Okies in the BYC The Original

Quote:
what is the best roost height? mine are waist high....?b

Quote:
what is the best roost height? mine are waist high....?b

The heavier breeds like Rocks or Australorps need low roosts. A 10 pound bird builds up a lot of kenetic energy in a short distance. Basically a big rooster jumping off a 4 foot roost could land with about 40 pounds of force. Deep litter under the roosts will help cushion the landing.
Mine are placed about a foot off the floor so they can either hop or step on to the roost. The other alternative is very high roosts so they fly down but if you need to catch them at night that is unhandy.

Another thing to watch for is roost that are too small or round. If the roost is round they tend to lock their feet around it while sleeping causing pressure points on the pads. To small of a flat roost and they will do the same thing plus they have a 90 deg angle to cause pressure points.

The best that I have found is a 2x4 layed with the 4in side up. It is sturdy and too wide to lock their toes around. Plus in winter the feet stay flat and when they nestle in the toes are covered by the feathers and are less likely to get frostbite.

Ok everyone fire up those printers.

Bumblefoot


This is a condition affects the pads of the feet.
Bumble foot affects all birds
It is caused by the bacteria staphylococcus aureus, which is present wherever there are chickens.

Avoidance
Bumblefoot is difficult to cure.
Make sure the roosts are rounded and not too high off the ground.
Sand off any potential splinter areas.
Ensure plenty of litter, 3-4 inches or more deep in the coop
Don't use wire bottom cages, unless you really have to
Give vitamin supplements, especially Vitamin A.
For problem flocks Biotin and Vitamin E+C levels should also be checked - and where feed is low (or has been in store for more than 21 days) a supplement should be given.
Staph enters the foot through injury to the pad - either by bruising or breaks in the skin caused by sharp objects, a small cut, bruise or any small opening
Avoid high roosts
Avoid sharp litter

Symptoms
Most people notice swelling of the footpad, and if you look at the pad and note a dark, blackish scab, it is bumblefoot.
The swelling is due to an abscess in the pad.
It causes, lameness, swollen foot, a scab on the foot pad

Pre - Treatment
Isolate the bird
Make sure it is out of drafts and direct sun, but with fresh air
Fresh food and water to be available at all times
Put a deep layer of fresh clean SOFT litter for the bird to stand on
And if the bird is laying supply a nice clean soft nest area also

Have on hand the following:

Betadine, hydrogen peroxide or Lysol (*Lysol – see bottom of page for more information), Neosporin or bacitracin, sterile scalpel or 14g needle, coban, sterile 2x2 gauze pads, surgeon's gloves, Epsom salts, anti bacterial soap, small scrubbing brush
Have a cage ready to put the chicken in when you're finished, or a small dog kennel carrier with scrap towels for bedding
Make sure you have deep litter in the cage
I have used Terramycin or Baytril in the water for a week - follow the directions on the package.

Treatment
Wash the legs and feet thoroughly with warm soapy water with some antiseptic in the water, not too much you don’t want to burn the legs
Or you can - Soak the foot in an Epson salts solution as directed on the package for a human
Then lightly scrub the affected area with an anti bacterial hand soap
Scrub it good enough to remove most of the scab, but not hard enough to damage the leg and make it bleed
Rinse the leg(s) and feet and dry thoroughly

Then spray the affected area with Lysol then apply bacitracin and bandage.... keep the bird separated in a small cage. (Or you can use a dog kennel carrier, put some scrap towels for bedding and do this every night right before roosting time for 3-5 nights

If you don’t think that will work then you can try br]
Thoroughly drenching the feet in hydrogen peroxide, full strength for seven days, twice a day

If the foot has any open wounds DO NOT USE HYRDOGEN PEROXIDE, use iodine (Betadine lotion), only use the peroxide to do the initial cleaning out of the wound, not as an ongoing treatment
If any open wounds apply an antibacterial or antibiotic powder

Give the bird a broad-spectrum antibiotic in the drinking water for the next 5 to 7 days
Also give the bird 2 tablespoon of yoghurt (plain unsweetened culture) to keep the bird from getting diarrhea due to the antibiotics, as it upsets the natural flora (bacteria) of their bowel

When it has healed clean the area where the bird was staying with bleach solution and keep the bedding clean 2-3 times a day until the skin on the pad has rehardened.
Then go back to normal care.

