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Using Nystatin For Chickens!

When your chickens have a problem with a fungus or yeast infection, don’t wait to see if the problem goes away on its own.

Many infections need help from anti-fungal medications like nystatin to eliminate or reduce the fungus or yeast numbers to a level where your chicken’s immune system can handle it.

If you let the infection continue unabated, your chickens could end up getting very sick or possibly passing away.

Many people use nystatin with their chickens, and this medication is very effective in birds of all ages.

Nystatin is commonly used on humans to clear up various yeast and fungal infections, but veterinarians also use this medication in an off-label way for cats, dogs, birds, and reptiles.

When used in conjunction with an avian veterinarian’s diagnosis, nystatin can be effective and safe for your birds.

For the best results and the safety of your birds, you must be careful to know how much and how often to administer nystatin for your chickens.

Using too much or too little of the medication or using it for an extended time can cause long-term problems. Keep reading to learn more about nystatin for chickens, why people use it, and whether it is safe and effective for your chickens.

Can Nystatin Be Used On Chickens?

Nystatin is an effective medication for infections in many animal species, including chickens. Many chicken owners keep some form of the medication on-hand as part of their regular medical supply.

Not only do chicken owners use it, many other bird owners consider it useful and safe. The medication is also sometimes used in the commercial poultry and egg industry.

Generally, nystatin is given to chickens orally, most often through a syringe to the mouth, on food, or in their drinking water. You may be able to purchase nystatin in different flavors to make the medication more palatable and easy to administer.

Chickens tend to tolerate nystatin well and show little to no side effects from its ingestion, and most birds recover quickly from its use.

The key to using the medication effectively and safely with chickens is to ensure a proper dosage and treatment time. Make sure you follow the directions on the medication’s packaging or use the dosage your veterinarian provided to you.

Nystatin works very well on chickens, provided you use it as intended. Take care to clean your bird’s environment during treatment to prevent the reoccurrence of the problem.

Why Do Some People Use Nystatin For Chickens?

The most common reason to use nystatin for chickens is to rid them of fungal or yeast infections in the mouth or digestive tract.

A common type of yeast infection that chickens and other birds often get is Candidiasis, which comes from Candida albicans, and is a yeast infection that causes sour crop and infections like thrush.

This infection is a result of an overgrowth of yeast in the bird’s crop area due to other issues that affect the digestive system. Infected birds often are unable to eat properly and have a swollen and impacted crop.

The crop is a part of the bird’s digestive system where food is stored before going to the gizzard, and its location is immediately below the esophagus.

Many birds store food in the crop as a reserve until the rest of the digestive system is ready to complete its digestion. Yeast is often present inside the crop and usually causes no problems, but certain conditions like illness or poor diet can cause it to proliferate and cause sour crop.

In addition to sour crop, some chicken owners also use nystatin for other Candida infections such as those in the throat, like thrush, as well as others further down in the digestive system.

The medication must make direct contact with the yeast or fungus for it to be effective and reduce the infection.

Nystatin does not work systemically in chickens, so it won’t get absorbed into the digestive tract and spread through the bloodstream like many other medications.

Is Nystatin Safe For Chickens?

Nystatin is one of the safest medications you can use on your chickens, and you can even use it on very young birds as well as small caged birds and mammals.

However, like any other medication, you must use it properly and in the right amounts.

If you use too much, it can irritate the mouth as well as cause stomach upset, and if you use too little, the medication may not be effective. Fortunately, side effects are rare, and most birds experience no issues with proper use.

One other precaution to take with this medication is to make sure your chicken actually has a fungal or yeast infection before administering the medication.

Your veterinarian can test your bird to check for Candida and determine the infection’s severity or if your bird has a different type of infection or illness.

A veterinarian is also the best person to check with to determine what dosage you should use for your birds and how long you should administer it.

Another good reason to ensure proper diagnosis and dosage is that some yeast and fungi can become resistant to nystatin if improperly dosed and managed. If your bird develops a resistant strain, the infection will never go away and could become worse.

When this problem happens, you may need to change to a different medication that may not be as safe or effective. Never use nystatin to prevent an infection or use it continuously; it is only for short-term use, it is only for short-term use, like how you would use antibiotics.

Conclusion

If your chickens suffer from certain types of fungal or yeast infections, nystatin is a common medication you can use to reduce or eliminate the problem. If you are seeing a fungal or yeast problem in your chickens for the first time, consult your veterinarian for an accurate diagnosis before treating the problem yourself. Your veterinarian can supply you with nystatin for chickens, or you may be able to get it from an avian or pet supply store, though you may need a prescription in certain circumstances.