I posted a couple of weeks ago about what appears to be congestion in one of my eight young hens. It hasn't gotten any worse and there are no visible signs, e.g. mucus, swelling, sneezing, etc. but I can still hear her at night on her roost. It's like a rattle in her chest. She's a good layer and appears healthy and energetic but I was considering treating her with terramycin or duramycin but I see so many confusing and contradictory comments on how much to use, mg to tbsp conversion, CRD, virus vs bacteria, and eating the eggs while the chickens are being treated. Is there any anecdotal info about what I've described? Anyone want to share?
Hey, Mountaineer...sorry you didn't receive any definitive information over in the Emergencies forum. I'd advise posting again and see if someone will post more precise information....or do a search by typing the names of those antibiotics into the BYC search box and research old threads about how they were used and in what dosage. Or, you also might call a vet that handles poultry and see if you can get some over-the-phone advice. Whatever the case, I wish you and your hens well!
I don't know the answer, but if you don't find it with the above advice. I would contact your County Agent with the question - likely they can get you the info from their Poultry/Aviary expert contacts. Good luck with your hen, hope she will be OK.
Hi there, welcome to Backyard chickens. You have gotten some great advice, so I will just say hi and good luck with you hen!
Welcome to BYC! It's great to have you. Are any other birds showing symptoms? If it's just her, it could be a minor respiratory infection. It's not common, but it happens. If you can visit an avian veterinarian I'd recommend that course of action, but barring that, I'd say Duramycin is a good choice of antibiotic. It's specifically geared toward the treatment of infectious respiratory disease, namely Mycoplasma (CRD), but it works well for non-infectious, "stand alone" infections too. Dosage I believe comes out to about 1tbsp powder per gallon of drinking water for 7-14 days. I don't think there is an established egg withdrawal period for Duramycin but 14-21 days is generally safe for most medications.
