Methylene blue or iodine blue is an antiseptic that is suitable not only for treating injured skin, but also for treating various diseases of the viral, fungal and bacterial nature in chickens. Whether blue iodine is really useful for birds, and how to use it to prevent side effects, we will find out further.
What is this drug?
Methylene blue is a solution of blue iodine, which is also called "Iodinol." It is sold at any pharmacy and sold without a prescription. The main characteristics of the drug can be found in the table:
Characteristic | Description |
Release form | 1% alcohol solution, which is available in 10 ml vials. |
Powder for the preparation of an aqueous solution, which is produced in bottles of 10 g. | |
Ampoules containing 20 ml or 50 ml of a 1% solution of methylene blue in a 25% glucose solution. | |
Solubility | It is well soluble in water in a proportion of 1:30, but slightly in alcohol. |
Shelf life | The solutions are suitable for use for 3 years from the date of manufacture, and the powders do not imply any restrictions. |
Storage conditions | Keep the blue in a dark place in a tightly closed bottle at a temperature of 15 отC to 25˚C. |
The composition of the drug
The main active ingredient of blue iodine is methylene blue. It is a blue powder that consists of crystalline granules. Its concentration per 10 ml of the drug is 100 mg. Excipients account for 9900 mg.
The tool does not contain hormonal and antibacterial substances.
How does an antiseptic work?
Having understood the properties of methylene blue, you can understand why it is used to treat diseases in chickens:
- When applied to infected skin, its active substance reacts with the proteins of the pest cells and forms compounds of organic origin. After some time, these painful cells die. So, “bluing” destroys pathogenic microorganisms and disinfects the surface on which it is applied, which is why it is used in surgical practice and veterinary medicine for antiseptic treatment.
- Blue iodine can be used not only externally, but also inside. When a substance enters the body, it negatively affects the pathogenic flora in the gastrointestinal tract, and therefore helps with poisoning. In addition, it is able to relieve weak pain.
- Some people think that “blue” acts like green leaves. However, this is not true, since this substance is poorly soluble in water and alcohol. When it enters the bacterium, it provokes cell dysfunction, which leads to the death of the body. Since the substance is rapidly excreted from the tissues of the animal, a negative reaction can be avoided.
- Like regular iodine, “blueness” stimulates the thyroid gland, and it performs a protective function against harmful microorganisms. With a lack of iodine, the functionality of this organ is impaired, which leads to massive violations in the body of chickens - their immunity is reduced, malfunctions of the nervous system occur.
So, “bluing” has a disinfecting and analgesic effect, is an antidote for poisoning and a thyroid stimulator.
What helps chickens?
Methylene blue performs the following therapeutic functions:
- heals wounds - burns, ulcers, eczema;
- neutralizes skin parasites;
- destroys bacteria and pathogenic microflora;
- increases white blood cell activity;
- controls the level of red blood cells;
- cleanses the vessels, making them elastic;
- normalizes blood pressure;
- boosts immunity.
Of course, “bluing” is not a panacea that cures 100% of all kinds of ailments, but in some cases it will become an excellent assistant, especially in combination with other means.
Blue cooking methods
Blue iodine can be bought at the pharmacy or made with your own hands, using one of two recipes. Basically, the first recipe is used, the author of which is the doctor Mokhnach V.A. The second is less known, but it allows you to get iodine, which dissolves better without irritating the intestinal mucosa and the bird’s stomach.
1 recipe
Ingredients:
- water - 200 ml;
- starch - 1 tbsp. l .;
- sugar - 1 tsp;
- citric acid - 1/2 tsp;
- 5% iodine - 1 tsp.
Cooking:
- Take 100 ml of water, a little warmer than room temperature, and add starch and sugar to it. Mix thoroughly so that the mass becomes homogeneous, without lumps.
- Pour citric acid and pour another 100 ml of water. Put the mixture on the stove and bring to a boil to get a kind of jelly.
- Cool the mass, pour the pharmacy iodine into it and mix. The liquid should turn blue.
- Pour the composition into a bottle or jar and close the lid tightly.
When working with the substance, be careful, as it is poorly washed off if it gets on various surfaces.
