meat anyway. It's possible there could be a reaction if they have a sensitivity to the wormers. Some people forget that they are poisons. It is their choice. I abide by the recommended withdrawal periods. Commercial operations: For meat birds, they dont live long enough to get worms. Egg operations; their feet never touch dirt and cant get worms, they are all in cages.
Valbazen (albendazole) is a liquid cattle/sheep wormer. Dosage is given orally, 1/2cc for standard size chickens and 1/4cc for smaller chickens.
Safeguard paste (fenbendazole) is an equine wormer. Dosage is a "pea" size amount given to each chicken orally. Safeguard liquid goat wormer is given orally; 1cc for giants, 3/4cc for large chickens/roosters, 1/2cc for standard size and 1/4cc for smaller chickens.
All three wormers have the standard two week withdrawal period. It is best to to do a second worming 10-14 days after the initial worming to kill larva that the first dosing might have missed, effectively ending the worms reproduction and lifecycle. It's best to use valbazen first...it slowly kills worms over several days preventing toxic worm overload. Then 10 days later repeat worming with safeguard.
ETA: You can go to youtube and type in "commercial egg production" and see how it is...alot of Leghorns lol.

I know most of the industry is in cages, but there are also cage-free operations producing "cage-free" meat and "cage-free" eggs that have to follow standards. I would be curious to see how they handle worms. Thank you for the dosing information. I will add it so the treatments post as soon as I get a chance.