I have two hens that I recently gave Terramycin to for probably not sufficient cause. The first one was on the antibiotic for 7 days (isolated from the flock)then isolated for another 10 days after. I then put her back in with the flock and have been collecting and eating the eggs. The second hen got them for only 2 days and I realized she didn't need them. I put her back with the flock and have been collecting only the eggs that I know came from all the other chickens. I didn't realize until today that the small print on the Terramycin soluble powder says not to give this to hens who lay eggs for human consumption. I called the pharmaceutical company and they said that they do not have any information on when the antibiotic is no longer in the egg. So my question is...what to do now? do I kill these 2 hens? Do I separate them out totally from the flock? Do I wait for an extended period of time(how much time)? I just don't want to eat, sell or give these eggs to my children just in case there is residual antibiotic in the egg that may potentially harm them. Anyone have any thoughts?I appreciate all responses. Thank You.
If you have no known allergies and do not sell your eggs, I would not worry. Although I have seldom had reason to use antibiotics, I use my own eggs, and do not toss them, even after worming the birds. The amount is so minimal that would be in the eggs that I do not worry. If you do worry, you will just have to dump the eggs. Don't hardboil to feed back to your laying hens or you will not be ahead, but you could feed them to chicks or non laying birds. Harm? Only if there are allergies or if persons are taking precription antibiotics for other reasons, would there be cause for concern. What we get in the foods we purchase at the supermarket (and have no clue about) will carry more potential harm than your own chicken's eggs--or their meat, if you raise your own!! How many eggs do you eat a day--per person? I eat two bantam eggs most every day and use them for occasional baking. And we are told there is no harm in our Supermarket fresh vegs and meat???????????? I do not worry, but I do not eat fresh fruits or veggies from S or Central America, either, except bananas! And few of those! CJR
I have used terramycin with my laying hens before. I *do* have serious allergies to most common antibiotics, including erythromycin (sp?) which is similar. I tossed the eggs out from the treated bird for one week. Then I started eating them again. No problems. This, however, is just my personal experience. I have read up to 2 week withdrawl time for other antibiotics. The reason they say not to use it with laying hens and the reason the manufacturer has no answer for you is simply that the money to do the testing in eggs didn't justify the benefit so they haven't tested. However, my non-scientific opinion is that it probably doesn't differ too much from other antibiotics or from testing that shows residual amounts in their meat. A week is probably fine. Two weeks if you are really worried. I wouldn't kill the birds. CJR is so right in that we are exposed to much worse, in much larger amounts, all the time with commercially raised foods!
THanks to you both for responding! I have decided to just keep the 2 hens in question in a seperate pen until a few more weeks pass. I DO sell my eggs, so am worried that one or two eggs from the one hen made it into the batches that I did sell. Fortunately that hen was isolated for 10 days after finishing the antibiotic, so I feel somewhat better about the amount that might be in the eggs. I would hate to kill the hens(though my husband would like them all dead!LOL). His solution to all chicken problems is to "just kill 'em!" I especially would not like killing chickens that I personally doctored back to health. I Like my chickens! Thanks again.
Just one reason it is not always easy to find treatment for our small home flocks, is because the large drug mfg. companies find no profit in our needs. Large poultry ( I mean :LARGE!!) may use enough to pay for the development and distribution, but not our few birds. The standard treatment for most serious illness in commercial flocks is: EXTERMINATION, not treatment. (hundreds of thousands of birds have been exterminated with the present Asian flu outbreak in VA and nearby.) When we nurse our birds back to laying,(I do not say back to health--because they MAY NOT be healthy, even tho we do not see them as "sick"at all) we may or may not be doing them a good deed. If it is something that is chronic or they become carriers, we have done little to protect our future birds. It is a hard call. Our birds become our friends and we don't want to lose a single one! Your husband's solution is one that the big producers accept, so don't feel too harshly about it--it may be the best in many cases, even if we can't accept it???This is just one reason why our local veterinary services are not trained in Poultry problems. Most will never see a chicken-patient! It is like "the Plague"--still in the world, but so rarely seen that physicians some places would not recognize it! We most often are our own Poultry doctors and must do the best job we can. Sharing information helps, but not seeing a sick bird makes the printed word a guess and a hope! CJR
By Cjeanr on Monday, May 6, 2002 - 07:50 pm:
By Susie (Susied) on Monday, May 6, 2002 - 07:57 pm:
Susie
By Jeankud on Tuesday, May 7, 2002 - 01:41 pm:
By Cjeanr on Tuesday, May 7, 2002 - 07:09 pm: