Help with Dioxytetracyline

[Ninjasquirrel]

Checked on my birds today and still no symptoms. 5 eggs and one soft shell out of 8 birds (only 5 eggs yesterday). This could have been a symptom we missed due to assuming winter was the cause of drop in production. I rinsed the eggs down the sink and put the shells in the compost. The yolks were very well formed in all of them. This is only the second day of the antibiotic. All are still very active. Water consumption and food consumption appears normal. Stool is normal. I'll report in as they continue on their meds. I have to wait to give the dose until my helper gets home. I find it is too difficult to hold open their beak while I hold them

 

[birdiefluff]

Dosage Of oxytetracycline 200 mg per ml is 1/2 ml (0.5 ml) to an adult chicken daily. It can be injected into the breast muscle, or many do give it orally.

You can buy Baytril (Enrofloxacin) here, and dosage is 0.05 ml per pound, or 0.25 ml for a 5 pound chickens daily for 5 days:
https://www.jedds.com/shop/enro/
It is not approved for poultry, but some vets prescribe it for birds with EYP and salpingitis.

Please do not inject in the breast muscle cause you can risk puncturing their air sac's. My vet told me in the thigh muscle is the best place for an antibiotic.

 

[Eggcessive]

The OP is giving it orally. You can also hit the sciatic nerve if injecting in the leg. The breast muscle is the preferred injection site for an intramuscular injection in chickens. Alternate sides daily, and do not inject more than 1/4-1/2 inch deep.

 

[Ninjasquirrel]

The OP is giving it orally. You can also hit the sciatic nerve if injecting in the leg. The breast muscle is the preferred injection site for an intramuscular injection in chickens. Alternate sides daily, and do not inject more than 1/4-1/2 inch deep.

TSC has a pretty comprehensive guide on what gauge and depth of needle to buy. We bought syringes and needles just in case we were doing IM. I watched a video on how to do it that was 3 minutes of chasing and 1 minute of prep and 2 seconds to dose . Just for those unaware as well you want to be sure to pull back on the syringe a little to be certain you are in the muscle. If you see blood pull out and try again. I'll see if I can find the video again for those who need it

Edit: found it. Please consult a vet if you are still unsure. Always be safe with needles and use gloves. Don't buy any needles larger than 20g x 1/2"

 

[chickenenthusiasts5698]

When I have to give oral medication to my chickens by myself i find it to be very easy if you squat down and put their legs in between your knees and use your arm to gently press the bird into you. (Hope them makes sense lol if not I can try to explain it better!)

 

[Ninjasquirrel]

When I have to give oral medication to my chickens by myself i find it to be very easy if you squat down and put their legs in between your knees and use your arm to gently press the bird into you. (Hope them makes sense lol if not I can try to explain it better!)

Not entirely. That first day I did it by myself I just held them like a football and tried to get them to bite me so I could get the plunger in. Today was easier because I had help. My birds are very docile though so they dont go for the bite easily. They'll lightly peck until they are sick of looking at my finger. I dont want to force them open or apply pressure because I know how delicate their becks can be. It took us about 10 minutes to dose everyone. On my own it took a half hour

 

[Ninjasquirrel]

3rd dosage today. Only 5 eggs and one was cracked. Everyone seems to have high energy though. They're eating and drinking normal. Poop is still normal. Still monitoring but they seem to be responding well to the medicine. Still no lumps or masses felt on the abdomen

 

[Ninjasquirrel]

Day 4 of antibiotics I scrubbed the coop out completely with vinegar, water and a bit of Dawn dish soap to hopefully kill any contaminates tgat could have caused the illness. I was waiting until today because its above freezing. 5 normal eggs, one fairy egg and a broken soft shell. All the yolks were very well formed. The fairy egg contained a pea sized yolk. Their poop looks very very healthy. They are drinking lots of water and eating normally. My hopes are high

 

[Eggcessive]

Glad they are doing well.

 

[Ninjasquirrel]

Day 5. All highly energetic, eating and drinking well. 8 eggs today! All well formed and hard shelled! I think this treatment is working nicely. I hope this helps anyone else suffering from this in their flock