Abuse at Auctions/Embedded Leg Rings

[hllewellyn]

Hi All,

I went to a poultry auction today to sell some of my breeding stock before winter. Anyway, I have noticed a consistent problem with poultry auctions and that is that so often sick or injured birds are brought to sale because their breeders want to offload them. Admittedly this is worse in some auctions than others but even in the auction today, in a very nice area, there were two birds seriously ill/injured in cages and many more who definitely needed antibiotics.

I digress. The point of this post is that one of the sorry birds being auctioned today was a Rhode Island Red Cockerel, being sold as a meat bird, with a hideously embedded leg ring, cut right down to the bone. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy eating chicken as much as the next person I just think that causing suffering that is so easy to prevent is completely unnecessary. So I bought him. And took him home. Bathed him, bandaged his leg, fed him and watered him. While I was patching him up I also noticed that both of his ears were full of thick cheese-like infection (which I have cleaned out) and his comb and wattles had been shredded by fighting.

He is now sleeping in the shed until I figure out a plan to integrate him to my current flock.

I was hoping that someone had some home remedies to help him get over the ordeal? I think he may have some nerve damage in the foot of his damaged leg as he sometimes steps on his toes and doesn't seem to notice, and his whole leg is swollen. Plus the ear infection. He is on some antibiotics but I'd like to avoid a trip to the vet if there is something homoeopathic I could do. I have poured a vinaigrette of cod liver oil, cider vinegar and garlic over his food but other than that I'm suck for ideas.

Thanks in advance!

 

[LeafBlade12345]

Unfortunately, I am of what to do. Good job saving the roo, I hope he'll have a much better life now. Just keep the leg from becoming infected and keep his ears clean. I hope all goes well!

 

[Maikan]

Good on saving the Roo, but honestly if he's got those kind of infections, I'd just carry the cost n take him to a vet n get some antibiotics to treat the infections and check for anything else.

The recovery n after wards you can use other stuff to help but I'd want to get this guy right quickly before you put him in with a flock.
I don't run to the vets every 5 mins but for things like serious injuries or infections I do if I cant sort it quickly and easily some other way.

 

[hllewellyn]

Thanks

hes on vet prescribed antibiotics now so ill give him a few days in isolation and see if the ear infection comes back. If it does ill take him to the vets and get him some ear drops or something. I'll take off his bandage tomorrow to give his leg some air and with some good food and rest hopefully he'll recover! Fingers crossed. Hes very skittish so clearly hasn't been handled at all but he should perk up when he sees I'm feeding him!

 

[Maikan]

Good to hear. Try and see if you can get hold of something called Cut Heal, you want the gel if you can. Its a product that I've used for yrs mostly with horses but on many other kinds of animals as well. It forms a breathable scab over wounds and promoted healing, Its got quite a strong smell so animals tend to leave it alone and it keeps the flies etc off the wound. You should be able to order it on line.

 

[dawagenecht]

I'm glad tour too is doing better. He'll have a much better life now.
I also aquired a severely injured white leghorn hen from an auction this weekend. My daughter insisted that we have to save her from a miserable life. Her beak has been clipped so short (to the end of her comb) that I know it will never grow back.
However, while at the auction, her cage mates attacked her and ripped out most of her feathers after she had just grown them back (according to the owner- don't want to call him a breeder). She also has a few deep puncture wounds. She is extremely nervous because of her trauma which has made treating her difficult. The most I've been able to do is spray the affected area with Bactine and apply neosporyn. I've made her a high protein mash which she is finally starting to eat to help her recover. What else should I bee doing?

 

[casportpony]

You see the same sort of stuff at horse and livestock auctions.

-Kathy

 

[Maikan]

You see the same sort of stuff at horse and livestock auctions.

-Kathy

Agreed Casportpony, I've spent a great deal of my life rehabbing and retraining these kind of horses and then finding good caring homes for them. Auctions sure aren't good for the animals concerned.



dawagenecht , I hope that your hen recovers as well she'll be a much happier bird with some one who really cares for her.