Dosages for Denagard???

[Chickenaddict]

I have been spinning in circles for a few days now trying to figure out the dosages for this stuff! I just purchased a bottle to use a a preventative for my flock seeing as they free range and are exposed to wild birds in the yard I thought this might be a good idea. The dosages on the bottle are for pigs not poultry. Some website tell you the dosages for poultry but going by each individual weight is NOT gonna work for me. I have 45 birds (all banties) but vary in sizes. Is there a simple way to dose them in a gallon size waterer? Like 1 tsp per gallon? I guess I am a bit mathematically challenged.

 

[pips&peeps]

Preventative 8 cc/ml per gallon

Treatment 16 cc/ml per gallon

 

[Chickenaddict]

Thank you so much pips&peeps

 

[pips&peeps]

Have you been on the UK site which has all the information listed about treating poultry? It has information about "pulsing".

 

[Chickenaddict]

I don't believe I have. I checked out a few links ppl had posted and read alot of info on it. Do you happen to have a link? I would like to read up as much as I can. Thanks again

 

[pips&peeps]

http://www.ah.novartis.com/products/en/denagard_12sol_poultry.shtml
FYI Denagard is not approved in the US for treating poultry only the UK. This is an extra label use.

 

[Chickenaddict]

Ok Yep I have been to that site and read it. I understand it is not for poultry here but I am going for it as a preventative anyway. I thank you for all the info and greatly appreciate it

 

[mypicklebird]

My question to you is why are you giving an antibiotic to a healthy flock? Giving antibiotics as a preventative is not in general a good idea. People do it, especially in commercial settings where birds are wallowing in their own feces, packed into small cages and sheds together- and are very likely to get ill if not on preventative antibiotics-- but if you have a healthy flock in a relatively clean environment- why use an off label antibiotic at all? The medication looks like a nice choice for certain diseases- but why treat unless you have a problem? How are you going to come up with a dosing plan, if they are not sick? There are preventative medications used in certain instances like amprollium in medicated feed for chicks going into contaminated areas- I use this myself, but for Denagard, it appears to be a good choice for mycoplasma (CRD)- so maybe I can rationalize using this as a preventative if I plan to bring in infected birds, but then again- I would probably not bring in infected birds.
Please excuse my rant, but it is a peeve of mine that antibiotics are used so often by people when they don't know what the problem is (bacterial, fungal, viral, parasitic, ect)- and many antibiotics are used inappropriately even when the problem IS a bacteria. Then I see this question about using an antibiotic in an apparently healthy flock... forgive me, I can't help it!

 

[Chickenaddict]

I am super paranoid about them getting something from the wild birds in the area. There has been alot of sick flocks around these parts lately as well, so much so that they have shut down all the swaps. If I can use something to prevent them from getting a disease like CRD or MG then I sure will. Otherwise I am not one to jump the gun on unneccesary antibiotics. I have brought in sick birds in the past but they were always properly quarentined until I was sure of what they had and how to safely treat it (in that particular case the birds ended up being culled). I am trying to protect my birds with something I have read works well for preventing it. I researched this antibiotic for 2 days before I opted to buy it. If it hadn't been for the nasty stuff going around recently I would have never gone this route

 

[mypicklebird]

Are you going to keep them on the antibiotic year round? CRD/MG is all over the place, what diseases shut down the local swaps? CRD is just so common, and in general does not cause death- my concern is that your choice of meds may help treat mycoplasma sp if/when it shows up- but is unlikely to do anything for the baddies like ILT/IB/Coryza- those are the things that make me paranoid around here and keeps me away from swaps. I think I would be tempted by it if I had infectious synovitis show up- if I didn't want to cull the flock. I see it has a synergisitc effect with tetracyclines to control Pasteurella- not a bad thing if I was worried about that.