Australia - Six states..and that funny little island.

[Fancychooklady]

Hugs to AussieChics, feel better soon - it's always the first couple of days after surgery that are the most painful. :/


Bumblebee is doing well, though I do see her limping out in the yard during her outdoor time (she comes in at night and when it rains so I can change her bandages and clean her wound).  I suspect at the moment the limping is more because of the restrictive nature of the bandage than the wound itself.  No matter how I wrap it, it pulls her toe slightly backward (the position of the wound makes it a challenge to cover properly otherwise).  I frequently find her standing on one foot unless she has to walk.

She gets 1/5 of a 100mg tablet every 6 hours or so (which she just pecks out of my hand if I tidbit for her vocally) and gets a chaser of my homemade blueberry yoghurt to soften the effect on her tummy.  

The swelling has almost halved at this point.  I'll get pictures tonight after cleaning her wound.  She is becoming more and more tame as her treatment goes on.  Most nights, after her bandage change, she just wants to curl up in my lap and go to sleep while I scratch behind her head and she purrs at me.  

<3 Chicken love

Meanwhile, I've posted pictures of Bumblebee in her chicken nappy in various places - mostly in relation to my intention to post my pattern online and have been copping crap from people about how it's cruel/unsanitary/insane to keep a chicken indoors for any length of time - some people (people who keep chickens, I might add) going so far as to say that simply cutting her head off would have been less cruel than keeping her inside when it the ground is soggy so that her bandage stays clean.  

I don't understand humans and the more I have to deal with them, the more I love my chickens. -_-

For the most part, people are pretty understanding on this site, but you do get your occasional whacko. Ignore them. Be careful not to wrap the bandages too tight. It would be better to make a shoe and wrap the foot around it than cut off the circulation trying to keep it on. Another good painkiller is Arnica.

 

[tandykins]

For the most part, people are pretty understanding on this site, but you do get your occasional whacko. Ignore them. Be careful not to wrap the bandages too tight. It would be better to make a shoe and wrap the foot around it than cut off the circulation trying to keep it on. Another good painkiller is Arnica.

It's not that the bandage is tight, it's quite loose - but to anchor it over the tip of her toe I have to wrap it in a figure eight around her foot which restricts the movement of the toe (if that make sense). I should see bout getting some small finger cots to more easily keep the bandage in place over the tip of the toe. I should also consider trimming the claw of the toe, as it keeps punching through the bandages. XD

It looks like my 24 week old chickens (Anconas and Golden Spangled Hamburg) are at least getting close to laying. Today is the first day I have heard them singing the egg song - though no eggs yet!

 

[birdman55]

heres my bearded rooster...hes the main breeder for the birdies I have now

 

[Steampunked]

In case you find this useful, tandykins, not sure - you will know best if it will be workable!

How to wrap a bandage around an awkward limb/fingers (works on everything, humans included):

1. First, determine the center of your bandage. Use a very thin bandage for a chicken.

2. Put that center piece against the wound (Nb: I am assuming would in the 'center' of the foot, adjust as necessary).

3. Wrap down the worst affected toe in a herringbone pattern, crossing right over left repeatedly until you hit the chicken's nail. The bandage should look 'woven'. Almost like a two piece flat braid.

4. Wrap back up the toe to the foot, leaving two layers of bandage on the affected toe.

5. Wrap down in the same pattern on another toe if another toe needs protection. Wrap back up the toe. The second toe also has two layers of bandage.

6. Repeat for all affected toes.

7. Wrap the affected foot the same way - just cross over the entire foot, right up the leg. Wrap back down if you want, for security, but plaster the bandage off at the 'ankle' so the join is not being trod on and worked loose.

The benefits of this method are that bloodflow is maintained, and that it is hard for dirt to penetrate the weave. It is also very easily removed, as required.

Also, er, if anyone human is bleeding badly, or needs support, I recommend this method! With practice, you will apply it very quickly, as it is actually much easier than wrapping a bandage around a sore limb, and hurts less.

 

[tandykins]

In case you find this useful, tandykins, not sure - you will know best if it will be workable!

