very sudden gloopy poop??????

[ND]

You shouldn't let it get in the way of 'happy chickening'. You're right, your birds are clueless, and are the same birds. Nothing has changed for them, or even you if they're pets and for eggs or meat.

It'd be devastating to a breeder that was breeding for sales and showing, it'd be devastating for a show bird (tho many are unknowingly or even knowingly infected)...but for an average backyard chicken keeper that enjoys their birds for pets and eggs... it's hardly a blip at all, really.

I don't show (and don't want to), I don't breed and raise birds to resell... my birds are just funny pets that give eggs as benefits... so I'm fine with keeping a flock that I know is a carrier to MG/CRD.

A HUGE percentage (80-90+%)of backyard flocks are carriers/infected with one (or more) of the CRD illnesses. Many owners are clueless to this. They either don't notice the symptoms, don't take them seriously, think it's just a "cold"... or bought carrier birds that haven't shown any symptoms, so they're just completely clueless. Some people may know... and knowingly sell infected birds... but I think most just have no clue. If not for forums like this, I'd have no clue... because NO ONE around here seemingly has a clue about CRD and the carrier status of birds... not even the one vet that would see a bird. If/when they see a bird "with a cold", they just call it a cold, and when it's gone, they think it's gone...and never think another thing about it, just like a human cold.

I mean, I feel better knowing that *I* won't knowingly infect any other healthy birds because my birds won't leave my property alive... but in the big picture, it's not like I'm making a big difference in these parts. I think one might be hard pressed to find an established flock that ISN'T a carrier of SOMETHING around here.

Anyway... you're chickens are still your chickens... and aside from tending to their illness while they're in the acute stage right now (and being watchful for symptoms when under stress), you won't know the difference once they're "all better".

And they're certainly completely unaware!

 

[KooKoe]

absolutely!

 

[KooKoe]

UPDATE: So I went to the onderstepoort vet and the reception was less than desirable. It was a case of: "the grown ups are working here, take your silly little flock and go play somewhere else".... The referred to someone else. Same thing. Stone walled. They do not import denaguard syrup, only a feed and at $640.00 per 22lb bag it's a bit rough for my little backyard pocket. the Baytril is $250.00 for 2 cups!

So I rushed off to my local "korporasie" (you can buy anything there for farming, from gum boots to feed to tools.) All they had for me was Terramycin in powder form to mix in the water. I read the instructions very carefully and made up a batch. I've given it to my flock and the quarantine hen too (she is still in quarantine).

I also bought a multi vitamin suppliment called Phenix stresspac, by Virbac? (seems to be a South African product)

Do you know anything about Terramycin and if it will work?

 

[ND]

Terramycin might help. Might.
I don't find any of the "mycins" to be extremely effective against CRD, but it won't hurt anyone. Don't eat the eggs for approx 2 weeks after the last use. (toss 'em to the dogs/cats!)
Definitely give it a good try.... you should see significant improvement within 3 days of treatment, if not... time to look for something else. By the end of treatment, ideally you won't have ANYONE showing any symptoms of anything. This family of drugs didn't get rid of the sneezing in two of my hens, and several others quickly started acting ill within just a few days of stopping it after 2 full weeks of treatment. So, it didn't work for me... but it MIGHT for you, so since it's what you've got, try it.


Can you find Tylan 50 injectable? (look in the cow supplies) You can give this orally (slightly slower treatment rate than if injected), but not mixed in the water... dosing each chicken by mouth...
Or, it's really easy to inject...
If you end up looking for something else, this would be what I'd try to find locally next if I couldn't order Denagard.

Baytril is pretty costly here, too. Especially the liquid... we can get pill form that's still pricey, but better than buying a bottle of it.

 

[KooKoe]

I DID see Tylan on the shelf, and it said 'injectable' and I was like......@#$%....... I can't even pluck a feather off my birds.....a needle? EEEEEK!

So I decided to try the Terramycin first. I can usually do anything I put my mind to, but I'll leave that as a last resort (shudder).

I also tried to get a de-wormer for the gals, but the guy has no idea. He can't believe that I want to de-worm my chickens. Any products I can look for on my own?

And can I give the multivitamin in the same water as the Terramycin or should I wait untill they are done with the Terramycin?

Sorry for the 3rd digree interrogation, but as I'm sure you've gathered, info is a bit scarce around here....

 

[ND]

You're fine... don't worry.

Giving chicken's injections isn't that hard...really. They rarely even act like you've done anything at all.
BUT, it can be given orally... it's just not quite as effective... is a bit slower...but still works.
It's easier to give them the shot than it is to try to get a syringe down their throats...

I wouldn't mix the vitamins with the medication. Wait until treatment is over. I generally don't like to mix different things together unless they're specifically meant to be.

As far as dewormers... look in the cow (or better yet, horse!) section again. If they do not have wazine for chickens (gets round worms only), go for Safeguard paste next. The active ingredient is Fenbendazole, so perhaps you'll have to look for a product that just has that as the active ingredient. This gets everything BUT tapeworms, but if they haven't been dewormed before, it's a fairly mild dewormer and I'd use that in place of wazine if I couldn't get wazine. They usually have fenbendazole (safeguard) for cows, horses, even goats. I would think you could find this.

You could then follow up some time later with something that gets tapeworms. I use Zimectrin gold horse paste dewormer...or one of the others that says it gets tapeworms. You may have to look specifically for horse products for a dewormer that gets tapes... just read the package if there are any available. The dosing of ANY of these paste dewormers is about a pea sized amount per bird. One tube will do many birds, usually with some left over. Save it in a temp controlled area and you can use it again later.

There are other chicken dewormers, but in your area, you probably don't have access to them and since ordering online might be VERY high in shipping, these are good options.

I would wait to deworm them until the brunt of the CRD illness is behind them... no need to further stress them with another medication right now.

 

[Miss Lydia]

I did not know that chickens got tape worms, I know with my dogs that they can only get it by eating fleas I've used Wazine for round worms and ivermectin for the others. so I need to worm them for tape worms?