Treating with Oxytetracycline, how long is egg hold? Can I hatch?

[emilyklein]

HI! I Had a bad upper respritory going around my 40 + flock. All are healed up and should be on the last day of antibiotics. I have someone interested in hatching out eggs. Will they hatch out ok? Anyone with experience in this?
Also what is the egg hold? I can't find an accurate time 5 days? 14 days? Anyone???
Thanks!

 

[Amina]

If this respiratory disease was caused by Mycoplasma bacteria, it can never be "cured," only put into remission. Your chickens will always be carriers of this disease, and it can be passed through the eggs...

I wouldn't be so concerned about the antibiotics hurting developing chicks, but whoever hatches out these eggs might end up with sick chicks from this respiratory disease.

 

[emilyklein]

I do not believe it was bacterial, although who knows exactly. Mostly the oxtetracycline was to treat the symptoms so as not to loose chickens. Is it true with all diseases in chickens that they are carriers for life?

 

[Amina]

Mycoplasma is probably the most common respiratory disease of chickens. For that and infectious coryza (also a bacterial respiratory disease of chickens), they are carriers for life. There are other less likely possibilities, such as infectious bronchitis, which is a virus. With that, they would not be considered carriers for life, but they can be carriers for several months after they recover.

Chickens don't get colds like people do. Sorry.

 

[dawg53]

Amina is correct. Oxytetracycline treats bacterial diseases such as mycoplasma. Antibiotics treat symptoms, but do NOT cure the disease.
Surviving chicks will pass the disease to healthy birds and they will become infected as well. Antibiotics have no effect on viral diseases such as infectious bronchitis and infectious laryngotracheitis.
If you decide to keep your birds; you'll have to maintain a closed flock. No new birds in, none out. No selling or giving away eggs to be hatched.
Your other option is to cull your flock, disinfect everything with oxine, repopulate in about a month (for mycoplasma diseases) then order chicks from a reputable hatchery and start over.