Unsecure chicken perches

[sophiemostly]

Hello,

 

One of our elderly ex-batts has been off colour but with no obvious reason - it doesn't seem to be an egg or crop issue but she's look hunched and unhappy and is off her food.

 

We decided to take her to a new local vet between us decided to go with a course of antibiotics with nothing else to go on. The vet told us that Baytril is no longer licenced for use in chickens without permanent egg withdrawl, which as you'll know is really difficult to manage when you have a few hens.

 

She has given us deneguard antibiotics yesterday which you are supposed to give in their drinking water, but as Gabby isn't really drinking she has hardly had any of the antibiotics and isn't getting any better.

 

Syringing the diluted deneguard into Gabby orally doesn't seem like an option as the dose assumes that the chicken will drink around 200 ml per day which just seems too risky to syringe in orally safely.

 

Has anyone been advised how to give deneguard neat or in a more concentrated way?

 

Kicking myself for not pushing for baytril as frankly we've already eaten our fair share of baytril eggs in the last few years so I can't think a few more would make much difference,

 

Any advice gratefully received,

Sophie

[mimi5]

Oh dear that's a diffcult one. Sorry I have only ever used baytril...and sometimes just syringing that down them seems a chore and a half!! Not heard of it being withdrawn!! I have used it with my girls and it really does pick them up fast. We eat the eggs and haven't had any probs (obviously after the withdrawal period!)

 

Could you maybe make a wet pellet porridge with it (if she's eating?) I guess just try and syringe some in to her as she should be having fluids anyway. You could always call your vets for advice?

 

Hope your girl gets better!

[stu]

Have you seen this thread at all..? It may help.

http://www.backyardchickens.com/t/454045/dropper-feeding-meds-not-successful.

[Egghead68]

I spoke to Libby at Retfords about this problem and she didn't really have any suggestions except to say it shouldn't be syringed undiluted.

Can you ask your vets for an injectable antibiotic? MIne uses noroclav.

[sophiemostly]

Hi all,

 

Thank you very much for your suggestions - they are much appreciated!

 

mimi5 - we have always used Baytril in the past and it definitely can work wonders. It was news to us too about it having been withdrawn.

 

stu - thanks for the useful site. We're OK with syringing stuff into our girls and Gabby is our most placid hen but I think getting 200ml into her with a 1ml syringe isn't going to work (and I'm always worried about fluid going into their lungs).

 

Egghead68 - thank you very much for asking Libby - that's useful to know re syringing it undiluted. I have to say that I was tempted to give it to her neat but figured it must be a bad idea from the very high dilution they suggestion normally (2ml in 1 litre)

 

The good news is that she does seem a bit brighter this afternoon. There's a bit more food going in at one end and poo coming out the other! Still very little drinking though.

 

We've kept her in out of the snow and rain and I can hear her in our hall way pecking away at something which is a good sign. I think hopefully she's doing well enough to last til tomorrow when we can get some different antibiotics sorted out,

 

Thanks again for all your ideas,

 

Sophie

[sandyhas3chucks]

I was told 1ml per day...

It taste so sos ososososososososo foul (yes I tried it )

My vet suggested putting it into a gel capsule...

The easiest/fastest way of doing this looking through your cupboard and seeing if you have anything in a capsule you can empty, luckily my dog does but have since bought some.

Then what I do is put it in a lump of butter and pop straight down the beak...

The same method as any other meds . (chook wrapped in towek and on lap under left arm.

You need to have all ready as the capsules starts breaking down with the liquid...

 

I syringe the baytrill into the ailing chook who is usually an ex bat not laying anyway with luck...

[Egluntyne]

I've put antibiotics into undiluted Ribena before now to get it into a reluctant patient. It seemed to do the trick.

[sandyhas3chucks]

I was using maximum sugar ..solution and it barley disguised that dreadful stuff! I was shocked I could taste it hours later and many biscuits lol

[sandyhas3chucks]

I spoke to Libby at Retfords about this problem and she didn't really have any suggestions except to say it shouldn't be syringed undiluted.

Can you ask your vets for an injectable antibiotic? MIne uses noroclav.

Oh just seen this , that is most odd as it was Libby gave me the dose ...that was 1ml neat !) ?????

Noroclav is amoxycillin... so a different type of antibiotic...

You can get various different brands of this some a lot cheaper than others, easy again with a oill in butter..

I was dead worried at first but it really is easy... easier than syringing I reckon ...

the stringing neat is dreadful, mine gasped a gaped and wiped her beak.... I understood why when I tasted it !!!!

it almost feels like burning, pity she hadn't suggested the capsule route

[Egghead68]

It's about 18 months since I spoke to Libby about it. Maybe she has changed her mind. Using gel capsules in butter sounds like an excellent idea. I've had absolutely no luck ever getting them to drink water with it in.

[sandyhas3chucks]

Nor me

[Redwing]

Dont use it neat its very bitter for them and may cause damage inside her beak

 

Dilute it with half the recommended amount of water and syringe a few times a day, she wont take in anywhere near 200ml of course but at least will take in some medication which should do the trick assuming that she has something than can be treated with antibiotics of course

 

I've never had a sick chook drink 200ml of water in a day but find that Denegard is pretty good

 

Adding it to pellets mixed with a little hot water will help get some more in to her

 

And they DO really like ribena too so thats an option

[sophiemostly]

Hi all,

 

Lots of brilliant suggestions so thank you!

 

The vet said to give the deneguard for 3 to 5 days and we're on day 3 and she seems on good form so hopefully the tiny amount she has been taking in has worked and I can stop stressing about it so much. We've managed a bit into her soaked into some peas and mixed up with pellets to make 'porridge', but nowhere near 200ml.

 

It's useful to know that it tastes so bad - that explains what a job it's been to get any into her. She isn't massively off her food any more but still avoiding the deneguard water like it's been poisoned!

 

Sophie