Prepping ahead of the emergency

[PatS]

I live in a remote place. Our local feed store doesn't carry much in the way of "chicken" medicine, and even the ones within an two-and-a-half hour drive don't have a great selection and are closed on Sundays. So I'd like to be a little proactive here, and have two or three of the most likely used antibiotics on hand, just in case. I see that many are available on amazon.

I see Tylan popping up over and over as a good medicine for respiratory problems. There is a water-soluble and an injectable. Which should I get? If I get the water-soluble, how much do I add to a gallon of water? If I get the injectable, how much do I use, and what size syringe/needle? Where do I buy a needle? (They are strictly prescription-type items for people, are they for animals?) I've given shots to my husband, so I know I can do it, but what are the directions for giving a chicken a shot?

Is there a medicine I should have on hand besides Tylan? What would be a good general medicine to cover common problems Tylan doesn't cover? And what type of infections would those be? I want to keep things as simple as possible.

Thank you in advance.

 

[ladrholman]

Great post. Similar situation. Would love to have some information from ...honestly... people who know more about this than me. I live in Canada so I know meds are different here. Any Canadian peeps that can help would be great. I know we can get needles and syringes at the local feed stores/coop stores (farmers use for livestock), they are just on the shelves with the livestock medications. This forum is great, but only if you get people to respond to your posts. Otherwise in an emergency you are trying to find out what you can on your own. This makes for a very helpless feeling. Thanks

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

Powder medication will have a longer shelf life generally speaking than liquid.

 

[PatS]

bump.

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

Oh I forgot to give you this link: (you can do a search for tylan on this website and look up injectable, etc.)
http://www.drugs.com/vet/tylan-soluble-can.html

http://www.calvetsupply.com/category/Syringes_and_Hypodermic_Needles
I have ordered from them successfully.

 

[kelar]

We could probably be more help if you told us what kind of birds you have and what you plan to do with them. Are you just keeping a layer flock of adult birds or are you planning on hatching chicks? Closed flock or do you plan to add birds? I've found that being proactive is the ONLY solution as I also live in a remote area, but I keep quite a large number of medications and products on hand so not sure about the "simple" part

 

[RedRoosterFarm]

Tylan powder is pricy. I paid 80.00 for mine and it didn't go far at all. I believe 1tsp per gal of water. I use injectable now and it goes far. .25cc bantam and .35cc standard. inject in breast and switch sides for 3 to 5 days. I can also put drops in the throat and when eyes are icky I use it too. Just put a few droos in the eye. Its great stuff. I get it from jeffers or local feed store. Its for cattle.

 

[Imp]

Here's some good chicken first aid kit ideas:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=210271

Imp

 

[PatS]

Thanks!

I have a small flock of buff orpingtons. We use them for eggs and occasionally meat. We allow a couple of birds to hatch out a clutch each in the spring. They free range, and have pellets available in the house. We also have a few turkeys who sleep in the run, and free range during the day.

 

[kelar]

Off the top of my head, if you are hatching chicks, I would keep on hand at least the following:

Vitamin/electrolyte solution
Kaytee hand feeding formula for caged birds (great for sick birds)
Corid liquid
Sulmet
Tylan powder and or Denagard for respiratory problems
A broad spectrum water soluable antibiotic, maybe something like amoxicillin

Unfortunately, we are often forced to treat without knowing exactly what is going on, but birds will often recover from minor issues with good supportive care - warmth, extra feeding etc. The one thing I am never without is the corid and sulmet for coccidiosis since this can kill young birds very fast. You may never have a problem with cocci if the chicks are raised with the hens, but waiting even a day can mean the difference between life and death.