When Metronidazole is prescribed for broiler chickens
Every caring owner tries to monitor the health of the poultry population as closely as possible. Birds do not always have strong immunity in order to resist all the influences of the outside world. This is especially true of the younger representatives of the bird flock - chickens. Their fragile body is often attacked by bacteria and viruses, which, unfortunately, can take the lives of many chicks.
Metronidazole for Chickens and Chickens
Young animals are especially sensitive to such external factors of life as temperature and dryness of the premises where they are located. If they are not favorable, there is a risk bird mortality even before she grows up. Experienced poultry farmers always have a veterinary first-aid kit in service, which can help in treatment, save livestock and improve the health of birds. Today we will talk about one of the drugs that must be present in farmers and find out how metronidazole is used for broiler chickens.
Bird medicine
It was said above that the health of chickens is a very fragile thing. Chickens need to be kept in special conditions in order to get the desired result from them, be it dietary meat or homemade eggs. Experienced poultry farmers know what drugs should be used to maintain it. In general, from a medical point of view, the entire veterinary first-aid kit of bird owners can be divided into two large groups:
- antibiotics;
- antiparasitic medicines.
The first group includes drugs such as biomycin, ceftriaxone, tetracycline, chloramphenicol, tylosin and metronidazole. Metronidazole is ideal for broilers, but the dosage should be calculated on a case-by-case basis.
The second - levamisole 75, alben and others. Of course, these are not all the tools that are in the first-aid kit of bird owners. Also very popular is fish fat... It is a source of vitamins A and D, which are able to fight the manifestations of rickets in the young generation of birds.
Metronidazole properties
This drug is an antibiotic. Metronidazole for chickens and its dosage must be carefully selected. Pharmacinetics is based on antiparasitic effect combined with antibacterial action. Application can protect chicks from simple parasites, which greatly undermine the health of young animals. In addition, metronidazole is an excellent helper in the fight against anaerobic microorganisms, including often threatening broilers.
A positive factor is the rapid absorption of this medication into the body. Metronidazole in short juices passes from the digestive tract and penetrates into the tissues and organs of the bird, which is important for surgical treatment. The medication is excreted only after two days along with feces and urine, and this indicates a long-term effect of action. These properties of a mild antibiotic help it fight common bird diseases, which include:
- trichomoniasis;
- coccidosis;
- histomonosis.
Metronidazole is produced in various forms: balls, suppositories, powders and tablets. Of course, powder is best suited for broilers for both adults and chicks. The fact is that the powder is easier to dilute, you just need to add it to the water. With such a solution, it will be easy to water the layers, thus ensuring the maximum availability of the medication, which is very important during treatment. The dose is selected individually, age is taken into account. Another plus in the application will be the almost complete absence of side effects, which cannot but please the caring owners, because now you can give the drug without fear.
Why do you need metronidazole for chickens
The spectrum of action of this medication is quite wide. The necessary dose of the medicine can save the life of the bird, and therefore metronidazole is not harmful to chickens. As for its use in veterinary practice, metronidazole is prescribed for the treatment of trichomoniasis in chickens. The same is this disease?
Trichomoniasis is the # 1 infectious killer among chickens. It is especially scary for broilers, as they have average immunity. The causative agent of the disease is Trichomonas, and the source of infection lies in dirty water and chicken feed. In order to avoid incidents of the occurrence of the disease, it is advised to regularly change the water to pets and monitor the purity of their food. A sick bird can be recognized by the following signs:
- drowsiness;
- decreased mobility;
- the beak is open almost all the time;
- the wings hardly rise;
- a yellowish bloom appears in the throat and goiter;
- the chicken refuses to eat and breathes heavily.
In the event that such symptoms become noticeable in chickens or adult broilers, it is recommended to start treatment immediately, otherwise there is a possibility of losing most of the livestock. Here metronidazole will be recommended for use. The dosage in different cases will be described below.
Instructions for use
As already mentioned, the described antibiotic is available in different forms. The powder can be easily diluted simply by adding it to the water. But in this case, it is necessary to give the solution to broilers only from a pipette. It is necessary to drink the chicks in this way, because the drug does not completely dissolve in the liquid and settles at the bottom of the container. The birds simply will not receive the medicine if left in this form in the drinker. The use of such a tool must be carefully considered, especially when it comes to chickens.
More effective and simple from the point of view of delivery to the body will be the use of a medication in tablets. They will need to be thoroughly crushed and the dosage calculated for chickens. If a decision is made to mix the medicine into the food of the bird, you will have to carry out this procedure once a day for 10 days.
You need to give the patient the medicine 2 times a day for 3 days, but sometimes experienced specialists insist on continuing the course for up to 10 days in order to avoid a relapse of the disease.
Metronidazole is practically harmless for chickens. According to the instructions, the only contraindication to use is hypersensitivity to some components, which is rare in a bird. In any case, the risk of complications fades into the background when the struggle for the lives of chickens comes into play.
Let's sum up
Of course, in the arsenal of a respectable owner there should always be a veterinary first-aid kit equipped with a number of medicines. It must contain metronidazole for chickens. But you must also remember that each of them is needed only in the event of a serious risk of disease, because each of the chemical elements present in medicines will be deposited in poultry meat in one way or another.
It will be much easier to provide comfortable and safe living conditions for the livestock than to fight diseases later. You always need to change the water for your pets, feed them balanced feed, vaccinate in a timely manner. Only if these conditions are met, the livestock will always be healthy.
So, metronidazole is useful for broilers, the dose is calculated individually for each bird, and it is better for a specialist to carry out the calculations. Also, an important role is played by the instructions for use, which should also be carefully studied before starting treatment of the livestock.