I was looking at a bird site trying to figure out how much Ivermectin a chicken can tolerate over a short period of time and I found this on a bird site:
Signs Of Ivermectin Poisoning
The clinical signs of Ivermectin poisoning are:
excessive dilatation of the pupil of the eye
lethargy
stupor
coma
tremors
loss of coordination of the muscles, especially of the extremities (ataxia)
vomiting (emesis)
drooling
death
Less visible symptoms:
depression
tachycardia (fast pulse)
blood pressure fluctuation
Although it was posted on a bird site, the "drooling" sign has me wondering if it does pertain to chickens or if it was generalized from signs in dogs. The bird in question was a budgie and it was being treated by a vet. Everything else just stated that overdose causes death but I could not find anything related to the onset of symptoms or if there was a chance of survival once the bird was poisoned.
When I use the pour on for cattle, I use the dosage measure cup on the small $20 bottle (I pour the liquid into the smaller bottle from the bigger $50 bottle) set at the lowest possible setting. I have not measured in drops or used a cc syringe so I am not sure exactly how much I use but it should be a strong dose. I know that the mites have to bite the chicken to be effected and that new hatches of eggs have to hatch and feed on the chicken in order to die and break the cycle. I was under the impression that it only needed to be used every six months so I treated the beginning of October and again the beginning of April. I have not done a secomd dose because I thought there would still be a strong enough dose to kill anything that hatched after the first dose. Do I need to treat all the birds I treated a week ago or will the dose I gave them be enough to kill any mites that find their way to my birds?
When I treated in October I also used DE in the coop but I did not use it in April because I have asthma and I don't want to breathe the dust or cause respiratory problems in my birds. I still have some DE left over so I can use it in combination if that would eliminate the need for any further ivermectin treatment or I can treat with ivermectin again but I don't want to poison my birds. When I used DE on my Silkies they were sneezing and I was afraid they were sick until I read that the dust causes irritation that causes sneezing. I know some people dust their Silkies with DE on a regular basis but I decided to let them use dirt like my other chickens.
Has anyone experienced or witnessed ivermectin poisoning in chickens? If a bird has been poisoned and is showing signs, is there a chance it will survive? If the pour on kills mites immediately, I am assuming an overdose would also show up right away, especially if the bird was also stressed and/or overheated. If other dusting agents are used on a chicken showing signs of poisoning, will it cause further problems or is it safe to use topicals since the ivermectin is absorbed into the skin?
Signs Of Ivermectin Poisoning
The clinical signs of Ivermectin poisoning are:
excessive dilatation of the pupil of the eye
lethargy
stupor
coma
tremors
loss of coordination of the muscles, especially of the extremities (ataxia)
vomiting (emesis)
drooling
death
Less visible symptoms:
depression
tachycardia (fast pulse)
blood pressure fluctuation
Although it was posted on a bird site, the "drooling" sign has me wondering if it does pertain to chickens or if it was generalized from signs in dogs. The bird in question was a budgie and it was being treated by a vet. Everything else just stated that overdose causes death but I could not find anything related to the onset of symptoms or if there was a chance of survival once the bird was poisoned.
When I use the pour on for cattle, I use the dosage measure cup on the small $20 bottle (I pour the liquid into the smaller bottle from the bigger $50 bottle) set at the lowest possible setting. I have not measured in drops or used a cc syringe so I am not sure exactly how much I use but it should be a strong dose. I know that the mites have to bite the chicken to be effected and that new hatches of eggs have to hatch and feed on the chicken in order to die and break the cycle. I was under the impression that it only needed to be used every six months so I treated the beginning of October and again the beginning of April. I have not done a secomd dose because I thought there would still be a strong enough dose to kill anything that hatched after the first dose. Do I need to treat all the birds I treated a week ago or will the dose I gave them be enough to kill any mites that find their way to my birds?
When I treated in October I also used DE in the coop but I did not use it in April because I have asthma and I don't want to breathe the dust or cause respiratory problems in my birds. I still have some DE left over so I can use it in combination if that would eliminate the need for any further ivermectin treatment or I can treat with ivermectin again but I don't want to poison my birds. When I used DE on my Silkies they were sneezing and I was afraid they were sick until I read that the dust causes irritation that causes sneezing. I know some people dust their Silkies with DE on a regular basis but I decided to let them use dirt like my other chickens.
Has anyone experienced or witnessed ivermectin poisoning in chickens? If a bird has been poisoned and is showing signs, is there a chance it will survive? If the pour on kills mites immediately, I am assuming an overdose would also show up right away, especially if the bird was also stressed and/or overheated. If other dusting agents are used on a chicken showing signs of poisoning, will it cause further problems or is it safe to use topicals since the ivermectin is absorbed into the skin?
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