Pullet in rough shape

[ManueB]

I looked on the government page and it also says the PenG should not be used in laying hens, only approved for broilers in Canada. So I guess the vet feels this is the only option, and hoping the residue will not be present after 10 days.

I looked up staphylococcus aureus and found this link pretty helpful :
https://www.msdvetmanual.com/poultry/staphylococcosis/staphylococcosis-in-poultry
I can see why your vet chose to go along with penicillin. If you don't feel safe you can always put the eggs away for a longer period. I believe it's more of a public health measure to contain the growth of resistance to antibiotics.

One of my work colleague actually nearly died from this some years ago and it was incredibly fast. She was probably only saved because her husband was a med in the ICU.

I'm afraid if the four weak hens are infected they don't stand much chance. Then again if they're not getting worse maybe it's worth trying the whole prescription.

I don't have access to a vet where I live and most of chicken's medication is also restricted in my country. Sometimes however the same active substance is not restricted for other animals like cats or sheep's, and sometimes it's even sold with no prescription for children. A few times I used those when it was life or death, and had help to calculate the exact dosage for a hen relative to her weight. The dewormer I used, and vitamin K. when my hen ate a poisoned mouse were both children medications. Not a choice I would recommend though except in case of emergency!

I hope the treatment helps your flock, do let us know!

 

[Crookadoodle]

I looked up staphylococcus aureus and found this link pretty helpful :
https://www.msdvetmanual.com/poultry/staphylococcosis/staphylococcosis-in-poultry
I can see why your vet chose to go along with penicillin. If you don't feel safe you can always put the eggs away for a longer period. I believe it's more of a public health measure to contain the growth of resistance to antibiotics.

One of my work colleague actually nearly died from this some years ago and it was incredibly fast. She was probably only saved because her husband was a med in the ICU.

I'm afraid if the four weak hens are infected they don't stand much chance. Then again if they're not getting worse maybe it's worth trying the whole prescription.

I don't have access to a vet where I live and most of chicken's medication is also restricted in my country. Sometimes however the same active substance is not restricted for other animals like cats or sheep's, and sometimes it's even sold with no prescription for children. A few times I used those when it was life or death, and had help to calculate the exact dosage for a hen relative to her weight. The dewormer I used, and vitamin K. when my hen ate a poisoned mouse were both children medications. Not a choice I would recommend though except in case of emergency!

I hope the treatment helps your flock, do let us know!

That was a very helpful read! Thank you.

I did their dewormer today and will be waiting a couple days as directed before doing the antibiotics. With both staphylococcus aureus and e.coli present, are any of the eggs safe to eat if cooked properly? I have just under 2 dz sitting on my counter now im wondering if they will cause food poisoning.

 

[ManueB]

That was a very helpful read! Thank you.

I did their dewormer today and will be waiting a couple days as directed before doing the antibiotics. With both staphylococcus aureus and e.coli present, are any of the eggs safe to eat if cooked properly? I have just under 2 dz sitting on my counter now im wondering if they will cause food poisoning.

Yes there is a risk with ecoli, not sure for s. aureus . If you are really keen on eating them they should be hard boiled, no runny yolks.

 

[ManueB]

@Crookadoodle How is your flock now ?

 

[Crookadoodle]

@Crookadoodle How is your flock now ?

So we had to cull 3 of the 4 that were sick, they were just skin and bones and had stopped eating and drinking after the dewormer. I could barely get the antibiotic in, but I think it was just too late. One of them had developed huge lumps on the Tarsal (?) joint. It looked like they were massively swollen but after we culled her, I cut them open and they were just solid masses of tissue or something.
The last one is actually doing well except for frostbite injury becoming more apparent on one foot from when she initially became unwell and hunkered down in the run during cold weather. Im giving her a chance to see if she will be comfortable to hang out with the flock once she is recovered. I do have a rooster that is a bit more 'slumpy' the past couple days but I'm wondering if it has more to do with the other rooster bullying him. My flock has dwindled significantly and can no longer support the roosters as many hens have passed. So I need to adjust my rooster to hen ratio, ugh. Thanks for checking in.

 

[ManueB]

Sorry for the three that died. I hope the last one makes it after all she's been through! If you plan on having more pullets maybe it's worth trying to find a temporary solution for the roosters.

That has been some rough time for you, I hope things get better from now on.

 

[Crookadoodle]

Sorry for the three that died. I hope the last one makes it after all she's been through! If you plan on having more pullets maybe it's worth trying to find a temporary solution for the roosters.

That has been some rough time for you, I hope things get better from now on.

I actually have 19 eggs in an incubator right from my girls that started laying. Its a bit of an experiment because they were exposed to meds while laying (and im still in the cant eat period) but I figured it was worth trying since I cant consume the eggs and my flock has dwindled so this might help replenish. We will see how it goes.
Yeah I'm hoping them getting more space to roam will help but that seems super far off-we just got yet another big snow dump. This too shall pass im sure, just getting impatient. Its been a lot of loss.