What do we do? Frustrated...

[sigmachigirl]

So, a few of our girls had gotten a bug, that has slowly worked its way around. A few have gotten better, a few have needed to be medicated. We took our girls to a vet that sees chickens. We were given enerofloxacin. I guess the other name is baytril. We medicated one girl, she was doing better by the end of the 2nd day, but we continued medicating her for the full 2 weeks. Just started my last two on the meds when I read up on the medication. Was mainly trying to read up on dosing in case i needed to change anything. Then I read it had been banned for meat/egg producing birds, I'm guessing for commercial birds due to it's compromising the effectiveness of cipro antibiotics in humans. The vet had said to avoid all eggs for 2 months. The girls are still young though, so no eggs right now anyway. I am kinda freaking out. We have been trying to to things as organically as possible, so this is devastating news... What do we do?? Is there another medication that is as effective for respiratory infections? Do we just forever toss their eggs and just enjoy them as birds?We tried duramyacin, it helped some girls, but 3 never really shook it completely. And they are running a culture to figure out exactly what we're dealing with. I'm most concerned about the health risks to humans because I have a young daughter. The first bird treated is our Easter egger who we adore. The last two are cute, but not my favorites. So stressed out... How do I sanitize my lawn from the super bacterium? And no, my birds are not being treated via water, but individually dosed.

 

[LBejaran]

Trust me, this medication won't be in there systems forever. It'll eventually be flushed out of their system. Here are a couple things I would do, though.

Add apple cider vinegar to their water. It's a great way of just cleansing your birds internally. It's natural and it'll also prevent algae and bacteria growth in their water.

Clean out the coop as best you can. When I had a sick chick in a grow pen, I cleaned it more often and sprayed apple cider vinegar and water to disinfect. You can use what you prefer, but this is safe for your birds. You might need to clean a bit more often while the illness is still around, though, just to make sure your healthy birds don't get sick again.

Once a week or so, feed your birds a yogurt with active/live cultures. It helps with digestion and helps reduce the amount of bad bacteria inside your birds' bodies. I found that my chicken who seemed to be sluggish responded well to the yogurt I fed her. I did this for about a month and she was fine afterwards.

I would also add cayenne pepper to your chickens' water for a couple weeks. This deworms them and just generally cleans them out. My turkeys were very healthy on this water combination (and turkeys are pretty delicate compared to chickens).

I wouldn't swear off your chickens or their eggs. Eggs aren't stored in your hen's body for months (at least, they shouldn't be). They are created and then popped out so more can form. Any eggs they produce should be fine to eat so long as you wait the two months allotted by your vet.

You're doing the best you can for your chickens. A lot of the time, while the organic way can be the best, it's not easy. It sucks, but that your chickens are alive is a testament to how much you care for them. I hope this helps.

 

[sigmachigirl]

It does. Thank you. I love your hints. I should not read up on things before going to bed. :-(. I just about cried. :-(. This is our first time raising chickens, and I wish the vet had told me about the meds before I dosed my favorite baby!!

One reason we wanted to raise the girls was to minimize the amount bad bacteria and chemicals we get through or food, and to really reconnect with where our food comes from, and who doesn't love those little fluffy butts?! Reading that what I just gave them can potentially put us at risk for contracting an untreatable food poisoning was just scary. I'm wondering if the broad dosing vs individual dosing is better or worse when it comes to killing the bad gut bacteria and keeping it from becoming antibiotic resistant. :-/. That antibiotic resistance is one reason we eat organically as we can, and try to avoid unnecessary medications and go heavy on probiotics here. We're not over the top or anything, but I would do anything to protect my daughter. I used to work in a hospital, so I suppose I'm just hyper sensitive to the idea of super bugs like MRSA and cipro resistant food poisoning.

Thank you for the advice about cleaning!! I am pretty thorough, but will definitely spray things down again. Gotta go get more braggs organic apple cider vinegar, and probably spray down a bleach water combinations and let air out. I want to kill anything lurking... I do also clean their coop daily, scooping poop, changing out some bedding once a week, and always toss in DE in the bedding and in their bath spots. Bleach/water solution is safe for the coop, right?

 

[LBejaran]

It does. Thank you. I love your hints. I should not read up on things before going to bed. :-(. I just about cried. :-(. This is our first time raising chickens, and I wish the vet had told me about the meds before I dosed my favorite baby!!