Sugar and citric acid are preservatives, so they retain the quality of blue iodine. It will not lose its properties in a few months. When the composition begins to lose its blue color, it will lose its qualities. So, color is an indicator of the activity of the drug.
The preparation of the remedy for this recipe can be clearly seen in the video below:
2 recipe
Ingredients:
- water - 250 ml;
- starch - 1 tbsp. l
Cooking:
- Take a pot with a capacity of 500 ml and pour 50 ml of warm water into it. Add starch and pharmacy iodine, mix well.
- Pour 200 ml of boiling water into a mixture in a small trickle, without stopping mixing. You should get a solution that resembles a paste.
- Cool the composition and pour into a bottle or jar, well clog.
Such iodine can be stored in the refrigerator for about 3 weeks.
Dosage and administration
Methylene blue is a universal remedy that is used to treat various pathologies in chickens. Dosages of bluing depend on the disease:
- Cuts and wounds. They must be treated with a 1-3% alcohol solution of methylene blue. In this case, it performs the function of an antiseptic. If the wound is not deep, it is enough to dilute the blue with water, moisten gauze or cotton wool in the resulting composition and grease the damaged area of the skin.
- Burns. If burns are observed, then they need to be treated with a 1% aqueous solution.
- Inflammatory processes. If an infection enters the body of the bird, and the inflammatory process begins in the stomach and intestines, then blue must be given inside. In this case, breeders need to know and observe a strict dosage of the product: 1 g of the powder must be dissolved in 5 liters of cool boiled water. Give the finished solution to the bird, replacing it with plain water. Treatment of chickens lasts until the symptoms of the disease completely disappear.
- Poisoning. If the bird was poisoned with chemicals and poisons, treatment is carried out with a “blue” dissolved in glucose. The drug in the form of an injection must be administered to the bird at the rate of 0.2 ml per each kilogram of weight. In severe poisoning, the dose can be increased to 0.5 ml per kilogram of weight.
- Bursitis. In this case, the bird needs to enter a 2% solution with a calculation of 0.01% per 1 kg of weight.
- Coccidiosis. Patients with hens should be given a remedy inside. For this, blue iodine will need to be diluted with water in equal proportions (1: 1). Give the solution to chickens as water. The treatment lasts about a week.
- Pullorosis. Bluing is also effective for pullorosis. In this case, it should be given to chickens 0.5 ml 3 times a day for 10 days.
- Intractable pathologies. Young chickens should be given 0.5 ml of the drug 3 times a day, and for individuals older than a year - 1 ml of the drug 3 times a day. Conduct treatment until completely cured. In order not to kill the bird, you should definitely consult with your veterinarian.
- Low immunity. In order to strengthen the immunity of the bird, it needs to give 0.3-05 ml of the drug daily once a day. Duration of admission is half a month. Especially blue iodine helps to cope with chicken diseases in the autumn and winter seasons. During this period, they lack vitamins and minerals, which causes various epidemics and colds.
The use of blue iodine does not affect the egg production of chickens and the quality of their meat!
Blue checker for chickens
In the treatment and prevention of various diseases of chickens, iodine checkers are also used. Blue iodine can have a loose structure, sold in banks or available in tablet form. The exact form of release depends on the manufacturer. In any case, checkers are very popular, since in this form iodine pairs have a high degree of permeability.
As a rule, checkers are used in order to:
- disinfect the house;
- prevent epidemics;
- conduct therapy during outbreaks of epidemics.
A checker is convenient in that for disinfection there is no need to free the room from the bird, since such a treatment of the chicken coop can be carried out in its presence.
The drug is used as follows:
- Install the arson checker on a non-flammable surface, which should also be flat and without inclines. For these purposes, a sheet of iron, concrete or brick is suitable.
- Set fire to a checker in order to carry out a cyclic treatment with iodine vapor.
After setting fire to the checkers, vapors of iodine of blue or slightly violet color will begin to stand out in the atmosphere. It will burn for 30 seconds, so the birds do not even have time to suspect anything.
When using iodine checkers, the following nuances should be taken into account:
- If respiratory diseases are detected in chickens, then disinfection with an iodine checker will have to be performed once every 2 days.