It has been found that many of the antibiotics that they used to use are no longer effective against Staph, below are some that I recently found that may be effective (Oct 2005)


Ani – staphylococcal Penicillins
Staphylococcal infections

Generic Name
Flucloxacillin –
Dicloxacillin –-
Cloxacillin
Nafcillin -
Oxacillin

Brand Name:
Floxapen
Dynapen
Diclocil
Tegopen

Methicillin – No longer available

Generic Names - Brand Name - Mode of Action - Main Use
Gentamicin – Garamycin – Mode of action > Inhibit protein synthesis – Main Use >Serious Gram negative infections
Netilmicin – Netromycin - same as above
Tobramycin – Nebcin – same as above
Amidacin – Amikin – same as above

Streptomycin – Generics – Mode of action> Inhibits protein synthesis – Main Use > Tuberculosis

Neomycin – Generics – Mode of action > Inhibits protein synthesis – Main Use > Skin infections (topical)

Spectinomycin – Trobicin – Mode of action > Inhibit protein synthesis – Main Use > Gonorrhoea


Opening the infected area to remove the pus

Sometimes Bumblefoot doesn’t have a puss filled pad, check before you cut

If your going to do anything to the bird, it is always a good idea to have a helper with you, but you can do it yourself, just make sure the bird is unable to move about, if you have a stretch bandage, then wrapping this around the birds wings, will certainly help

Before you start, put on a pair of disposable gloves, you don’t want the staph infection getting into you, if you have any small nick in your skin it can and will get in to your system
Wash the leg and foot, gently scrub with betadine until clean at least 30 seconds

If you can soak the foot until the scab is soft, do that and then pull off the scab
Lance the pad with the needle or scalpel and squeeze out the pus
Do this under running water
Yes, there will be bleeding
After the pus is out as much as you can get, dip the foot into peroxide solution
The blood will cause a foaming reaction

If there is a lot of bleeding, hold pressure with a sterile 2x2 pad until stopped or under control.
Apply Neosporin or a sulfa ointment to the site
Apply a sterile gauze pad 2 x 2s for padding
You can either use a stretch bandage or wrap the foot firmly with coban (tape)

Wrap so the toes and spur are exposed – if you’re working on a rooster
Don't wrap so tight that you cut off circulation
You will want to start the wrap on the foot and work up to the leg

If you use the sticky tape, you will find that the chicken can’t pull it off, change the dressing in 2-3 days
If your using elastic bandage then change the dressing daily and re-apply the bandage and sterile dressing, I actually prefer the bandage, this way I can check the progress of the wound each day

I keep the chicken confined until the pad is well healed so that it won't open up when they go back to free ranging.

Quote:
what is the best roost height? mine are waist high....?b

The heavier breeds like Rocks or Australorps need low roosts. A 10 pound bird builds up a lot of kenetic energy in a short distance. Basically a big rooster jumping off a 4 foot roost could land with about 40 pounds of force. Deep litter under the roosts will help cushion the landing.
Mine are placed about a foot off the floor so they can either hop or step on to the roost. The other alternative is very high roosts so they fly down but if you need to catch them at night that is unhandy.

Another thing to watch for is roost that are too small or round. If the roost is round they tend to lock their feet around it while sleeping causing pressure points on the pads. To small of a flat roost and they will do the same thing plus they have a 90 deg angle to cause pressure points.

The best that I have found is a 2x4 layed with the 4in side up. It is sturdy and too wide to lock their toes around. Plus in winter the feet stay flat and when they nestle in the toes are covered by the feathers and are less likely to get frostbite.

]
Thanks so much! well, looks like we need to lower some roosts.... since quite a few are heavy- the coop is 4 x 8 feet- so need to do some thinking on how to do that and still leave room for them to walk around

Thought I would introduce yall to the newest Okie in my brood pens, this is Scooter. He's a Black Breasted Red (BB Red) Old English Game Cockerel from the Andy Barnes line of BB Reds. He is just about as tame as a chicken can get I think. Wants to be picked up every time I open his pen. I have him in with 3 BB Red hens and will be line breeding him for all he's worth. He's not in full feather just yet, but I think he's a handsom little devil just the same.





Look out Claremore Fair 2010.... Scooter has come to town & he's playin to win!!

Up from my nap, finally got to eat something! Feeling tired and sore, but definitely better. I've never had that happen before, it was so scary and painful.

Teach's comment on the chickens in the Lexus had me laughin, think it made my blood pressure go up again! Lol

Grace and City - Congrats on the pictures makin the calendar! Can't wait to get me a copy.

Les - Thanks for the update on chicken health info, that's something I've never heard of.

MAllen - You have some gorgeous birds!

Thanks again to everyone for the prayers. I felt stupid typin on the internet while laying in a hospital bed... But what else was I'm gonna do!? I knew prayer was what I needed. Thanks guys.

