Miconazole dosing question

[CharlieBaby]

1. Would you mind detailing how to tube feed Epsom salts, as you mentioned above (post #2)?
Tube feeding a chicken is about the safest most fool-proof things a chicken keeper can do. There is pretty nearly nothing that can go wrong. Even a child can do it, and this past spring, two kids on this forum successfully saved the lives of several hens in their flock by tubing a life-saving solution over three days.

First, obtain the small animal kit from a vet or from Amazon. You can fashion your own from oxygen tubing or aquarium tubing. You would need to find an oral syringe to fit the tubing that holds about one to two ounces. A slender one millimeter syringe is too small to do much good.

Next, cut the bottom off at around nine or ten inches to make it easier to manage. You will prepare a solution of raw egg, a little yogurt, maybe a little soy protein powder and enough warm water to make it flow through a tube. I add a squirt of poultry vitamins such as Poultry Nutri-drench. Or you can buy baby bird formula from a pet store. This is to feed a weak or starving chicken. Other uses would be to give electrolytes to a shock victim or a flush solution to an impacted chicken. For an average chicken, about half a cup of solution will be how much to tube in.

Now, what most people fear most - the part where you insert the tube. But this is very easy as the chicken has a direct channel going from the right side of the throat right into their crop, by-passing the airway so there is zero chance of aspiration.

After wrapping my chicken securely in a towel to confine wings, I hold my chicken on a work bench with my weak arm. With that hand I pry open the beak holding it open, and with my strong hand, I insert the tube in her right side of the beak, going slightly under the right side of the tongue. This channels the tube right into the esophagus which goes directly into the crop. You can see this in the photo below, only it will be the tube and not the syringe.

I measure the tube from the beak to the bottom of the chicken's crop and make a mark so I'll know when the tube has reached the lower part of the crop. The first time if you hit the wrong hole your chicken will start to cough. It's okay, no harm, just back out and try again. Once the tube is in, the chicken will be calm and comfortable. Then you can begin feeding. It feels pleasant to the chicken, and most are very cooperative throughout the process.

If the chicken struggles and bucks all of a sudden, it's not because of anything you did. They get bored and tired of the process like a toddler would. Pause until the chicken settles down again and finish. The whole process takes no more than five minutes. Each time you do it, it gets easier and quicker.

Learning this can save the life of your chicken, and it can save you so much time and frustration. And it's very, very safe. Anyone can do it.


2. Can the oral Epsom tubing be done any time of day? Should food be withheld for a brief period of time? Is it okay to give when crop is sour or slow to empty?
Tube the solution before the chicken fills her crop full. You can tube any time during the day, but morning and late afternoon are best.

3. Do you have dosing recommendations when combining miconazole and nystatin for vent gleet?
If you have the Medistatin, it is formulated to go into the drinking water. If you have Nystatin, follow the dosing instructions that came with it.

4. Can powdered nystatin be mixed with water or miconazole cream? Can I deliver the powder in capsules?
Yes.

5. Can nystatin and miconazole be combined with an antibiotic in extreme cases where bacterial infection is present alongside vent gleet?
Yes, you can, but do not use any antibiotic with "cillin" in the name as it will aggravate the yeast.

6. Have you seen advanced vent gleet cause or trigger reproductive ailments such as EYP, salpingitis, or egg binding?
I have not seen this.

7. Is an Epsom salt enema or any enema ever a good idea in cases of vent gleet and EYP, salpingitis, or egg binding?
Absolutely not. Enemas can force bacteria up into the reproductive tract and cause a hard to treat infection.

Thank you for your detailed response, @azygous. Very helpful!

Glad you clarified the enema question. I had my suspicions but had seen some less experienced chicken keepers recommend the practice on this site. I will steer clear of enemas and encourage others to do the same.

I hope the oral Epsom salt tubing finally cures my two chickens with vent gleet and no other symptoms. I'm not sure if oral Epsom salt is the right approach for my hen with the squishy crop that's not emptying and swollen abdomen.

 

[azygous]

This is why we don't give enemas to chickens. Notice where their poop chute (cloaca) and reproductive channel (oviduct) are located. They converge. On human women, the reproductive channel and poop chute are completely separate. Therefore, humans can enjoy all the enemas they want while enemas are mush riskier for hens if any lingering poop happens to get forced into the oviduct.