Medicine Cabinet

Here are the basics of what to have in your medicine cabinet for routine care and emergencies. Before purchasing medications/supplements, make sure you are able to store them properly and frequently go through what you have acquired to ensure nothing is expired.

For minor wound care and minor abrasions (all major wounds should be assessed by a hands on veterinarian)

• Sterile Saline
• Chlorohexidine or Iodine/betadine (chlorohexidine is preferred as it has residual activity against bacteria)
• Bacitracin ointment
• Manuka honey
• Peck-no-more ointment
• Epsom Salt
• Alushield
• Various gauze, including sterile
• Vet wrap
• Q-tips
• Gloves

For stressed/ill/lethargic birds and nutritional deficiencies

• Poultry Cell
• Poultry Nutri-drench
• Rooster Booster Vitamin B-12
• Sav-a-chick vitamins and electrolytes
• Sav-a-chick probiotics

Eye Issues

• Saline

Respiratory Issues (please be aware that most respiratory illness are highly contagious and are not curable, so the bird will remain a lifelong carrier spreading the illness to other birds).

• Tylan 50
  • Administered IM (15-30 mg/kg every 6-12h), orally (50 mg/kg, once daily). If no improvement by day 3, Tylan is not the appropriate treatment
  • Some vets recommend giving Meloxicam as well as the injection can be painful
  • 8 week egg withdrawal
• Tylosin Soluble Powder- 1 tsp per gallon

Vent Gleet

• Monistat Cream

Coccidia

• Amprolium – does not treat all strains of Coccidia and prescription medications may be required if there is no improvement in 3 days.
  • Corid or Ampro-Med. Corid is available in powder or concentrated liquid.
    Corid (Amprollium) Liquid 9.6% -8cc per gallon
    Corid Powder -1.25 tsp per gallon
  • Zero egg withdrawal
  • May need to supplement with a product that contains Thiamine after finishing treatment

Oxytetracycline 1 tablespoon per liter, 2 tablespoons per gallon or 4 tablespoons per 2 gallon watering can. 200-400 mg/gallon for 10-14 days. Change daily, can be added to denagard for upper respiratory diseases. Egg Withdrawal: in water (800mg label dose) -14days for personal consumption, 8 weeks for sold eggs or known sensitivities.

Oxytetracycline Powder (10gram per 6.4oz packet strength)-2.5 TBSP per gallon

Oxytetracycline Powder (102.4gram per 280gram packet strength) -1 tsp per gallon

Oxytetracycline Powder 343 (Agrimycin 343) -1/2 tsp per gallon

Tiagard/Tiamulin (Denagard Liquid 12.5%) -8cc per gallon.

• 8ml per gallon of water, give for 3-5 days for chickens, 5 days for turkeys, mix fresh each day. (1/2 ml per 1/2 pint, 1ml per 1 pint, 2ml per liter, 8ml per gallon, 16ml per 2 gallon watering can)
• Recommended to add apple juice as the medication is very bitter
• 6-8 week egg withdrawal

Tetracycline (Duramycin 10) powder -1 TBSP per gallon

Accidental Poisoning/Botulism

• Activated charcoal
  • 52-8000mg/kg, repeated every 6-8 hours
• Milk of Magnesia
  • 10-12 mL mixed with 5 mL of activated charcoal given orally
• Metamucil
  • 2.5 mL mixed with 60 mL water, given every 12-24 hours
  • or peanut butter and oil (2:1), added to diet daily until clinical signs resolve
• Magnesium Sulfate (Epsom salts)
  • 500-1000mg/kg, given orally 30 minutes after activated charcoal, every 12-24 hours
• Vitamin K1 for rodenticide anticoagulant toxicosis
  • 0.2-2.5mg/kg given orally, sub-q or IM

Deworming (a fecal float should be performed before deworming, chickens do not need preventative deworming. If you sell or give away any eggs a veterinarian must technically write you a prescription for off-label usage of medications)

• Fenbendazole – should not be used during molt as it has the potential to damage new feather growth
  • Safeguard cattle/goat oral suspension
    • 0.05cc/mL per pound, or 10mg/kg x3 days given orally
    • Depending on the type of worm and how heavy the worm load is, it may need to be given once a day for 3 days
    • 17 day egg withdrawal
  • AquaSol
    • 1mg/kg – Zero egg withdrawal when dosed as labeled
• Valbazen – should not be used during molt as it has the potential to damage new feather growth
  • 0.08cc/mL per pound, given orally
  • 14 day egg withdrawal
• Levamisole
  • 14 day egg withdrawal
• Pyrantel
  • 4.5-70mg/kg, given orally
  • 8 week egg withdrawal
• Ivermectin – injectable form only. The pour on is too harsh on poultry skin and can damage it.
  • Applied topically, 3-4 drops for standard size breeds, 1-2 drops for bantam breeds
  • Orally 0.2mg/kg
  • Injected sub cutaneous 0.2mg/kg, 3cc syringes with 22 gauge needles
  • 8 week egg withdrawal
• Praziquantel and Albendazole (tapeworms): 10mg/kg, repeat in 10 to 14 days. PLEASE NOTE: these are prescription only and you will need to work with your vet to get withdrawal period from FARAD.

