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
• Terramycin eye ointment

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).

• Denaguard 12.5%
  • 8cc per gallon of water, give for 3-5 days for chickens, 5 days for turkeys, mix fresh each day
  • Recommended to add apple juice as the medication is very bitter
  • 6-8 week egg withdrawal
• Tylan 50
  • 3cc syringes with 22 gauge needles
  • 0.2cc/mL per pound every 6-8 hours, if no improvement by day 3, Tylan is not the appropriate treatment
  • Needs to be given IM (injected into the breast muscle, alternating spots as it can cause muscle necrosis)
  • Some vets recommend giving Meloxicam as well as the injection can be painful
  • 8 week egg withdrawal

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.
  • Zero egg withdrawal
  • May need to supplement with a product that contains Thiamine after finishing treatment

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

De-worming (a fecal float should be performed before de-worming, chickens do not need preventative de-worming. 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, 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
    • 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

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

• 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

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
• Nystatin for treatment of fungal causes of sour crop and vent gleet
• Sulmet for treatment of Coccidia
  • 1 ounce 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
  • 0.5 ounces per gallon drinking water for 6 days – chickens
  • 0.25 ounces per gallon drinking water for 6 days – turkeys
  • 21 day egg withdrawal

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

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.

References:

Exotic Animal Drug Compendium

Plumb’s Veterinary Drug Handbook

Blackwell’s Five-Minute Veterinary Consult: Avian

Elanco Animal Health

Vet One

http://www.farad.org/vetgram/ProductInfo.asp?byNada=033-165

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