As the month comes to an end, there are a few points about drug use
among poultry farmers I would like to bring out.
Many poultry farmers misuse drugs
not knowing that they are posing a danger to themselves and other people.
Strange diseases keep coming up and you wonder why this is so. As a consumer do
you know the source of eggs, milk or meat that you buy from the shop or
supermarket? How safe is it? Are farmers to blame for this?
These are basic rules a livestock farmer should follow:
1. Do not
administer drugs without a professional prescription. Get a prescription from
your vet. Many farmers administer drugs like sweets at the slightest sighting
of a symptom instead of waiting for disease diagnosis and drug prescription
from a vet.
2. Beware
of drug interactions- never carelessly combine drugs except if stated so by the
manufacturers. Some drugs cause harmful interactions if combined. That's the
reason you should work with your vet.
3. Make it
a habit to read through drug leaflets or instructions before administering
drugs to animals. Many farmers don't do this and they end up overdosing or
underdosing their animals. The leaflet will always indicate dosage rate and
withdrawal period (period during treatment when you should not consume animal
products after drug administration).
4. Never
administer drugs to animals immediately after vaccination.
Seek clearance from a vet. As a rule never administer antibiotics two days
before or two days after vaccination. Antibiotics will deactivate the vaccines.
5. Do not
prolong vitamins administration to animals for more than 7 to 10 days. Vitamins
are not food for the chicken avoid prolonged usage. I bet you know that too
much of something is poisonous. It is even costly to buy the vitamins
throughout.
6. Be wary
of 'wonder drug'- a single drug that does everything. There is no single drug
that can cure all diseases. With good management, biosecurity
and working with a vet most diseases should be done away with.
7. Beware
of overdosing and underdosing - this may lead to drug resistance development. If
you are not sure work with a vet. Most farmers would rather not spend money on
vets thinking that they are being fleeced or conned .In the end they use all
varieties of drugs which makes things worse.
8. Insist
on completing the course of any drug. Don't stop medicating your birds just
because they started showing signs of recovery. If the drug package indicates 5
days treatment then do 5 days. If 3 days then do 3 days. Never ever interrupt
the treatment period. Most farmers are guilty of this.
9. Ensure
you understand the mode of administration of any drug. If it's indicated that
you should administer a drug through drinking water please do so. If it's
through spraying or dusting do so. You will save yourself from losses by
following instructions.
10. During
treatment period give only medicated water all along. The water you give to your
animals during treatment should only be medicated not plain water. Make sure
you change the water every 24hrs to avoid contamination.
11. Don't
continue to abuse a particular drug because it worked well previously. You
might continue using drug A or drug B just because it worked the first time not
knowing that you are exposing your birds to drug resistance. Always consult
with your vet about this.
12. Never
forget, prevention is better than cure. Biosecurity remains the best measure
for disease control.
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