Blu-kote backfired - help! (pics added)

[dlhunicorn]

watch out for the SALT content in any of the food you give them (thinking the sardines and tuna)...I may be mistaken but I seem to recall a reference on that and feather picking. I would not add oyster shell to the feed...keep it free choice (you might possibly overdose) ... cottage cheese (low salt) is a great idea on the tryptophan ...
Do not mix ACV AND AviaCharge into the same waterer...(the acidity of the vinegar can have a negative impact on some components), instead add the aviacharge to just enough cooked oatmeal (cooked in water) to make their feed clump together.
...you might just have to separate those faverolles till the summer comes and they can freerange.

 

[SeaChick]

Tracy, are you using BOS in the shell, or just the hearts, blended with yogurt? I have been feeding whole (in the shell BOS).

Here is a picture of poor Rita's back:

Yesterday when we brought her in we gave her a shampoo & blow dry (now THAT was interesting!) to try to get the BluKote/Vicks mess off as much as possible. As you can see we were only marginally successful...

It is going to get down to 2 degrees tonight, and then again for several days this weekend. I am really afraid that she will be too cold with all that bare skin, what do you guys think? Should I keep her inside in that dog carrier that's behind her in the pic, even though she is bummed out to be in there..... at least until it is a little warmer? Then make a saddle for her and try again in the flock?

Thanks for all your help!
Stacey

 

[karmical]

Wow, Stacey!! Poor Rita!! That looks awful

I throw the BOSS in the blender (whole with the shell on) by themselves, just to get the shells broken up (I'm sure it's OK to feed these whole, but I like the way they stir in to the yogurt when they're broken up a bit first...nice and bulky.)

That does look like a lot of bare skin there...I can see why you're concerned about the cold. At least with mine it's the neck and they can tuck in to keep warm. I think keeping Rita in might be smart if it's going to go as low as 2-degrees. Especially if it's at night...she'll just be sleeping anyways if you keep it dark for her.

When you make the saddle, maybe you can line it with fleece! That'd be nice and toasty and soft for her poor skin

Good luck! Keep us posted!

Thanks, dlhunicorn....I wasn't aware that you shouldn't mix the ACV and AviaCharge. I won't do THAT anymore!

I'm really on the fence about separating the Faverolles...they pick each other's feathers as well...so I'm wondering if putting them alone together would exacerbate the problem? Wondering if I should go so far as to rig up a coop and run for them that keeps them separated by wire but so they can see each other and feel like they're not alone...and that could let them roost together at night...I dunno though....maybe that' s a little over the top...?

 

[dlhunicorn]

I cant look in your billfold but what you might also try is to get a cantelope or melon (green or red flesh > these colors encourage them to peck at it and NOT each other hopefully) and use the "hole" (or make one) and put their feed in that... also get a head of endive (more nutricious than plain ole lettuce) and wrap it in some chicken wrie and hang for them to peck at (once again to peck at that instead of each other).
I dont give the sunflowers in the shell as the shell has no nutritional value. Boredom could play a part in this... sometimes my birds get persnickety with each other and i go out and take their feeders inside... put it in a different container ( I have five different ones to avoid bullying) and sometimes add a bit of fresh feed through it or a put a dollop of yogurt in the middle...put it in a different place than it was before
LOL LOL LOL

 

[karmical]

LOL

I cant look in your billfold

dlhunicorn....Are there any mold worries with the cantelope? I remember reading it was a "high mold" food (I think that's in reference to the skin/husk of it?)...whatever that means.

I'm convinced my issue is very much boredom related

I've tried the hanging idea...with cabbage...they just chow down SO fast...after an hour or two it's gone and they're bored again. Is it possible to overdo the vegetable "distractions" and mess things up nutritionally? If not, I'm about ready to hang a big line-up of veggies across the spread of the run!!

 

[BrahmaMama]

This thread has been very helpful for me. I am having the same problems with my EE pullets...but I think it's the other EE's that are doing the picking; maybe some of my white rocks also. I just lost a pullet today-first one in quite some time

She was picked at on her back, and tail/backend area. I didn't see alot of blood either, but she was missing quite a bit of feathers. She was just barely alive when I found her, but wasn't using her legs at all, so I took her outside the coop to see if she would perk up. She flopped her wings a bit, and passed away.

I have a couple of EE pullets left, and one of them has finally grown her tail feathers back; the other two I've been treating with Blue Lotion (same as blue kote I believe, just a liquid that you dab on w/applicator) along with the one who passed today. I've also tried Bag Balm, but that didn't deter them either. I really, really want to get them healed up; hate seeing them like that

I am going to try the Vicks suggestion-don't have any...icky memories from when my Grandma smeared me all over with it, lol! I just smashed up a bunch of hard boiled eggs and took out to them, and I'm going to try the store, and see if I can load up on some "cheap" veggies...I used to work in produce, I'm hoping my old boss will help me out with stuff that may be slightly bruised, etc. Not bad of course

Can I ask what the apple cider vinegar is for? Everyone else seems healthy right now, besides the picked ones. I do have one single pullet that was sneezing...no discharge or any other symptoms that I can see. I was told to use Chamomile tea, or Cayenne peppers to "perk" them up...not sure if I can use Cayenne powder...? Does the ACV help with immune systems, etc?

 

[BJ]

This is discouraging me so much, it makes me want to "quit chickens". I am so bummed out about this picking thing. I don't understand how these creatures could do this to each other...and I'm starting to not like them for it.

It is turning into WAY TOO MUCH pampering. It is too overboard...like I haven't already done way too much...practically neglecting my family over a couple of chickens!!!!!!

I am really bummed out.

