ESB-3 (Sulfachlorpyrazine) for Chickens, Turkeys & Pigeons: Complete Dosage Guide, How It Works & Critical Administration Rules

ESB-3 is one of the most widely used coccidiosis treatments in backyard poultry, commercial broiler production, and pigeon lofts. Its active ingredient, sulfachlorpyrazine (also known as sulfaclozine), has been used in avian medicine for decades and remains effective against the Eimeria species responsible for most coccidiosis outbreaks, as well as bacterial infections including Salmonella and Pasteurella.

This guide covers how ESB-3 works, which birds it can be used in (including pigeons), the correct dose and treatment schedule, the critical administration rules that determine whether it works, and what to do after treatment to help your flock recover properly.

What Is ESB-3?

ESB-3 is a water-soluble veterinary powder containing sulfachlorpyrazine sodium monohydrate 30%. The 50g bag contains 15g of active sulfachlorpyrazine. It is dissolved in drinking water and given as the sole water source during treatment. The powder is odourless and mixes easily in water at room temperature.

How Sulfachlorpyrazine Works

Sulfachlorpyrazine belongs to the sulfonamide class of drugs. Sulfonamides work as competitive antagonists of para-aminobenzoic acid (PABA). Here is why this matters for your birds:

Both coccidia (Eimeria) and many bacteria must synthesise their own folic acid from PABA. Mammals and birds, however, obtain folic acid from dietary sources — they don’t synthesise it from PABA. Sulfachlorpyrazine exploits this difference: it competes with PABA in the pathway that coccidia and bacteria use to make folic acid. With folic acid synthesis blocked, the organisms cannot produce nucleic acids and cell division stops.

This is why ESB-3 is described as coccidiostatic (stops coccidia from multiplying) rather than coccidiocidal (kills coccidia outright). It doesn’t destroy the existing organisms — it stops them from reproducing, giving the bird’s immune system time to eliminate the infection. This is also why starting treatment early is so important: the sooner replication is stopped, the less intestinal damage accumulates.

What Does ESB-3 Treat?

Coccidiosis (Eimeria species)

ESB-3 is active against all major Eimeria species affecting chickens and turkeys:

• E. acervulina — upper small intestine; white ladder-like streaks; very common; generally mild
• E. maxima — mid-intestine; orange-pink mucus; significant growth depression
• E. necatrix — mid-intestine; severe; causes haemorrhagic lesions and high mortality
• E. tenella — caecum; the most recognisable species due to bloody caecal droppings; one of the most pathogenic and economically damaging species
• E. brunetti — lower intestine
• E. mitis, E. mivati, E. praecox, E. hagani — generally mild
• E. adenoides, E. meleagrimitis — turkeys

For E. tenella and E. necatrix — the two most severe species — increase the dose to 1.5–2g per litre rather than the standard 1g/L.

Bacterial Infections

Because sulfachlorpyrazine is also bacteriostatic, ESB-3 is effective against several serious bacterial poultry diseases:

• Fowl typhoid and Pullorum disease — caused by Salmonella gallinarum and S. pullorum; responsible for significant mortality in young chicks
• Fowl cholera — caused by Pasteurella multocida; can cause rapid deaths in a flock
• Necrotic enteritis — caused by Clostridium perfringens type A and C; associated with high coccidiosis burdens
• Paratyphoid (Salmonella) — particularly important in pigeons, where paratyphoid is one of the most commonly treated conditions

ESB-3 for Pigeons and Cage Birds

While ESB-3 is licensed for broiler chickens, hens, and turkeys, it is also very widely used in pigeons, ornamental birds, and cage birds for the treatment of:

• Coccidiosis (Eimeria species in pigeons)
• Paratyphoid (Salmonella typhimurium var. Copenhagen — the most common bacterial disease in pigeon lofts)

Pigeon keepers typically use ESB-3 at 1g per litre for 5–7 days for coccidiosis, or up to 14 days for paratyphoid. As with all treatments, remove all other water sources during the medication period and treat all birds in the loft simultaneously.

ESB-3 Dosage Guide

The product is dissolved in drinking water. Remove all other water sources so birds consume only the medicated water.

How Much Water Does the 50g Bag Treat?

• At 1g/litre standard dose: 50 litres of medicated water
• 10 chickens × 250ml/day = 2.5 litres/day → 50g bag lasts approximately 20 days of supply (enough for multiple 3-day treatment courses)
• 50 broiler chickens × 250ml/day = 12.5 litres/day → 50g bag provides 4 days of supply
• A loft of 20 pigeons × 50ml/day = 1 litre/day → 50g bag provides approximately 50 days of supply

The Single Most Important Rule: Remove ALL Other Water Sources

This is the step that determines whether ESB-3 works or fails. If birds have access to unmedicated water — whether from a leaking drinker, fresh greens, fruit, puddles, or a rain bath — they will preferentially drink unmedicated water and will not receive an effective dose of the drug.

During the treatment period:

• Remove all supplementary drinkers
• Withhold fresh fruit and vegetables with high water content
• Prevent access to puddles or outdoor water sources
• Ensure rain baths are removed in pigeon lofts
• Prepare fresh medicated water every day — do not leave medicated water standing overnight

Recognising Coccidiosis in Your Birds

Early treatment is critical. The signs of coccidiosis in chickens and turkeys include:

• Loose, watery, or bloody (especially caecal coccidiosis from E. tenella) droppings
• Lethargy, huddling, and reluctance to move
• Ruffled, fluffed feathers
• Reduced or absent appetite
• Pale combs and wattles
• Weight loss and growth depression
• Sudden deaths in young birds (especially 3–6 week old broilers)

In pigeons, coccidiosis typically causes watery droppings, lethargy, loss of appetite, and weight loss. Paratyphoid in pigeons presents with similar signs but may also include vomiting, neck twisting (torticollis), and wing paralysis in more severe cases.

After Treatment: The Vitamin Supplement Step Nobody Talks About

Sulfonamides like sulfachlorpyrazine work in part by disrupting the gut microbial environment that helps birds synthesise certain vitamins — particularly vitamin K and B vitamins. This is explicitly listed as a side effect (hypovitaminosis B and K) but rarely acted on in practice.

After completing a course of ESB-3:

1. Allow a 2-day break (medicated water off)
2. Provide a vitamin B complex supplement in the water for 3–5 days
3. Add a vitamin K supplement if available (particularly important for birds that showed bloody droppings from E. tenella)
4. Consider a probiotic to help restore gut flora

This post-treatment support step significantly improves recovery and helps birds rebuild condition faster.

Withdrawal Periods

• Chickens — meat and offal: 14 days after last treatment
• Turkeys — meat and offal: 21 days (14 days if skin removed)
• Eggs: ESB-3 must NOT be used in hens producing eggs for human consumption. No egg withdrawal period is defined, meaning all eggs from treated birds must be discarded.

ESB-3 vs Other Coccidiosis Treatments

ESB-3’s key advantage over toltrazuril is its dual antibacterial and anticoccidial action — making it the better choice when a bacterial co-infection is suspected alongside coccidiosis, which is common in necrotic enteritis (often triggered by coccidial damage to the gut lining). Toltrazuril’s advantage is coccidiocidal action — it kills rather than just stops coccidia — making it more suitable for severe pure coccidiosis outbreaks where rapid elimination is needed.

Where to Buy ESB-3

You can order ESB-3 Sulfachlorpyrazine 30% Powder 50g from PetShopBoss.com with free worldwide shipping.

Related products: Tylosin Powder 50% 100g (macrolide antibiotic for poultry) | Baytril 10% Oral Solution for Poultry (enrofloxacin)