sick chick -- antibiotics or not???

[citizenhen]

Greetings all!

We have a brooder full of three-week old speckled sussex. They are all doing quite well except one. She has been lethargic for at least a few days, and for the last 2 has done little more than sleep. She is not growing like the others, and does a lot of heavy breathing, always seems cold (little feathers ruffled). I just sat with her a gave her a couple dropperfuls of warm honey water and tried to interest her in some mash. She peeped a couple times and is now just sleeping under the light. She will occasionally move around, drink a little, etc. but is obviously not well.

Update: I just went to the feed store and was advised to give her oxytetracycline for 10 days

Besides having no clue how to figure out the dosage (instructions involve using a "water proportioner"?!?!) I am also concerned about unnecessarily using antibiotics.... I will probably go and dose her, but he also suggested treating the rest of them, and I am very leery of that; such strong antibiotics for healthy chicks, no?? Thoughts, please!?!

2nd update: Dosed the one chick, she is more or less the same but puts up a little more fight when I am trying to give her water with the dropper; I also saw her eating (imagine that!). Her droppings are now entirely dark/bright green, but I feel like she still might have a chance.

As for the others, I am still waiting to medicate them. They all just seem so... Fine. I called the feedstore back, told the guy his math was not right (he had told me to put a Tablespoon of the antibiotic powder into a gallon of water; he checked with the manufacturer, turns out it should be a teaspoon in THREE gallons of water (whew)... Thanks BYC for that one, ALWAYS check the package!!

We will see!

Sara

 

[Supermommy486]

Is there any bloody poop?

 

[citizenhen]

No bloody poop from anyone. The last poop I saw from this chick was very watery, white, with green flecks in it (Couldn't tell if it was pieces of grass? She was out in the yard with the others a couple days ago, probably ate some greens then. I just went to the feed store, and the chicken guy recommended antibiotics (oxytetracycline) for ten days

For whatever reason, he suspected it was maybe E. Coli or something intestinal.

Not my favorite solution, but... What do you think? I am preparing to dose this chick, trying to decide whether or not to treat the whole flock; so far, none of the others show any signs of illness. My one last thought was that maybe this is some type of physiological issue? With 25 in the brooder I haven't paid as close attention to each chick as I did when we had 6. Maybe she has always been weaker, more sleepy; maybe her heart is weak or something?

Thanks!
Sara

 

[arch_cpj]

ones got it they all do heres how I dose them I mix up the bag in a pitcher with 1 gallon of water and then I prpotio that like a water proportioner would do for example I am usin the agrimycin 834 or some number after that anyway I use 1/8 cup of the concentrate to 1 gallon of water and also use 1/4 tsp electrolite all in the same waterer this gives me the 800 mg dosing just keep the comcentrate in the fridge and lable it BE SURE To MIX IT DONT ACCIDENTLY GIVE THEM THE CONCENTRATE... My feed place said the concentrate in the fridge is good for a month at least change the water 2 times a day... Anyway if you have the same stuff I have it says to mix the bag with a gallon and use one ounce of that or something like that per gallon it works out to 1/8 cup

 

[citizenhen]

Thanks for the tip! This makes a lot of sense. Seriously, could they make the instructions any more difficult to understand???