- With a decrease in the concentration of the drug, you can treat the chicken coop every day, but you can not forget about the breaks that take place every 3 days.
- Air should not be allowed into the room to increase the concentration of iodine vapor to 200 mg per cubic meter.
- In order to better process the chicken coop, it’s still worthwhile to temporarily transfer the birds to another room. In addition, it is necessary to tightly close all windows and doors. In this case, it will take about 3 hours to carry out a complete disinfection. Then you need to ventilate the room and rinse the equipment with clean water, and only then run the chickens.
Watch a short video on how to process a chicken coop with an iodine saber:
Side effects and contraindications
It is impossible to irresponsibly apply to the use of “bluing” in the treatment of various pathologies in birds, since it can cause dangerous side effects. These include:
- damage to the organs of excretion;
- pain in the stomach and intestines;
- allergy development;
- decreased hemoglobin in the blood (anemia).
Side effects can intensify when blue iodine is treated with a large area of the skin.
Side effects will also have to be encountered in violation of the dosage of the drug. In this case, poisoning occurs in chickens, diarrhea and vomiting are observed.
As for contraindications, this drug should not be used if it causes allergies in chickens in the form of skin irritation, itching, redness, etc. In some birds, allergies can occur even with strict adherence to the dosage.
Reviews of breeders
Breeders often use methylene blue to treat their pets. They share their experiences in the comments:
Anna, 35 years old, Volgograd region. We have about 10 chickens. Our family is quite enough, as they are well carried. But once, an accident happened to our main layer. She landed unsuccessfully, having flown off the fence, cut her leg in the lower leg area against a sharp object standing nearby. At first, we tried to stop the blood with hydrogen peroxide, and then treated with a solution of methylene blue. We tried daily to treat a sore foot. She healed pretty quickly.
Nikita Sergeevich, 41 years old, Moscow region. Not so long ago I noticed that several chickens began to fall to their feet, sit up in sawdust (they serve as my bedding). Before that, the chickens I carried very well, so I guessed that they lacked calcium, since it takes a lot of eggs to form. To cure chickens, he began to give them shells and chalk as a source of calcium. Additionally, he began to treat them with methylene blue, pouring his solution with a syringe into the beak of each bird. After the first procedure, they became more active. A few days later he added blue iodine to drinking water. Gradually, all the chickens recovered. I will give more if necessary.
Maria Ivanovna, 50 years old, Rostov region. Every breeder should know about such a wonderful, and most importantly budgetary tool, as methylene blue. Most often I use it to disinfect a chicken coop. I spray the solution of the wall, wipe the inventory. Thanks to this, chickens are always healthy for me. Sometimes, for prevention, blue iodine is also dripped into the birds' drinking water.
Maxim Viktorovich, 64 years old, Astrakhan region. He started small chickens, but began to notice that they became not so active, and they had liquid droppings. He took a few for analysis and it turned out that the chickens were infected with coccidiosis. An experienced farmer neighbor advised me to cook blue iodine and drink chickens for them. That's exactly what I did. Gave them a solution of the drug 0.5 ml 3 times a day. So they treated them for about a week. At the same time, he removed fresh greens from the chicken menu. To my joy, they managed to save the chickens.
Andrei Petrovich, 48 years old, Krasnodar Territory. Not so long ago, I began to notice that chickens were reluctant to absorb food. Just in case, chicken droppings were taken to the laboratory for analysis. To my surprise, it turned out that my hens were infected with helminths. I heard that they can be fought with methylene blue and wormwood. At first, I prepared a decoction of wormwood, boiling it for about 10 minutes, and after that I added blue iodine. He added 5 drops of solution to each beak for each chicken. Just in case, I added the same composition to the drinkers. He treated his chickens for several days. Then he returned the litter for analysis. No more helminths were found. During treatment, the chickens gradually became more active again.
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Methylene blue is a drug with antiseptic action and excellent digestibility, which is effectively used to treat chickens. However, before using it, you should consult a veterinarian. He will evaluate the prospects of treatment, and also help you choose the right dosage, based on the specific disease and condition of the chickens.