Catscan supposedly didn't show anything, but they also hadn't sent it over to my doctor for my 2:30 appointment.
He's supposed to call me next week after he looks everything over real good. He better find something, I'm not doin it again! Lol

Years ago I had a site on the computer that croaked of a guy that was breeding bantam American Games. He had types like Sweaters and Hatch and was breeding only the smallest of offspring to get them small and they were a little larger then the OEGBs but not much. From pictures you could not tell them from their full size counterparts. Big chest, tightly tucked wings and those long well curved tails.

Cammie there are like three pages of names of games in the NPIP book, here is a very small sample.

N12-OLD ENGLISH, SILVER
DUCKWING
N13-OLD ENGLISH, RED PYLE N14-OLD ENGLISH, WHITE
N15-OLD ENGLISH, BLACK N16-OLD ENGLISH, SPANGLED N17-PIT
N18-OLD ENGLISH N19-MODERN N20-PIT, WHITE HACKLE
N21-SAM BIGHAM N22-MCCLANHANS N23-CLIPPERS
N24-MINER BLUES N25-LAW GRAYS N26-OLD ENGLISH, BLACK
BREASTED
N27-SPANISH PIT N28-HATCH N29-PRESSGROVE
N30-WILERSON RED N31-WILKERSON GRAY N32-GRAY
N33-CLARET N34-HATCH, GRAY N35-LOVIN RED
N36-BIGHAM RED N37-CAPITOL HILL RED N38-CAPITOL HILL GRAY
N39-CAPITOL HILL BLACK N40-BRISTER CHICK N41-ROUNDHEAD
N42-HATCH, MURPHY N43-HATCH, MCLEAN N44-KELSO
N45-MODERN, SPLASH N46-GRAY, MADIGIN N47-WALLACE FOWL
N48-KAUFF FOWL N49-SCHROYER GRAY N50-OLD ENGLISH, BLUE
N51-ROBIN HOOD BROWN RED N52-DARK CORNISH N53-ASEEL, FLOYD
N54-BULL DOG WHITE N55-OLD ENGLISH, BLUE RED N56-JUMPER RED
N57-JUMPER GRAY N58-MCRAE, RED N59-MCRAE, GRAY
N60-ROBERTS GRAY N61-LOWHMANN WHITE HACKLE N62-MARSH BUTCHER
N63-BUTCHER N64-GRAY, RIPPER N65-HATCH, BLUE FACE
N66-CAYER BLUE N67-CAYER MUFF N68-CAYER NARRAGANSETT
N69-NIPNUC BLUE N70-NIPNUC RED N71-SANTANA RED
N72-SANTANA GRAY N73-MODERN, CUCKOO N74-MODERN, BLUE RED
N75-MODERN, GINGER RED N77-GLEASON WHITE HACKOE N78-OLD ENGLISH, BRASSY BLACK
N79-SPANISH SIBON N80-ASEEL, DEVARAJA N81-GOWDY JAP
N82-NARRAGANSETT N83-ALBANY N84-DEMOCRAT
N85-GRIFFIN N86-CLAIRBORNE N87-BROWN RED, WINGATE
N88-ASEEL, KAHN N89-ASEEL, SONATOL N90-BROWN RED
11/20/09 7:24 PM Page 4 of 29
N91-HENNIES, BLACK N92-SHAWL NECK N93-THOMPSON WHITE
N94-RED QUILL N95-KELSO, BARKER RED N96

NNbreeder - thank you for the information on bumblefoot. I did a copy and paste and saved it as a Word document.
A few years ago, I had a hen with bumblefoot and I "operated" on it with an Exacto knife. Got all the gunk out and put her in a pet carrier with a towel for about a week and she recovered. My mother was visiting at the time so I had her "assist" with the operation. She thought I was crazy to be trying to cure a chicken - said her mother would have just fried it for Sunday dinner.

The names of game birds is interesting. I like understanding why different animals acquire specific names.

Thanks Grace!

Les - WOW!! I've heard a few of those before, like the Silver Duckwing. But I had no idea there were so many! I find the genetics of all the coloring very interesting. I've always wanted to do a study of all the different types of blue, with different families and generations. Maybe that could be my senior project! Chickens are environmental science, right? Lol

I guess that explains why the OEG's have their own APA Standard book. Do they have good pictures so you can tell everything apart? I'd never know if I had mixes or what!

Which reminds me, is there somewhere online where I can find the APA accepted colors of breeds? My little Pocketful of Poultry doesn't list the specifics for Marans.