How to wrap a bandage around an awkward limb/fingers (works on everything, humans included):

1. First, determine the center of your bandage. Use a very thin bandage for a chicken.

2. Put that center piece against the wound (Nb: I am assuming would in the 'center' of the foot, adjust as necessary).

3. Wrap down the worst affected toe in a herringbone pattern, crossing right over left repeatedly until you hit the chicken's nail. The bandage should look 'woven'. Almost like a two piece flat braid.

4. Wrap back up the toe to the foot, leaving two layers of bandage on the affected toe.

5. Wrap down in the same pattern on another toe if another toe needs protection. Wrap back up the toe. The second toe also has two layers of bandage.

6. Repeat for all affected toes.

7. Wrap the affected foot the same way - just cross over the entire foot, right up the leg. Wrap back down if you want, for security, but plaster the bandage off at the 'ankle' so the join is not being trod on and worked loose.

The benefits of this method are that bloodflow is maintained, and that it is hard for dirt to penetrate the weave. It is also very easily removed, as required.

Also, er, if anyone human is bleeding badly, or needs support, I recommend this method! With practice, you will apply it very quickly, as it is actually much easier than wrapping a bandage around a sore limb, and hurts less.

Oooh, very useful, thanks! This bumblefoot isn't actually in the centre of her foot but is ON the tip of her toe which is why it's so wonky - but this is still very useful.

 

[AussieChics]

Well I'm home. Didnt trust my partner and son on the chicken up keep ;-) nah the only pain killers I was getting was panadol and nurofen. Can administer that myself at home.

Hopefully back yo work Friday. Fingers crossed

 

[cwrite]

@tandykins sounds like you are doing a great job for your chook. I'm pretty sure she'd rather be purring inside than be considered disposable!

@AussieChics - hope you recover well.

Lovely ladies K Spot and impressive roo birdman. My little roo that I never thought I'd have is feathering out nicely.

Fancy, I couldn't help but think you would get a laugh out of this cheeky comment on vets doping race horses.

"I'm not wholly convinced this is a vet issue. I've seen snippets of "Carnival race days" on the telly, and the people I'm looking at all seem to be so choc-full of lollies and sherbets that any horse that happened to inhale in their presence would be bound to test positive for something.
Perhaps if the battling everymen (and women) who go to the track to throw around all that money they haven't got because the government is taxing them to death, destroying prosperity in this country, and leaving them with nothing could be kept hermetically separated from the animals then not only would we be able to rule out cross-contamination, the horses might also get a better standard of breathable air."

 

[Fancychooklady]

@tandykins
sounds like you are doing a great job for your chook.  I'm pretty sure she'd rather be purring inside than be considered disposable!

@AussieChics
- hope you recover well. 

Lovely ladies K Spot and impressive roo birdman.  My little roo that I never thought I'd have is feathering out nicely. 

Fancy, I couldn't help but think you would get a laugh out of this cheeky comment on vets doping race horses.

"I'm not wholly convinced this is a vet issue. I've seen snippets of "Carnival race days" on the telly, and the people I'm looking at all seem to be so choc-full of lollies and sherbets that any horse that happened to inhale in their presence would be bound to test positive for something.
Perhaps if the battling everymen (and women) who go to the track to throw around all that money they haven't got because the government is taxing them to death, destroying prosperity in this country, and leaving them with nothing could be kept hermetically separated from the animals then not only would we be able to rule out cross-contamination, the horses might also get a better standard of breathable air."

Lol, I have one ' golden rule ' at my place , never go near the horses after I've had a wine.

 

[appps]

While I can't see myself going the nappy route myself, I've kept one in a dog crate in my bathroom for 3 days. Think your way is probably lots more fun for the chicken
Haters gonna hate just try and ignore them.

 

[Nu2chooks15]

Hi everyone not only am I new to this site but as my username suggests I'm very new to chooks in fact birds of any variety (had a nasty experience a while back with some rescued battery hen chooks but recently I've looked after a neighbours home brought up girls a few times and found them easy to get along with and have discovered that I actually like chooks and am no longer "scared" of them). We are putting finishing touches to things before bringing the "girls" home on the weekend. Hoping I can "hang out" here and start to learn about chooks, their needs, wants and best ways to look after them.
I'm in SA btw