Denagard Dosage

[Sydney Acres]

Anyone interested in knowing how much 1 to 2 week old peachicks drink?

-Kathy

Yes, did you measure it on yours or find a reference?

 

[casportpony]

Quote: I've been trying to keep keep track of their weights daily, and their water consumption... They drink a huge amount! Ignore the ones that weigh 805 and 55 grams, they are in different brooders. Total weight of the 13 peachicks and one chicken chick is ~1600 grams, and they go through almost a whole quart in 24 hours. Some does get spilled, so I need to figure out how to account for that.





-Kathy

 

[casportpony]

I'm about to clean their brooder, so I will measure an exact amount and 24 hours later I will weigh the remaining liquid.

-Kathy

 

[casportpony]

Okay, so I gave fresh water last night at 7 pm and just change it because it was looking pretty dirty, and in 18 hours they went through 420 ml. Of those 18 hours, 8 were in total darkness because I use a brooder plate, not a lamp, so 420 ml in 10 hours.

-Kathy

 

[Sydney Acres]

So about 30 ml per bird on average over a 10 hour period, and probably another 16-24 ml per bird over another 6 hours, plus the 8 hours when they're not likely drinking, so round numbers ~1.5-2 oz per bird per day, in this specific group, at this specific age, in these specific conditions, assuming minimal spills. Babies are very juicy! They drink a lot for their tiny size compared to adults. I do find it amazing how quickly those quart mason jars drain. I change them twice a day because the babies get them so dirty, but even if they stayed clean they'd still have to be refilled 1-2 times a day!

 

[casportpony]

So about 30 ml per bird on average over a 10 hour period, and probably another 16-24 ml per bird over another 6 hours, plus the 8 hours when they're not likely drinking, so round numbers ~1.5-2 oz per bird per day, in this specific group, at this specific age, in these specific conditions, assuming minimal spills. Babies are very juicy! They drink a lot for their tiny size compared to adults. I do find it amazing how quickly those quart mason jars drain. I change them twice a day because the babies get them so dirty, but even if they stayed clean they'd still have to be refilled 1-2 times a day!

I think I found a way to reduce spillage and spoilage, so gonna try that today, but the amount they are consuming is definitely more in line with what I read in the Avian Medicine Principles and Applications book, and I can see very clearly now how inaccurate dosing in water can be.

-Kathy

 

[Sydney Acres]

I agree, dosing in water is less than ideal. But sometimes it's the only option. If you've got too many birds to dose individually, or you can't tell one from the other, or you can't catch them, or you physically can't get the medication into them, well, it may be your only option. But it's only safe with drugs that have a very, very wide therapeutic dose range, so that the bird that consumes 4-5 times what another one does won't get overdosed, and the one that doesn't drink as much still gets enough to fix the problem.

 

[OHfarmerswife]

Ok I'm new to denagard. I mixed in their waterers. They quit drinking. I mixed in their wet mash & they refused to eat. How do I get this medication into my chickens???

 

[Sydney Acres]

Ok I'm new to denagard. I mixed in their waterers. They quit drinking. I mixed in their wet mash & they refused to eat. How do I get this medication into my chickens???

It is quite bitter tasting. If you read through some of the earlier posts there are specific recommendations regarding sweetening the water so it will be more palatable. Different birds have different tolerances for "off" tastes. Since they have already be sensitized to the bitter taste and will be looking for it again, I would start with just the sweetened water for 1-2 days, then add the Denagard at 1/2 volume for half a day, then increase up to full volume if they tolerate it. If they reject it, you may have to increase the sweetening a little.

 

[OHfarmerswife]

It is quite bitter tasting.  If you read through some of the earlier posts there are specific recommendations regarding sweetening the water so it will be more palatable.  Different birds have different tolerances for "off" tastes.  Since they have already be sensitized to the bitter taste and will be looking for it again, I would start with just the sweetened water for 1-2 days, then add the Denagard at 1/2 volume for half a day, then increase up to full volume if they tolerate it.  If they reject it, you may have to increase the sweetening a little.

Thx Sydney Acres I have read the entire thread but didn't see any specifics. I sweetened the food today but fear I am using too much sugar. They are their wet mash fairly well today. I'm going to try again tomorrow in their mash with 1/2 the dose & see how that goes.