Baytril

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Can anyone tell me how long after a course of Baytril should I leave it before the eggs are ok to eat. My vet says six weeks to be on the safe side but she's not a poultry vet and at the moment we're learning together!
Also my hens don't seem to like eating their pellets out of a feeder, is it ok to scatter it as I do with their afternoon corn or should I cut out the corn & veggies and make them eat the pellets only until they get the hang of it??
 
Baytril isn't actually licensed for use in hens producing eggs for human consumption (although it is one of the more common drugs vets will prescribe for respiratory problems in chickens) when drugs like baytril are prescribed by a vet to treat your birds, there is no advice from the manufacturer about egg withdrawal periods for them to follow (see Noah Compendium or Baytril Site).

Since it takes different lengths of time to leave from the body, vets usually say for non approved drugs to withdraw eggs for 28 days. If it were approved it is common to have withdrawal periods of the treatment time plus a week.

I hope this helps... 5 to 6 weeks is probably right from when you start treating as from memory you treat for 7 days.

Tim
 
Re the pellets out of the feeder.

I'd not scatter them as this encourages vermin.

I'd stop feeding them corn and veggies as treets so they get the hang of eating the pellets. They won't let themselves starve and this time of year, if having any kind of free range (or if in a large run area) they will find lots of goodies to eat while out.

Give a small handful of corn a short while before they go into roost. Don't give it too early on in the afternoon.

Personally I don't give treats in spring and summer as my birds free range and do very well from it with all the worms and bugs around. They get a few goodies if they have been broody or are moulting but other than that, I resist.

I tend to give more treats in winter and also late autumn. Mind love ready brek with hot water, chopped pasta and rice. I give the redy brek on cold winter mornings only and the other in the afternoon along with corn. Usually about an hour before roosting.
 
:lol: Guru! :lol:

Another reason to only feed pellets from a feeder is to help with worms. If pellets touch droppings, the worm eggs will be transferred to the birds. This happens anyway but keeping pellets in the containers reduces the amount of worm eggs they will be eating. Scratch feeds like corn are best fed on the cleanest bit of ground they have (the least droppings) and as snifter says, best kept as a treat... Fat hens don't lay eggs ;)

Worming chickens kills the worms - not the eggs they pick up - which then hatch into worms of course! :roll:

Tim
 
Thanks guys. Will cut right down on the corn & veggies although with my Mad Margo (see aggressive hen) I use nets of cabbage etc to keep her busy... They do have a big run and seem to find lots to scratch up so I will follow your advice (of course!).
 
I wouldn't say there's any problem with the cabbages - just watch the corn, no more than a handful each really as a treat. Food like pasta / potatoes etc will also cause them to put on weight pretty quickly if you give them too much and keep the food in containers where you can...

Food scraps are an excellent way for providing hens with a varied diet but I usually limit these to no more than 25% of their diet since they do need the correct balance in their diet. I mix my scraps with layers mash.

Hope this helps..

T
 
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