One reason we wanted to raise the girls was to minimize the amount bad bacteria and chemicals we get through or food, and to really reconnect with where our food comes from, and who doesn't love those little fluffy butts?! Reading that what I just gave them can potentially put us at risk for contracting an untreatable food poisoning was just scary. I'm wondering if the broad dosing vs individual dosing is better or worse when it comes to killing the bad gut bacteria and keeping it from becoming antibiotic resistant. :-/. That antibiotic resistance is one reason we eat organically as we can, and try to avoid unnecessary medications and go heavy on probiotics here. We're not over the top or anything, but I would do anything to protect my daughter. I used to work in a hospital, so I suppose I'm just hyper sensitive to the idea of super bugs like MRSA and cipro resistant food poisoning.

Thank you for the advice about cleaning!! I am pretty thorough, but will definitely spray things down again. Gotta go get more braggs organic apple cider vinegar, and probably spray down a bleach water combinations and let air out. I want to kill anything lurking... I do also clean their coop daily, scooping poop, changing out some bedding once a week, and always toss in DE in the bedding and in their bath spots. Bleach/water solution is safe for the coop, right?

Bleach & water should be fine, so long as it airs out. (And a little money saving tip: mix some of your Bragg's ACV with some normal ACV and give it awhile to sit. The mother culture in the Bragg's turns the normal ACV into a proper ACV just like Bragg's and you can continue the cycle. It is cheaper than buying Bragg's over and over, considering how expensive it is.)

I understand. We don't have a vet who really knows about poultry (he's better with larger livestock), so we've kinda had to stumble our way through the dark. That includes making mistakes. I took over the flock from my sister and suddenly, I understood the appeal.

I even began raising quail for their eggs. I have digestive issues and psoriasis, and their eggs are said to help. I'm not entirely sure my skin will continue to react positively to medication, so I figured a more natural route would be the way to go.

I'm one of those people who really likes the idea of creating a natural way of life for my chickens. Free ranging, whole grains, little to no medications, that's me. I even free range chickens that people say aren't good at it! To be honest, the moment a chicken stops acting like a chicken, I fear I'll start treating it like a song bird, haha! My Sultans are vile little birds and don't act like chickens at all, but more like cockatoos. Hopefully, being around real chickens will change their behavior, haha!

 

[dawg53]

So, a few of our girls had gotten a bug, that has slowly worked its way around. A few have gotten better, a few have needed to be medicated. We took our girls to a vet that sees chickens. We were given enerofloxacin. I guess the other name is baytril. We medicated one girl, she was doing better by the end of the 2nd day, but we continued medicating her for the full 2 weeks. Just started my last two on the meds when I read up on the medication. Was mainly trying to read up on dosing in case i needed to change anything. Then I read it had been banned for meat/egg producing birds, I'm guessing for commercial birds due to it's compromising the effectiveness of cipro antibiotics in humans. The vet had said to avoid all eggs for 2 months. The girls are still young though, so no eggs right now anyway. I am kinda freaking out. We have been trying to to things as organically as possible, so this is devastating news... What do we do?? Is there another medication that is as effective for respiratory infections? Do we just forever toss their eggs and just enjoy them as birds?We tried duramyacin, it helped some girls, but 3 never really shook it completely. And they are running a culture to figure out exactly what we're dealing with. I'm most concerned about the health risks to humans because I have a young daughter. The first bird treated is our Easter egger who we adore. The last two are cute, but not my favorites. So stressed out... How do I sanitize my lawn from the super bacterium? And no, my birds are not being treated via water, but individually dosed.

You're lucky to have a vet that knows how to treat chickens. Baytril is a top notch antibiotic. Perhaps your vet isnt aware of this study regarding baytril egg withdrawal period of 5 days, here's a link:
http://idosi.org/gv/gv3(5)09/2.pdf

 

[casportpony]

I'm not positive, but I think the whole Baytril/Cipro thing came about because the poultry industry was using it at low levels daily. I don't think you have anything to worry about.

-Kathy

 

[CluckCluck18]

I know just how you feel.....I try to do as much all natural stuff as possible. My girls free range and I give them organic feed and veggies and use all natural cleaning products.
But when they get really sick or have parasites I now realize that you have to use real meds to help them. While I hate to do it , I would hate to lose my girls as well.
Good luck with your flock. :cd

 

[sigmachigirl]

Thank you! They are all on the mend. We had to take her back to the vet Sunday as she was still really struggling. Ended up she also had a parasite, and amazing how quickly she bounced back after a day of deworming!! (And I also use DE in their bedding, food, etc). I am learning that you can only control the organic stuff so much before there is the occasional serious illness. Thank you all for your kind words. Really made me feel better!!

 

[LBejaran]

I'm glad she's doing better! Ultimately, going organic is a preventative way of raising your birds and most of the time, it can keep them healthy. When it can't, post-treatment organic raising also helps them feels better. So you've done a great job of bringing them back to health and I commend you for pulling through.