[Catsmuvva]

Does anyone have first hand experience of Total Poultry Solutions Nutri Drops? I saw some in my local Scats the other day and they seemed ideal to give to a couple of my girls who have been on antibiotics recently and the enclosed blurb sings their praises - well, they would hardly dumb down their own product, would they? However, I'd like to hear from people who aren't going to make money from talking them up - are they really as good as they sound or is it just a gimmicky thing? I'd love nothing more than for my girls to get on the road to recovery quicker...

[Foxy]

from what I can see it is just minerals, vits and a bit of sugar. I have never used it and can't find a good enough reason to start either.

[alisonwo]

Nope not heard of these, I give my girlies poultry spice, garlic oil and cod liver oil, not altogether of course, and they seem fine.  I also give them occasionally chicken tonic in their water or cider vinegar. 

[ehs284]

Agree with Foxy. The only way you'd get such rapid absorbtion would be through the sugar solution. It's probably good stuff, but wasted on healthy adult animals. I've used warm Red Bull with a calcium carbonate (indigestion) tablet dissolved in it for a cold bird which had not eaten and was keeping away from the others and looking unwell. Given with a syringe, this stimulated the bird to eat. A warm bath, blow dry, massage, more Red Bull and a little TLC and she was ready to rejoin the others. If you're worried about gut flora when on antibiotics then give yoghurt. HTH

[Foxy]

Agree with Foxy. The only way you'd get such rapid absorbtion would be through the sugar solution. It's probably good stuff, but wasted on healthy adult animals. I've used warm Red Bull with a calcium carbonate (indigestion) tablet dissolved in it for a cold bird which had not eaten and was keeping away from the others and looking unwell. Given with a syringe, this stimulated the bird to eat. A warm bath, blow dry, massage, more Red Bull and a little TLC and she was ready to rejoin the others. If you're worried about gut flora when on antibiotics then give yoghurt. HTH

Wow!!! which sort of bird are you referring too??? Might try that myself, they do say redbull will give you wings!

[Catsmuvva]

Thanks for all that. I give them yogurt occasionally, which they love, although I always stand a healthy distance from them to reduce splatter! I also give poultry spice mixed in with their warm mash. I've heard about cider vinegar and sometimes put a few drops in their water but how much are you actually supposed to put in? I bought some Herban to include in their water but they won't touch it, must be the smell I guess.

As for the Red Bull - wow, will the fencing be able to keep them in??

[beulah59]

If the yoghurt splatters, mix a little into their hot mash ...

ACV - I put about 20ml in a 4litre drinker ... I think that's less than recommended but I don't want to put them off having at least some!

[hillfooter]

I agree with Foxy et al on this just stick with good quality basic nutrition and don't be suckered in with outlandish claims from supplement companies.  A little extra protien and some multivits wouldn't do any harm though but just for the rehab period.

I don't even believe yogurt is paricularly useful after A/Bs as it contains very few helpfuly microflora about 8 species or there abouts and a chx digestive system has normally thousands.  The theory is that recolonising with helpfully bacteria helps exclude potentially harmful one's (a process known as competitive exclusion) but I'm not sure about the science.  You need to balance the potential benefits against feeding your chx completely alien dairy products and the effects that might have on a damaged digestive system ie you don't want to risk giving them loose droppings.

ACV added to water certainly seems to stimulate drinking so to that extent it is useful but then if you drank vinegar it would probably make you thirsty too.  I suspect there's a sterilising effect on a communial drinker also.  Again the health claims are a little dubious but on the whole I think it could be a benefit.  10ml per litre is what is usually quoted but there's no magic dose and I just slosh in a couple of capfuls from a 5litre bottle into their 4ltre drinker.  I guess that's about 5 ml/ litre or there abouts.
HF