Yes there are injectable antibiotics. Let me see if I can find a link. I have not had to do that myself. Others have, though.
See if this helps.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/914094/subcutaneous-fluids-and-injections
I found this and it was also very helpful. Does this also apply for ducks?
Hi. This might help direct you. I found the link to this on here somewhere and am currently giving Penicillin to my 3 month old roo who hurt his leg somehow....inside infection/swelling at the 'knee' to the 'ankle' (lol)....he had a fever and the 'knee' joint has a ball of something in it with the entire leg very very hot to touch, very swelled up and he's been limping around.... I figured he injured it coming off a roost or something... anyhow, for two days I've been giving him a shot of penicillin G procain and it looks like it might be helping. This lady said not to use the procain type but that is all they had and it seems like it's starting to do it's job anyhow..... I gave him an initial shot of 1/2 cc since this was going on for a week n half before I decided this probably is serious... then 1/4 cc from now on. I'm not sure how long to keep giving it to him though but I think until the hotness and infection is gone, I'll keep doing it. Oh, be careful with the needle and not accidently poke yourself before you give him the shot...it hurts. (ha!)
Also, I got it from the fridge at my local Farm & Fleet (farm store)...I told them I needed some Penicillan G for my chicken who had an infection in his leg and the lady gave me a bottle.... I guess it's for all animals. Just to note, the guy I first talked to said they didn't have anything for chickens and to do nothing...he said, "it will probably die anyhow".... I wasn't thrilled with that fried chicken lover anti compassionate worker so I went and got a lady who knew something about chickens AND mercy... wink
Give Injection
Syringe Size
◦A 2-cc syringe will give best accuracy for injections for chickens. Don't use syringe larger than 5 cc. (Note: 1 ml = 1 cc)
Needle Sizes
◦"Gauge" numbers relate to the needle's diameter thickness. Higher gauge numbers = thinner needles. Ex.: 24-gauge is thinner than 16-gauge.
■For drawing medicines into syringe, thick needles (such as 16-gauge) are easiest and quickest. It is important to use them when drawing thick medicines.
■For injecting medicine into a chicken, the small size of 22-gauge to 25-gauge needles are best. If you are giving a thick medicine (such as Penicillin) that gets clogged too easily in needle, you should use a 20-gauge or 22-gauge needle.
◦"Inch" numbers relate to how long the needle is.
■3/4-inch needles are good for intramuscular injections. 3/4 to 1 inch are good for subcutaneous.
Injections of antibiotics, vaccines, or fluids can be helpful in some treatments. Some should be given subcutaneously (just under the skin), some intramuscularly (in the muscle), and some intravenously (in a blood vein). Methods for these are described below.
ALL injections
◦To minimize soreness and any scarring, try to avoid giving injections too often in one location. Alternate giving one time on left side, next time on right side, etc.
◦At the injection site, spread the feathers apart so you have clear access to skin. You can choose if you want to try to clean area with alcohol--Many people don't.
◦Right before giving injection, remove the cover from the injection needle, and point needle upwards. Tap the side of syringe with your finger to make any air bubbles rise to the top. Then push the plunger on syringe until all air bubbles come out of end of needle & medicine starts to come out. Then stop and give injection.
◦The tip of a needle is slanted. For least damage and pain, rotate the needle so the longest edge of the tip is angled toward the place on body where the needle will go in.
◦You can wash and re-use a syringe, and a needle that is used only to draw medicine from a bottle--NOT one used to inject into chicken. Soak 15 mins. in rubbing alcohol to disinfect, and then rinse off alcohol with water so alcohol won't sting when use for next injection.
■Don't re-use needles used for injection, because of the risk of contamination, plus the needle tip gets dulled each time it's inserted and a dull tip would be painful to the chicken.
SUBCUTANEOUS injection
◦Good locations: Under the loose skin at the base of the back of the neck (Be sure the needle points more forward than down, because the lungs are located right below), [Info on other good locations needed??]◦How to inject: Insert end of needle about 1/4 inch deep in the muscle and slowly depress plunger all the way.
◦When you withdraw: Pull the needle out quickly and press a finger on the injection hole for a minute or two to minimize leaking of medicine or blood. Gently press down and massage area to help medicine get distributed.
INTRAMUSCULAR injection
◦Good locations: About 1/4 inch deep in the muscle in the chicken's thigh, or in the breast muscle a little to the left or right of the center bone (keel bone).
◦How to inject: Inse rt end of needle about 1/4 inch deep in the muscle and slowly depress plunger all the way.
◦When you withdraw: Pull the needle out quickly and press a finger on the injection hole for a minute to prevent leaking of blood or medicine. Gently press down and massage muscle to help medicine spread well and to help minimize soreness.
Treat with Penicillin
Poultry should be treated with "short-acting" Penicillin (such as Penicillin G), not "long-acting," 48-hour Penicillin (such as Penicillin G Procaine).
Supplies you will need:
◦Small bottle of Penicillin (~$11) -- Must be stored in refrigerator
◦At least one 2-cc size syringes (20 cents)
◦At least one 16-gauge needle (15 cents). 1/2 inch length is best but longer is alright.
◦One 20-gauge or 22-gauge needle for each injection you'll be giving (15 cents). 1/2 inch length is best but longer is alright as long as you don't push into chicken too far.
To prepare shot:
1.Remove Penicillin bottle from frig and allow to reach room temperature (Wait 15-30 mins.).
2.Attach 16-gauge needle to end of syringe, for drawing out medicine.
◦Don't use a smaller needle for this (Higher numbers like 20-gauge or 24-gauge are smaller needles) because the large particles in the medicine can't go through as well.
3.Very important: Shake bottle vigorously 2-4 mins. right before drawing out medicine.
◦Penicillin has large heavy particles that need to be floating so they go into your syringe.
4.Push needle into top of bottle; then turn it upside-down so syringe is below bottle.
5.Pull back the plunger on syringe until medicine reaches mark 1/8 cc more than amount you want.
6.Turn bottle right-side up and withdraw needle.
7.Hold syringe with needle pointing up. Pull 16-gauge needle off the end.
8.On end of syringe, attach 20 or 22-gauge needle for making the injection.
◦Some Penicillin particles may not make it through this smaller needle, but enough will. A larger needle would be too damaging for the small size of a chicken.
9.Give injection, following instructions in previous "Give Injection" section.
◦Giving intramuscularly will get medicine circulating in system soonest and is recommended for Penicillin. You can choose to give subcutaneously. Don't give in vein.
■Intramuscular Penicillin injections are very painful for people, cats, and some other animals, but do not seem to be for chickens.
Dose is 0.20 cc (ml) [=a little less than 1/4 cc] per day for a standard-size chicken. Range of safety is good: up to 1/2 cc occasionally won't generally hurt the chicken.
◦For severe infections, it helps to split the dose in half and give twice a day for the first 2-3 days, so chicken gets Penicillin more frequently added into body.
If Penicillin is a problem for you, do not eat eggs or meat from chicken for a while after treatment.
((
http://sites.google.com/a/larsencreek.com/chicken-orthopedics/leg-braces))-link where the info was found
