PENICILLIN FOR A HEN

[jonjoka]

I'm fixing to give a dose of penicillin to a hen who has a swollen lump between her leg or under her rectum. Its not a prolapse or egg bound. I called a Vet and he told me to try penicillin, he didn't see the hen. I bought it at a local feed store and the feed store guy told me to give 1/2 cc everyday(shot). Now, I don't know if this is ok, that is the dosage. Any advise I would appreciate.

 

[arlee453]

Are there any other symptoms? Lethargy, difficulty walking, etc? Can you post a picture of this lump?

How old is your bird? What breed?

Is she laying eggs still with this lump or no? What makes you say she is not egg bound? If she is still laying through this, are her eggs normal?

Is she eating and drinking well?

Have you isolated her from the flock to monitor symptoms/intake/output?

How's her poops? Normal, runny, funny colored?

Any discharge from nose, mouth or rear end?

Any panting or signs of respiratory distress?

Antibiotics are often the first thing suggested when the person doesn't have a clue what is the REAL problem. They will not help cure a tumor, help with egg production issues, treat cocci or worms, or treat ANYTHING else OTHER than a bacterial infection. AND they can actually make matters worse when not used properly.

Personally I wouldn't give antibiotics unless I had a pretty good diagnosis. There are potential side effects and they can actually make a weak hen weaker if she is not suffering from a bacterial infection. That's just my 5 C worth.

Maybe with some more information on exactly what is happening with your girl, the folks here can help poinpint an accurate diagnosis and suggest remedies/medicines/treatments based on a more accurate guess as to what is going on. In my experience, a lot of folks here know more about common and not-so-common ailments of chickens than most vets unless they specialize in poultry.

 

[jonjoka]

I don't know how old she is, I would guess 2yrs or more. She is white, I don't know the breed either, just that she is a normal size adult. I wish I know how I could post a picture. I know she is not egg bound because I have felt that lump several times and its soft and you can't feel anything like an egg in there, even put her in warm water lubricate her and so on. She is eating and drinking okey, I just saw her poop and it seems runny, no mouth or nose discharge, no difficulty walking, no panting no respiratory distress. Beside that swelling, this girl looks normal to me. Thanks for any help.

 

[Jenski]

arlee453's advice is very sound ~ do make sure your hen is isolated and quiet until you can figure out what's going on.

Has she laid an egg recently? The softness of the lump doesn't necessarily mean it is NOT an internalized egg.

 

[arlee453]

Does she lay regularly for you or are you not sure? Have you isolated her to monitor input/output? Also, how long has she had this lump? Is it getting larger/smaller or been the same all along??

 

[jonjoka]

I haven't isolated her, so I don't even know if she has been laying or not. I'll isolate her. Its not getting bigger, although its pretty big.