Livestock · Gallus gallus domesticus · typical adult weight 0.50–5.00 kg
Meloxicam is dosed at 1 mg/kg PO q12h x 9 treatments in chickens, per Souza MJ, Bailey J, White M, et al. Pharmacokinetics and egg residues of meloxicam after multiple day oral dosing in domestic chickens. J Avian Med Surg. 2018;32:8-12. — Source: Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary, 6th Ed, p.648 doi:10.1647/22016-227 — Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary 6th ed, Table 6.5 (Nonsteroidal Antiinflammatory Agents Used in Backyard Poultry, Gamebirds, and). The copy held is an ebook conversion with no printed page numbers, so the table — not the page — is the citable location. — SOURCE EDITION: Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary — ISBN 9780323833929, https://openlibrary.org/isbn/9780323833929; Backyard Poultry Medicine and Surgery — ISBN 9781119511755, https://openlibrary.org/isbn/9781119511755. Meloxicam is used in chickens for Analgesia / anti-inflammatory, Analgesia, Induced articular pain. Routes documented in chickens: PO, PO, IM, SC. A typical adult chicken weighs 0.50–5.00 kg. ExoticRx lists 3 cited dose rules for Meloxicam in chickens, drawn from published veterinary references. Verify against current literature before clinical use.
US trade names: Metacam
| Route | Dose | Frequency | Indication | Evidence | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PO | 1 mg/kg | q12h x 9 treatments | Analgesia / anti-inflammatory | Moderate | Souza MJ, Bailey J, White M, et al. Pharmacokinetics and egg residues of meloxicam after multiple day oral dosing in domestic chickens. J Avian Med Surg. 2018;32:8-12. — Source: Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary, 6th Ed, p.648 doi:10.1647/22016-227 — Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary 6th ed, Table 6.5 (Nonsteroidal Antiinflammatory Agents Used in Backyard Poultry, Gamebirds, and). The copy held is an ebook conversion with no printed page numbers, so the table — not the page — is the citable location. — SOURCE EDITION: Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary — ISBN 9780323833929, https://openlibrary.org/isbn/9780323833929; Backyard Poultry Medicine and Surgery — ISBN 9781119511755, https://openlibrary.org/isbn/9781119511755 |
| PO, IM | 1 mg/kg | q12-24 hr | Analgesia | Moderate | Greenacre, C.B., Luna, G.L., and Morishita, T.M. (2018). Backyard poultry and waterfowl. In: Exotic Animal Formulary, 5e (ed. J.W. Carpenter), 377-432. St. Louis, Missouri: Elsevier. — Source: Greenacre & Morishita, Backyard Poultry Medicine and Surgery, 2nd Ed, p.590 — CORROBORATED 2026-08-06 by independent literature: Pharmacokinetic Parameters and Estimating Extra-Label Tissue Withdrawal Intervals Using Three Approaches and Various Matrices for Domestic Laying Chickens Following Meloxicam Admin (Frontiers in veterinary science, 2022). doi:10.3389/fvets.2022.826367. https://doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2022.826367. The paper reports this drug at this dose in this species: "ntrations from live birds to determine if plasma data could be used as a proxy for estimating […]". This is a second source alongside the book already cited; it corroborates the figure and does not by itself establish that the dose is correct. — SOURCE EDITION: Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary — ISBN 9780323833929, https://openlibrary.org/isbn/9780323833929; Backyard Poultry Medicine and Surgery — ISBN 9781119511755, https://openlibrary.org/isbn/9781119511755 |
| SC | 3–5 mg/kg | single dose (no interval printed) | Induced articular pain | Weak | Caplen G, Baker L, Hothersall B, et al. Thermal nociception as a measure of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug effectiveness in broiler chickens with articular pain. Vet J. 2013;198:616-619. — Source: Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary, 6th Ed, p.648 — Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary 6th ed, Table 6.5 (Nonsteroidal Antiinflammatory Agents Used in Backyard Poultry, Gamebirds, and). The copy held is an ebook conversion with no printed page numbers, so the table — not the page — is the citable location. — SOURCE EDITION: Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary — ISBN 9780323833929, https://openlibrary.org/isbn/9780323833929; Backyard Poultry Medicine and Surgery — ISBN 9781119511755, https://openlibrary.org/isbn/9781119511755 |
Need the exact dose for your patient?
These ranges are per kg. Enter your chicken's weight to get the precise dose and draw-up volume — unit and concentration math done for you.
Preferential COX-2 inhibitor, reducing prostaglandin synthesis. Provides anti-inflammatory, analgesic, and antipyretic effects.
Use with extreme caution in cats. Jurisdiction-specific labeling: the US (FDA) label authorizes a single SC dose only, with a boxed warning against repeated use; EU/UK/AU labels authorize repeated oral dosing for chronic musculoskeletal pain — follow your jurisdiction's label. GI ulceration risk. Avoid in dehydrated, hypovolemic, or renally compromised patients. Do not combine with other NSAIDs or corticosteroids.
Species-specific contraindications and adverse-reaction reports for chickens may differ from canine / feline reference data — consult the primary citations listed with each rule.
Meloxicam dose ranges in chickens, with cited source references: PO 1 mg/kg q12h x 9 treatments; PO, IM 1 mg/kg q12-24 hr; SC 3–5 mg/kg single dose (no interval printed). Reference ranges from cited sources — verify against current literature before clinical use.
Documented routes for Meloxicam in chickens: PO, PO, IM, SC.
Meloxicam is indicated in chickens for: Analgesia / anti-inflammatory, Analgesia, Induced articular pain.
These are general warnings for Meloxicam across species; consult the chicken dosing table above for species-specific guidance. Use with extreme caution in cats. Jurisdiction-specific labeling: the US (FDA) label authorizes a single SC dose only, with a boxed warning against repeated use; EU/UK/AU labels authorize repeated oral dosing for chronic musculoskeletal pain — follow your jurisdiction's label. GI ulceration risk. Avoid in dehydrated, hypovolemic, or renally compromised patients. Do not combine with other NSAIDs or corticosteroids.
Why a species-specific page? Meloxicam pharmacokinetics differ across species: dose ranges, intervals, and route preferences are not interchangeable. Cross-extrapolation from canine doses is unsafe in chickens — the rules above are the citations specific to this species, not generic recommendations.
Sourced from published veterinary references; awaiting credentialed clinical reviewer. See our editorial process. Reference only — not veterinary advice.