Help with antibiotics

[our girls12]

Comment: My concern is I can not find one definitive answer in all my research. Can you eat eggs from chickens that have been on antibiotics?

We have a 3 week old chick that seems to be unsteady on her feet. Eating and drinking but walks backwards at times and like I said - unsteady. We did take her to the vet to see if maybe there was a leg issue. She stated she was a good weight, hydrated and looked healthy. She suggested a Vit B shot which we did and a 10 day course of Amoxicillian and a antiflammatory med incase there was some spinal damage. (may have been stepped on by other chicks or miss handled by a visitor - ex small child who's family was caring for chicks when I was away)

Back to the point.... I stopped by my local feed store (where I purchased our chicks) and confirmed that the hatchery is Mereck free and that they are not vaccinated. He was absolute that we can NEVER eat the eggs from that chick!! The vet said we had to wait 6 weeks before eating any eggs but because the chick is only 3 weeks old and certainly not a layer we would not have an issue.

does the antibiotic stay in the chicken for the life of the chicken??
If yes - is it only because some people have an allergy to eggs therefore they should not eat them?
Or will it cause people who eat them to develop and resistance to antibiotics?

WHAT IS THE FACT?? Please can you help us.

Susan

 

[drumstick diva]

I have never heard of an antibiotic lasting so long .And as you say, a 3 week chick is certainly not about to lay eggs. That would be months away. The problem with antibiotics in animals cows, chickens etc. is when they continue to keep animals on the medication throughout their productive life.

It sounds more like your chick has had a blow or peck to her head, maybe causing inflammation around the brain. What breed is this chick? Chicks with vaulted skulls like silkies sometimes have a section of the skull that didn't harden over completely. This makes them very vulnerable to brain damage or swelling due to injury. Sometimes a vet will start a course of prednisone - this is only something a vet should do and his regimen followed precisely. Meaning folks shouldn't use it on their own just because it's available somewhere.

It would help immensely if you could post a short video showing how she moves/acts. You may also want to post on the "Emergencies, diseases, injuries, cures," thread.

 

[Pork Pie]

Hi Susan and welcome to BYC. This is the second post in recent weeks that I've read where a vet said that eggs could not be eaten from a bird that has been treated with antibiotics. As D/Diva says, I'd check with the experts on the ER forum https://www.backyardchickens.com/forums/threads/add/forumId/10 but to be honest, I'm not sure why such conflicting information is given by some vets - particularly when the recommended withdrawal periods for egg consumption are written on the antibiotics.

Best wishes
CT

 

[boskelli1571]

Hello and welcome!
I tried doing some fact checking for you, but there is scarce good info out there. I came across this on an extension site - it's related to milk cows, but I don't think there is that much difference in the excretion rate. So, milk cows cannot 'give' milk for 60 hours following completion of Amox. and the withdrawal period for meat for many antibiotics varies between 15 -30 days. I think 6 weeks is a bit over the top.
No, the antibiotic doesn't stay in the chicken for life, but you are on the right track with people having allergic reactions to the medicine. Even a very small dose secondhand can be life threatening to someone with a severe allergy.
Another concern is the rise of 'super bugs' that are resistant to many of our top antibiotics. Some of this resistance has come about b/c farm animals have been fed antibiotics routinely for years, also until recently, folks could just grab an antibiotic at the farm store and treat the animal with whatever. Often the 'whatever' was not the appropriate choice for the situation making things worse.
Bottom line for all of us use any medicines in our livestock with caution. Hope this helps,