 

[therealsilkiechick]

bj, please don't give up keep ur chin up sometimes it just takes time to figure out what's bothering them or what they need. i think this is a good thread cause alot of people are haveing the same problem and it's nice to see so many trying to help and work together to help each other get through this.

in my honest opinion i don't think it is winter time bordom for most of those posted i think it is lack of protein. if it was bordom then the distraction food should have helped or stopped it. meal worms and boiled eggs work good to help but i found the best source to give them is soybean meal or meal worms but those can get expensive. soybean ya can buy at the feedstore.

you can add it to their feed. here i have to buy a 100lb bag at a time but if ur lucky you might have a feedstore sells it in smaller quanity but my feedstre is the mill so they only sell it in bulk. i think here it is about $12-15 a 100lb sack. it will last ya a life time trust me. normal feed is about 20 percent protein if i remember right and soybean is 48 percent. if you add i think we used to do 5lbs of soybean meal to 50lbs of feed it should give you about 24-25 percent protein in the mix. if my math is correct cause we haven''t had to add it for awhile and i have a migrain,lol i think that's the right ratio. ya don't want it to high cause it can cause leg problems ect. i know for quail we used to add more as they need about 30 but that's to high for a chicken.

as for the favs....i raise salmon favorolles bantams and i have never had any of my others pick on them or them on the others but i have alot of bearded and nonbearded birds in a bigger flock. part of that i think is your breeds. the reason i say that is ur favs are the only bearded in a small flock i think ur others are jealous of them and they stand out to them and the blue coat made it worse chickens see color if i remember right. i am a breeder of cockatiels also i know alot of times my normal colored ones do that and bald the fancier mutation or my lutino colored ones i think it's possible chickens and other birds are the same way. if it looks fancier, more colorful or different it drives them crazy so they have to make the other bird not look pretty to make them look better, it's just a jealous thing. fish do it also to fancies and eat their tails or bubble eyes ect for the same reason. it sounds funny but it happens alot.

if my chooks get boared i don't use melons and such to messy and most times mine won't eat them. i put in apple slices, cut up grapes(so they don't choke), raisins, chex cereal something similar, cuttle bones, spinich, cukes ect from the garden and another good one is the bells ya can buy made out of seed for wild birds hang some of them in there too. i also have self feeders and waterers so they have food and water anytime they want. so if they run out they still always have food to pick at. i have never had any pecking other than a pecking order when first introduced till they figure out what order they are in.

another thing mabe to try that works for us if they are pecking when introduced. chase them to the pen and keep the ones out being picked on or the new guys and put in boxes. change the bedding and rearange the feeders and waterer and nest boxes so it looks like a different house to them. put the low pecking order or new ones in first for 5-10 min first then allow the others to go in. it distracts them and they think they where moved, since the others where there first they don't challange them as they think they are the top birds. most times it stops pecking real quick cause they don't think they are top birds anymore they are confused. they never really figure it out and just get along after that. mabe trying something like this would help. put the favs in first then the others.

mamma, so sorry to hear of ur loss. if bag balm doesn't work i use bacitracine zinc but do not use more than 9 days and put it on in a thin coating or their body's will depend on it. the vicks i think is a good suggestion to try also. acv cuts down the amonia smell and helps with bacterial problems if i remember right.

i hope some of these things may help some of you with some more ideas to try. please don't give up hope i promise your babies are well worth it just hang in there.
hugs,
silkie

 

[SeaChick]

I have to say I am getting pretty bummed out as well. And my dh is kind of losing patience. This is our first winter with chickens and already we have had 4 seperate times when we had to bring one inside for some injury/illness/problem.

Rita is REALLY bummed out to be stuck in this cage and it's stressful on all of us in this small house. I guess I could try making the saddle and putting her outside today, and bringing her in at night only. There's NO feather regrowth though, just bare skin, so I worry. Andy how to make the saddle cover up every last inch of baldness so the other girls won't peck? Sheesh!!!

Stacey

 

[SeaChick]

Oh, my poor Rita!! I have to tell you guys this because it is so sad and sweet.....

Yesterday she was fairly OK with being in the dog carrier. This morning she was REALLY bummed out, flinging herself at the door, knocking over food & water, whining really loud.

It was breaking my heart and I thought she really needed to go back outside. So I quickly made a saddle for her (which she HATES by the way) and brought her outside to the coop. After being chased once around the henhouse and pecked mercilessly by her nemesis, she hopped IMMEDIATELY into the nest box and IMMEDIATELY laid an ENORMOUS egg!!!!!!!!!!!

Poor girl, she had really needed to lay it inside, but didn't like the little basket I'd provided for her in the dog carrier. It was all I could fit in there. So she was desperate to get out and find a place to lay it!

After she hopped back down the other girls were really harrassing her and she looked miserable so I brought her back inside. And now she is quietly in the dog cage again, no complaining anymore.

Sigh. I can see that I am not going to be able to get much work done in the next week. I suspect I'll have to bring her out to the nest box every morning or whenever she gets cranky. Hopefully we can keep this up for 4 or 5 days through the really frigid weather that's forecast for early next week. Even with the heat lamp I think it's too cold for her bare back. And then, I can see that the saddle won't really cut it as far as protecting her from the other girls pecks. For one thing, they are going to be visciou about re-establishing pecking order, and also the saddle gets displaced by her wings whenever she to fly... it also doesn't cover around her vent area which is looking a little bare. I suspect I will have to make some sort of temporary enclosure in the henhouse which encompasses one of the nest boxes, and keep her isolated in there for a few more weeks once it warms up enough. Blaaaaaaaahhhh.

Anyway thanks for listening to my sob story. Poor little scrappy Rita.....

Stacey