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Bleeding and can't get/afford blue kote?!?

Discussion in 'Emergencies / Diseases / Injuries and Cures' started by GreenGoddess, Jan 18, 2011.

Most Liked Posts
  1. Jan 18, 2011 #1
    GreenGoddess

    GreenGoddess Chillin' With My Peeps

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    Just thought I would throw this out there and perhaps help a few chicken lovers out...

    A few weeks ago, my two roos started fighting and tore each other's combs/wattles up... Two of the hens got into the mix and they either got blood on their combs/wattles or they had small injuries but they started getting pecked as well on their combs/wattles... My husband was not home so I had no transportation to get to the feed store, nor did we have the money for it at the moment...

    I could quarantine ONE but there was no way I could do it with four so, in desperation I got a small plastic spray bottle from the bathroom (was for perfume I didn't like) cleaned it out REALLY well with hot water and soap and then put some blue food coloring in some water.. i made it so that it was as dark as I could possibly get it and one by one, I got a chicken, wrapped him/her in a towel and stopped the bleeding as best I could... when the bleeding was finally stopped, I sprayed it really well with the coloring until the skin was stained and once it had dried a little bit (didn't want them going after it because it was shiny when wet)I out them back in the run... I didn't have a single problem with them pecking each other after that!!!

    Now, I know I could have used corn starch or something like that to stop the bleeding but I had a bad experience with that in the past with my roo when I de-spurred him... I got the bleeding stopped completely and put just a little bit of corn starch on it and before i knew it, there was nothing but a bare pointed bone sticking out and the skin from around it was hanging and bleeding like crazy!!

    I will definitely be using the food coloring when I de-spur them again!

    Goddess [​IMG]
     
  3. Jan 18, 2011 #2
    CMV

    CMV Flock Mistress

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    Good thinking! I like it when people think outside the box. Thanks for the tip.
     
  5. Jan 18, 2011 #3
    Judy

    Judy Moderator Staff Member

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    Great idea, I agree. I love to come up with make-do ideas.

    I suspect the problem with the spur was taking a bit too much off, not corn starch, though.
     
  7. Jan 18, 2011 #4
    GreenGoddess

    GreenGoddess Chillin' With My Peeps

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    Jun 6, 2009
    St Pauls, NC
    Quote:To de-spur them, I use the twist off method.. It was much easier than i thought it would be and there was only a drop or two of blood that stopped pretty quickly when I did it.. But, as soon as I put him back in with the girls, they attacked where the spurs were.. The hens caused him more harm than i did...

    Goddess [​IMG]
     

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