The Poultry Keeper

Deb_Moderator · Joined: 13 Apr 2005 Posts: 3661

Moxidectin cattle pour-on (brand name Cydectin) kills endo & ecto parasites; available from farmer's co-ops. (Said to be more environmentally friendly than ivermectin or eprinomectin & available in smaller bottles, the injectable can be given in water as an alternative.)

Flubendazole (brand name Flubenvet) in feed anthelmintic. Double dose kills tapeworms too but then needs a withdrawal period.

Oxtetracycline spray aka 'blue spray', for wounds; available from vet.

Pine spray, I think that this for cattle, puts a pine film over open wounds.

Stockholm tar, to be dolloped on, in case of serious feather pecking.

Any treatment for coccidiosis such as 'Baycox' or 'Coxoid'.

21g needles & 2.5ml (or 5ml) syringes.

Antibiotics, from vet only:

tylosin 200 injectable (brand name tylan or bilosin)

(OR tilmicosin (brand name Pulmotil AC) which is a semi synthetic macrolide antibiotic rather like an enhanced tylosin as also available for adding to drinking water. Tylosin is a macrolide antibiotic made from the soil bacteria Streptomyces fradiae.)

Oxytetracycline LA injectable (many brand names)

Enrofloxacin injectable (brand name Baytril).

Most bacterial infections in birds will be treated using much the same antibiotics. Enrofloxacin (baytril), is probably one of the most effective and widely used of the broad spectrum antibiotics. It can be used to treat both gram positive and gram negative infections and mycoplasmas.

Sometimes the use tylosin and oxytet LA in conjunction as the treatment only requires injections every 2-3 days whereas enrofloxacin injections are usually given daily.

As far as diagnosis goes, many infections display similar symptoms especially cold type symptoms. It is a mistake to presume that every bird with rattly breathing or other cold like symptoms has Mycoplasma gallisepticum. Without a proper lab test one sometimes cannot be really certain what the infection is. Though the antibiotic used to treat many of these infections will often be the same.

(Regarding Baytril dosages) Because chickens have a much higher metabolic rate, the dosage for chickens needs to be two or three times that given per kg bodyweight for cattle & about twice that given to dogs.

Websites
www.birdcareco.com
http://www.kingbirdfarm.com/Layerhealthcompendium.pdf

Lisa · Posted: Mon Jul 18, 2005 8:48 am Post subject:

I've also found these useful and keep in my "chicken box":

Liquid parafin (to try to ease an impacted crop)

1ml syringes - narrower than the larger ones, and in my experience easier to get far enough into the birds mouth to feel safe (just don't put syringes in the dishwasher to clean them - it washed the numbers off all of mine and they were too stiff afterwards!)

Wound powder (can't remember the proper name, but it stops bleeding)

Cotton wool, might be needed for bathing wounds.

Thin disposable gloves incase you have to deal with something really yukky...

A small (1/2 inch) cheap, soft brush if using stockholm tar - to paint it on with.

A vitamin and mineral supplement (very useful in times of ill health - birds may be eating less, therefore getting less vits and minerals than normal, plus their requirement may increase due to the illness). The birdcareco do one called Guardian Angel which also includes pre and probiotics...

Calcivet - to prevent soft shelled eggs.

And always have Virkon S (or other disinfectant) on hand incase you need to clean up in an emergency when the shops are shut!

Just to add about wormers, in the UK if you ask a vet for chicken wormer you are most likely to be offered Panacur - they are unlikely to stock Flubenvet, but you can buy this yourself without a prescription.

Finally (okay, I know these don't go in the first aid box Wink

but are worth thinking about before you need them):

Somewhere to isolate a poorly bird.

Something to take a poorly bird to the vet in.