Hen smells rotten with infection, need antibiotic but what kind and how much?

[Albanydog]

We ordered an ivermectin product to put on the chickens to rid us of the fight with lice & mice so last night we started with half the flock, putting a drop under each wing and behind their heads. When we came to one hen who smells absolutely rotten. I flipped her over and her bottom is bald and purple. I suspect some sort of vent infection? She is my mothers hen. I suggested an antibiotic but which kind? We have a couple on hand for injecting, Penicillin, tylan/tylosin and Oxytetracycline (LA-200). We also have a bottle of Sulmet (sulfamethazine sodium 12.5%) for adding to drinking water, but I think a shot is more likely to save her life.

Mom thinks she could just get better on her own now that she has treated for the lice & mites that have been bothering them so much and laying eggs all around their bottoms, but I think she will die without treatment. You know that smell of rotten flesh, like when a rat has crawled in the barn and died and you look all over to find that god awful smell? That is the stench coming from this poor hen. I am going to track her down today and set her off by herself, soak her bottom in some warm water but am researching while trying to get chores done in this heat, what broad-spectrum antibiotic to give her.

Any quick suggestions on an antibiotic shot and how much to give her? I know you inject them in the thickest part of the breast and avoid the heart or going to deep. We gave a chicken a shot onces but for the life of me I can't recall what we gave them?

Thanks Everybody for your help and expertise!

 

[FuzzyMugz]

I wish I could advise on the antibiotic issue, but as long as you're going to give her a bath, and once she's cleaned up a bit, I think it would be really helpful to do an epsom salt soak for a few minutes (or however long she'll comfortably sit for it.) That would help to draw out some of the infection and give any further treatment a head start.

I'm not an expert on chicken hydro-therapy, but if you wanted more information about how to make it effective, you could check hencam.com and search for "spa treatment", the epsom soak treatment is described in detail in one of her recent blogs I think. It could give her an edge while you wait for more expert advice on the pharmaceutical front. And it would certainly relieve some stress and make her feel a little better.

I so much hope she's able to recover fully and soon. I have to admire any single parent who makes time to tend her animals so conscientiously. Personally, I'm finding that the "simple life" entails a lot of hard work -- especially in this heat -- so, Go You! as the monosyllabic teens in my neck of the woods would say.

Normally I'd close with "warm thoughts"
but considering the heat wave . . . I'll just wish you the best,
Ellen

 

[leadwolf1]

I would go with a broad spectrum antibiotic since you have no idea what you are dealing with...the LA 200 sounds like your best shot, literally.

After you soak her, I would put her in a safe place for you to observe her for awhile. Is she still laying? How are her droppings? Any other signs/symptoms? Any signs of maggots or other parasites? Any open wounds that you haven't noticed before the bath?

Good luck with the poor girl. I think I would also give her some vitamins... .5mls poly vi sol, without iron, per day. Maybe some electrolytes in her water.

 

[Albanydog]

Looking up the dosage for LA200. and Penicillin. From what I have read either one could be just as successful.
Finally found her and caught her. She still acts fine but it looks like a pussy liquid coming out of her vent. Going to soak her and shoot her up. I'll try to get someone to help me take pictures. Didn't notice any maggots when we put her in the dog carrier. Plan to put her in a cage, where she can move around a bit and rest until she is better, after her soak. Will definitely give her some vitamin & electrolyte water while she recuperates.

Just the strangest thing, never seen a chicken with an infection in her vent. I have read it could be something like egg yolk peritonitis? I suppose it is possible the mites/lice caused the problem. I would spray the girls every 2 weeks with permutations (sp?) and some of the girls would have a swarm of bugs around their vents. We just couldn't get them under control, that is when I did some research on-line and found out you could treat them with ivermectin and they would get wormed at the same time it killed off all the mites/lice. I think Mom let the mites go a little long before we treated them, she ordered the ivermectin on-line, when it would have been much faster and the same price to buy it at the feed store and not have had to wait so long for it to arrive!

 

[leadwolf1]

I'm trying to think of the disease it's vent ?...it is almost like a yeast infection in women. This is going to drive me crazy!

I got it...vent gleet. Give that a look see and see if this could be it.

 

[Albanydog]

I was wrong, it wasn't puss. After a good soaking Mom gloved up and pulled off what appeared to be egg. She must be or have been egg bound and has a nasty infection. Gave her a shot of penicillin, will give her 2 shots a day for a while. I still can't believe she isn't acting sick when she smells like she is rotting away!

