Is there, or would one of the experts come up with a list of the basic "must have" Items to have around in case of a chicken emergency ? I have had small flocks in the past and thankfully never had any problems. The more I read on BYC the more I think that considering my level of attachment to my ladies and the speed at which these ailments seem to strike. I will feel more comfortable if I am at least armed with the knowledge (thank you all at BYC for that) and the tools to keep my girls healthy. Mark
The emergency kit you gather is going to depend upon *what* emergencies you think you'll encounter. Here's how I got my "kit" together: First, I read about a number of chicken problems here on BYC and got familiar with some of the more common injuries and diseases. I thought about what emergencies might hit my birds, and what would not. Figured that for sure my birds will get wounded now & then, so I picked up a few frequently recommended basics, like: pedialyte (for electrolytes), baby vitamins without iron, bentadine solution, vet wrap, a large needle-less syringe, blue kote, blood stop powder. We already had things in our medicine cabinet, like: gauze, triple antibiotic cream, epsom salts, hydrogen peroxide. I love that vet wrap, btw. One of my birds is wearing it right now. She got a burn several days ago, and I've been putting antibiotic cream on her foot pad, topped with gauze and wrapped with blue vet wrap around the pad and between her toes. She runs around all day, scratching in the dirt like nothing is wrong with her foot. The vet wrap stays snug, keeping her injury clean. She's healing really quickly. It was nice having that vet wrap handy when I needed it. There are a few posts here on BYC where people recommend things for a kit. I've considered adding more stuff to mine, eventually, but I don't want to go overboard. I think it's also good to visit several feed stores in your area and familiarize yourself with WHO carries WHAT, and who doesn't - so you can make a run to the right place, if it ever came to a big emergency. In my area, few feed stores carry the injectable antibiotics, for example. But I have a list, in my kit, of which stores do.
I second that idea. I have only had chickens since last summer and I'm finding out it's best to have a kit. I am getting things also every couple of weeks.
