Recent content by mypicklebird

We make a small profit with our hobby chickens. We have been tracking feed, supplies ect and cash inflow for 3 years. We sell eggs for 5$/dozen (free range, happy chicken, localvore market). Occasional hatching eggs for kindergarden classes, roosters to the feed store, and home grown chicks- but...

Scaly leg mites live in the skin & between scales- the typical bird with this gets thickened toes & skin, the toes don't bend well- but once they are soaked and cleaned down to healthier skin- they shouldn't smell. If you go back and look at the photos- the toes look (at least to me) shriveled...

x2 Those look like dead toes, not scaly leg mites. The toes look normal in size, or even thinner- but look darker black that normal silkie toes. If the toe does not bend at the joint- these are likely frostbitten feet. You need to see if these feet have a blood supply. Bring her and a normal...

Have you raised chicks before? Describe your set up- what are they in, what are they on, what is keeping them warm, how warm is it at the hot end and cool end, what are you offering to eat/drink. How much handling are they getting? What kind are they? Shipping definitely can tough on them &...

On a normal chicken x-ray, there will be a small handful of pebbles in the gizzard. Rocks, pebbles and metal pieces will all look the same on x-rays except for the shape +/- size. Rocks look very different from soft tissue things. Metal and rock completely block the x-ray beam and the things...

5 years old is very unusual for onset of Marek's. Or a nutritional deficiency. If they are on a quality commerical diet (not just scratch ect)- nutritional deficiency is unlikely- these are more common in growing birds. Marek's usually shows up before 1 year old, most commonly at 3-5 mo. Do...

I agree with you in concept, but my main point is that baytril is actually prohibited when used off label in food animals. It is actually illegal to prescribe it to poultry. The point needs to be made, so people can have the information to choose to use or not. It is on label for dogs & used...

IF she had a bacterial infection, and the bacteria is susceptible to baytril (enrofloxacin) - yes, she could start to feel better after one dose. Be cautious using this drug in food- producing animals (ie laying hens, or meat birds). If you are in the states- It is on FARAD's prohibited list for...

Why do you think they are there? Yes, mites are common- but you CAN see them, or at least their poop. Roost mites come out at night- go out late at night with a flash light and you will see red/grey/black pepper spilling out of cracks in the coop and crawling up the chicken's legs & feathers...

It doesn't look like a parasite to me- looks like caseous (dried pus) material from the inside of a tubular structure. The vent/cloaca is the outflow tract from both the reproductive tract and the GI tract. If the hen is not laying well, and since the feces them selves look normal- I would guess...

That is lame, I would never go to a vet that has a policy like that. Not everyone wants to be with the pet, but if they want to be- they should be allowed. The only exceptions I can think of would be with certain small exotics (mice/hamsters/finch ect) that might need gas anesthesia prior to...

I think so too- looks like a chessie mix. They are head strong dogs, swimmers, retrievers. Oily coat too- water repellant. Quote:

Golden is a large breed, best to feed a complete diet designed for large breed puppies. They are lower in nutrition than standard puppy chow- you do not want them to grow too fast and predispose them to dysplasia. TOTW is a high protein diet, low carb I think. I would not personally feed it to a...

Sadly, you have probably rendered them infertile. Even if they are alive- it is unlikely they will develop correctly. I would crack one open- and see if it is soft boiled or a normal consistency. I did the same thing once- temp way too high and the eggs actually partially cooked. If the...

cephalexin (cephalosporin) are not very useful in birds- they metabolize it fast, need really high doses, and would need it multiple times a day. Using this medication in a chicken is not in general useful (it has it's merits- but the high doses and multiple times a day dosing makes other meds...