Pictures before we soaked her. Gross! Yes that does look like her vent is open and you can see a bit inside.

 

[valschicksrus]

Ok, while treating your sick hens, do you get the meds from your feed store or order ivermectin, penicillin on line. How much do you give the hen, I imagine its in cc's.
I am thinking I better have some meds on hand when issues arise. So glad there are experienced chicken breeders here to help us "newbies"!!! Good luck with your hen, keep us posted so we can all learn.

 

[leadwolf1]

I still would check out vent gleet...that cheesy substance looks awfully suspicious.

 

[Albanydog]

Leadwolf1@ Thank you for the suggestion, it does sound a bit like Vent Gleet. I will suggest Mom treats her for that also.

When we gave her another antibiotic shot this morning she smelled a whole lot better and her vent was gooey with a milky like substance. Her skin around the vent and belly is still purple but her stomach is softer then it was. She is as strong as ever and wants out of that cage. I'll try to get more pictures when I go soak her after a bit.

Valchicksru@ Mom is giving her 1/2cc Penicillin shot, alternating breasts. She is using the short acting "Penicillin G" and should give her a shot twice a day from what we have read but some suggest up to 1cc.

We have goats, pigs, geese, llamas and chickens so we keep a supply of drugs/medications on hand, antibiotics include Penicillin, LA200 or Durvet Duramycin 72-200 (Both are Oxytetracycline) and Tylon/Tylosin. They are all injectables but we have a bottle of Sulmet an antibiotic liquid to put in their water and some small bags of various powdered antibiotics, sulfur and electrolyte/vitamin at our local small feed stores when they have it or we will pick it up on a trip to the Valley and buy it at Dels Feed and Farm Supply most often or when we find a sale we go to Wilco Occasionally we will purchase something at Coastal Farm & Ranch if others are out or they have a sale because their prices are a bit higher then the others. Penicillin has to be refrigerated. Some of the injectables can be given orally. We use Tylosin sparingly because it has the side effect of increasing weight in animals, they make it in a water soluble powder that my pig wouldn't drink because it tasted terrible and a feed mix for treating diseases in swine and for increasing their growth, but there are other short term uses for chickens and other animals. You can order most of these products on-line, maybe someone else can suggest places to purchase it. The Ivermectin is carried by most of the stores under one or more company brands. It can be purchased in several forms stating specific animals. The injectable generally says cows & swine but there are some that say cattle only. They have a pour-on for cows and one for sheep which are different stregnths. Horses get theirs in an apple flavored paste. Mom researched and found a new ivermectin product that also has another ingredient added that is suppose to kill many more bugs/worms both inside and out that we just tried as a pour on (a 1/4 cc under each wing and 1/2 cc on the back of the neck) on the chickens.

I have purchased prescription animal medications from "Drs. Foster and Smith", it was an arthritis medication for my pig that they also use on dogs but it cost 1/4$$ what the vet was charging me!

These are some of the suggested medications and doses we have found here on backyardchicken and other sites:

Penicillin: If a wound, usually it's 1/2 cc in the breast muscle for a standard breed adult bird, daily for 3-4 days. When I think I'm treating egg yolk peritonitis, I use sometimes 3/4-1 cc since it's do or die with that infection.


Penicillin: antibiotic, 1/2cc for 3 to 5 days for wound infection, use 3cc's orally 3-5 days for cholera

LA200: says i shoot it down their mouth. about 1 cc. its a broad spectrum antibiotic

La200/ Durvet 72 200 1 cc orally & 1 cc intramuscular twice daily for 5-7 days, broad spectrum time release antibiotic. from www.xtremegamebird.com

LA-200 Use .20 CC per pound (5lb chicken = 1CC). Inject into breast approx 1/4 inch deep ONCE. Do not inject another dose until day 3! This is a broad spectrum antibiotic that does not begin to dissipate until day 3. (backyardchicken)

I have never seen a file but if there isn't one maybe someone should start a file on Back Yard Chickens that lists medications and suggested doses? and diseases/illnesses and medications that treat them, including the various doses?

 

[speckledhen]

If it's vent gleet, that is fungal and not treatable with antibiotics, if so. You'd need an anti-fungal of some type, I'd think, though this is not my area of expertise.