melon rinds? and when to stop antibiotics

[hensonly]

Hi,

My girls are just coming up on 8 weeks. I give them terramycin in their water. When do I stop? Do I quit cold turkey (so to speak!) or gradually?

Can I put out watermelon or cantaloupe rinds for the girls? Or just the fruit its self? And does anyone know about rhubarb? I know the leaves are poisonous to animals, but what about the stalks? We eat them so I assume they're ok for chickens, but you know what happens when you assume!

Thanks for any input.

 

[arlee453]

As far as stopping the antibiotic, it depends on what you are treating? If for a specific infection, etc you need to give for the recommended time - usually 7-10 days. If you can post back what the bacterial infection you are trying to treat, I'm sure someone can dig up the recommended treatment time.

If just because they are babies...I'd take it out immediately. Giving antibiotics to animals who aren't infected with a bacterial illness just breeds resistent bacteria and kills good bacteria. It could make it harder to be able to treat true infections with terramycin in the future as any bacteria that are hanging around at sub-illness levels are likely resistent to that particular antibiotic.

Don't know about rhubarb, but they will LOVE a watermelon, or cantelope, etc rind. We give our girls the rinds after we eat the good fruity part ourselves and they will peck the rinds down to a leathery husk.

 

[gumpsgirl]

You should never give antibiotics unless you are treating for an infection. The only medication that chicks should ever get is the medicated chick/starter feed which has Amprolium in it to prevent cocciodosis (spelling?).

As for the watermelon and cantelope rinds, throw them out to them! Mine LOVE them! They pick the watermelon rinds clean!

Here is a great link to a treat page here on BYC that tells you what is good to feed and not to feed.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=2593-Treats_Chart

 

[Ms. Kitty]

They're in chicken heaven right now.

 

[gumpsgirl]

I love your Silkies Ms. Kitty!

 

[hensonly]

Quote:
Thanks for the info... as far as the antibiotic, yes, it's just because they're babies. I hate to give unnecessary medication of any description, but everyone I spoke to and everything I read said to give them either med. starter or terramycin in the water. I was told to keep it up for the first 10 weeks, or until the package of terr. was gone. Someone else told me to give it until 12 weeks, but that sounded like way too long. I'm happy to stop it now if y'all think it's time. They've been outside for two weeks and are doing fine. Wild birds don't have access to their run, so contamination from them is minimal to none.

Should I give them yogurt for a few days before taking away the antibiotic? Or just stop the antibiotic and not worry about it?

Thanks again!

 

[gumpsgirl]

I would just stop the antibiotic. It won't help with anything unless they have an infection anyways. The terramycin and amprolium (used in the medicated chick starter) are two completely different medications. One is used to treat infection and the other is to help build a resistance to cocciodosis (spelling?). The only thing that you will do with giving the antibiotics to your chicks is help them build a resistance to it. It so hard when you are a new chick mommy to know what is right and wrong to do! Go ahead and stop giving the antibiotics and yogurt certainly wouldn't hurt anything.

 

[hensonly]

Quote:
Boy, that's annoying! Why did none of these "experts" tell me the difference between the terramycin and the med. feed?! They all said (and all the eight books I got from the library, too) that you could and should do one or the other.

I've raised many a litter of puppies and kittens, and none of them are on preventative antibiotics, but then they are getting immunities from nursing and they are kept away from sources of infection until their immune systems have matured and they've been vaccinated - all of which is different from the chickens. So I thought it sounded reasonable to help them along. Live and learn!

I had the 15 chicks in a 4 ft x 4 ft box, so they had plenty of room to move and it was pretty easy to keep them clean, warm, and dry. Which is the biggest factor for healthy babies of any description. Next time, perhaps I won't give medicated anything - is that your suggestion?

Again, thanks for the help. I appreciate it.

 

[gumpsgirl]

No problem! We all make mistakes and that is how we learn.

It's really irritating when the sources you are reading a trust mislead you.

I always give my chicks the medicated starter crumbles until they are 8 wks. old and some people feed it to the chicks up until the point of lay. The cocciodosis (once again, spelling?) that they can get is not from any other birds or chickens around. It is a parasite found in the dirt that they will be scratching in and can be deadly. Some people give the medicated starter and some people don't. We all have our own opinions about what is best. It's almost like vaccinating our children. Some people are for the vaccinations and some people are against them. I prefer to play it safe and to give the medicated feed rather than be sorry later.