Mites/Lice/Scaly Leg Mites – When treating for external parasites, make sure to clean out and treat the coop.
Link to Mites file.
Link to Lice file.

• Permethrin based product specifically labeled for poultry, either powder or liquid
  • Such as; Permectin II, Atroban, Prozap, GardStar, Martin’s
  • Zero egg withdrawal when used according to the label
• Elector PSP
  • Zero egg withdrawal when used according to the label
• Vaseline
• Ivermectin – injectable form only. The pour on is too harsh on poultry skin and can damage it.
  • Applied topically, 3-4 drops for standard size breeds, 1-2 drops for bantam breeds
  • Orally 0.2mg/kg
  • Injected sub cutaneous 0.2mg/kg
  • Repeat in 7-14 days
  • 8 week egg withdrawal

• Exzolt (fluralaner oral solution) for the treatment and control of northern fowl mites (Ornithonyssus sylviarum) in laying hens and replacement chickens. Fluralaner is administered to laying hens and replacement chickens orally via drinking water as 2 single doses, spaced 7 days apart with each dose consumed over a period of 6 to 24 hours. Each dose is 0.5 mg fluralaner/kg (0.227 mg/lb) body weight, equivalent to 0.05 mL of Exzolt/kg body weight (0.023 mL/lb).

These items are prescription only, but should also be in your medicine cabinet.

• Silver Sulfadiazine cream for wound care
• Meloxicam/metacam for proper pain management: 0.5 mg/kg every 12 hours
• Nystatin for treatment of fungal causes of sour crop and vent gleet
• Sulmet 12.5% for treatment of Coccidia (2ml per 1/2 pint, 4ml per pint, 8ml per liter, 1 ounce per gallon, 2 ounces per 2 gallon watering can), Sulmet Powder – 1 tsp per gallon
  • 1 ounce (30ml) per gallon for 2 days, then 0.5 ounces per gallon for 4 more days
  • If no improvement in 2 days, contact veterinarian
  • Do not hatch eggs until well after the egg withdrawal period to avoid adverse hatchability
  • 21 day egg withdrawal
• Sulfadimethoxine for treatment of Coccidia
  • 21 day egg withdrawal
  • Sulfadimethoxine Powder – 1 tsp per gallon

Miscellaneous items to have handy

• Old toothbrush for scrubbing feet/legs
• Dawn dish soap
• Virkon S for disinfecting/sanitizing
• Various size syringes without needles
• Dog crate
• Heating pad

Dewormers

Wazine -1 oz (30ml) per gallon

Useful Conversions

1 oz (liquid) = 30 ml =2 TBSP

1 TBSP =15 cc (Liquid)

1 tsp =5 cc (Liquid)

1 cc = 1 ml

We urge members to seek out and establish a relationship with a veterinarian before an emergency arises. There are many things that can safely be treated at home, but often for best success birds need proper pain management and there are no safe OTC pain meds.

All egg withdrawal times have been obtained through The Food Animal Avoidance Residue Databank (FARAD). We recommend that you work with your vet to make sure these withdrawal times are still appropriate for your flock.

Not Allowed:
Carbaryl (Sevin) -lifetime withdrawal per FARAD
All pesticides not specifically labeled. Pesticides are not allowed to be used extra label
Fipronil (Frontline) -lifetime withdrawal per FARAD

STRICTLY PROHIBITED -ILLEGAL TO USE lifetime withdrawal
Fluoroquinolones (Baytril, Cipro, etc)
Antiprotozoals like Metronidazole (Flagyl) and other drugs in this family (Nitroimidazoles)
Chloramphenicol
Clenbuterol (ventipulmin)
Diethylsilbesterol (DES)
Glycopeptides (vancomycin,etc)
Nitrofurans (Furazone, etc)
Cephalosporins (excede, naxcel, etc)
Antivirals

Link to FARAD’s Drugs with REstricted Extra-Label Uses in Food-Produing Animal Species list here

References:

Exotic Animal Drug Compendium
Plumb’s Veterinary Drug Handbook
Blackwell’s Five-Minute Veterinary Consult: Avian
Elanco Animal Health
Vet One
FARAD – The Veterinarian’s Guide to Residue Avoidance Management