Why can't I give my sick chick yogurt if she's on an antibiotic?

skinnycatfish

In the Brooder
10 Years
Oct 15, 2009
12
0
22
I have been reading as much as I can about helping a sick chick and I've read that one should not give yogurt to a bird while it is on an antibiotic. Could someone explain why that is? I am trying everything I can to get a chick to eat and I'd love to try yogurt because it has been helpful for puny chicks in the past, but I fear causing her more harm.
In general, the run down of what the deal is is this:

I've lost 3 week and half old bantams to what I'm sure was/is coccidia.
Treating the other 3 bantams and 6 standard breeds(which are a little older) with Sulmet and electrolytes, scrambled eggs.
Feeding medicated starter crumbles.
Treating wheezy bird with Tetra Vet 10 and she's the one who won't eat. I feel that if she ate something she might stand a chance on surviving. I give her the medicated water and Sav-a-chick with a syringe. She'll walk around and then half-heartedly eat, but mostly sits and sleeps.

I'm worn out trying to keep more of these wee ones from getting sick(er). Everyone is eating but "wheezy".
Thank you so much for any help. It is so appreciated.
 
My understanding - chickens do NOT have the enzymes necessary to digest any dairy products. I still see alot of people here talking about giving it, but a recent poster said their vet told them to never give chickens yogurt because it just puts an added strain on the chicken since they can't really digest it. You CAN give them some other kind of probiotic though.
 
Sorry you're having so many difficulties with your babies. Basically Antiobiotics should not be taken with milk products as they lose their full effectiveness. Have you tried seeing if the little chick would eat scrambled eggs?? Sometimes they will.....
 
I gave them all scrambled eggs earlier today and all of them except the one went nuts for them. I have tried giving the clicky one crumbles mixed with water, and egg, and she doesn't respond. She seemed interested with the others pecking around in the eggs but only picked up a small bit and didn't eat . *sigh* Tired of trying but I certainly can't give up on her.
Thanks to all for explaining why I shouldn't give yogurt to her. It is the most favored treat for my older flock and I hate that it might be bad for her.
 
I have given my chicks, as young as 4 weeks yogurt with their antibiotic. I figure if they won't eat and will die, what will it hurt to feed them yogurt? Just so you know, all of mine that I fed yogurt to are now happy 10 month old chickens who still love yogurt and happily give eggs every day :)

Last summer, I even froze yogurt and fruit and fed them that on the hottest days and they loved it :)
 
Probiotic powder is an excellent alternative to yogurt and SHOULD be given any time antibiotics are being administered because it helps build up the good bacteria. Also instead of Sav-a-Chick, maybe try Nutri-Drench. It is a molasses based nutrient rich liquid that helps boost their energy. Also, any that are wheezing or seem to have respiratory issues, Poultry Vet-RX may help. I get all three of these from amazon.com Good luck !
 
Thanks so much for the advice. I'm trying hard!
Just hope s/he pulls through and the rest don't fall prey to it.
Thanks again everybody for your expertise.
 
try giving her some canned cat food...that seems to be a favorite of mine! You could even put a pro-biotic powder on top of it. I get mine (probiotic powder) at Walgreens.
 

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