BREEDING FOR PRODUCTION...EGGS AND OR MEAT.

[Fire Ant Farm]

Quote:
That's the one I have as well - bonus is that the red is the first light that comes on when it's turned on. Mostly have used it to collect early in the AM for processing, or if I need to be out in the yard after dark (so I don't startle the ones that like to roost in the open). To clarify - you can see mites with the red light, or you switch to the white to look? I would love to just use the red one for the whole operation...

 

[bnjrob]

That's the one I have as well - bonus is that the red is the first light that comes on when it's turned on. Mostly have used it to collect early in the AM for processing, or if I need to be out in the yard after dark (so I don't startle the ones that like to roost in the open). To clarify - you can see mites with the red light, or you switch to the white to look? I would love to just use the red one for the whole operation...

With the red light they look like little black dots - basically the same as with the white light, just darker. If it looks like a mite then I'll switch on the white light just to be sure. The only thing I've had problems with using the red light for is if there is a wound - active bleeding you can see some with the red light but if there is just blood that is not moving, it's harder to tell with the red light. So if you cut a quick when trimming spurs or nails, if you already have a spot of blood there, you have to double check with the white light to make sure that it's actually stayed clotted off when you take off the pressure. We've got a few birds that freak out even with the red light but for the most part it does great when we're snatching them off the roosts to work with them.

 

[Fire Ant Farm]

Quote:
Super - this has been very helpful - thanks so much!!!!

- Ant Farm

 

[lcertuche]

Great information!

 

[Fire Ant Farm]

Weekly weights today - most of the TankxGNH boys are over 16oz at 4 weeks. I'll post photos and data later, but meanwhile, I need some advice:

My Splash Copper Marans cockerel Monkey has a bit of a limp today. He is such a sweet good tempered boy, and while he didn't jump into my arms, it wasn't that much of a fight to get hold of him, and he was calm in my arms and let me mess around looking at his feet. (He's a big boy, too - heavy fella.)

First, I think he might maybe have beginning bumble foot - this is a first for me. Here's a photo - sorry, it was close and I had a hard time focusing. But that patch isn't poop, it's sort of a smooth patch/scab. There is no "stuff' underneath - I think this is very early. Can anyone remind me of the non surgical approaches? (I think someone posted that here or on another thread I'm on - I'm going to try to look, but it's hard to find stuff sometimes on here.) I would LOVE to be able to treat him and put him back out, but can keep him in for a bit if I need to...




But, while examining his feet, I was sort of taken aback by the way the spots where his feathers come out looked. I'm new to birds with feathered feet - is this normal? (He has muddy poopy feet in this photo, sorry - that's not blood.)








For what it's worth, the limp seems to support the "beginning bumble foot" side being the problem, not the "crazy gross looking" feather foot side...

- Ant Farm

 

[altair]

I use Bumblefoot Remedy sold here under tonics: http://www.moonlightmileherbs.com/poultryproducts.html. You apply it topically and orally, no surgery or cutting of the skin needed.

The scales may look like scaly leg mites, but I'll let someone with more experience with heavily feathered feet weigh in.

 

[Beekissed]

Looks like scale mites to me too! I'd try a less invasive treatment before digging around in that foot. Try soaking his feet in warm epsom salts, scrubbing the feet gently with a cuticle brush and antibacterial dish soap afterwards. Then I'd slather some castor oil upwards into those scales, massaging it deeply into the scales and feet and just let that work for a few days and see if it helps the pain and starts to work on this problem. It didn't get like that in a day and won't go away quickly but you should see some lessening of the redness, the limping and the overall scaliness of the legs after the first treatment.

In about a week I'd reassess the areas and do it again, reapplying a deep massage of the castor oil upwards into those scales. After that I'd just give that time to work, checking it now and again to see any progress towards the good.

I'd also check your other birds for scale mites....usually if there is one that affected, he's had it awhile and long enough to spread it to others. I'd castor oil the whole flock just because, even if you don't find any. CO is a great preventative for spreading it from bird to bird. Wouldn't hurt to dust down your roosts also..

 

[Fire Ant Farm]

Looks like scale mites to me too! I'd try a less invasive treatment before digging around in that foot. Try soaking his feet in warm epsom salts, scrubbing the feet gently with a cuticle brush and antibacterial dish soap afterwards. Then I'd slather some castor oil upwards into those scales, massaging it deeply into the scales and feet and just let that work for a few days and see if it helps the pain and starts to work on this problem. It didn't get like that in a day and won't go away quickly but you should see some lessening of the redness, the limping and the overall scaliness of the legs after the first treatment.

In about a week I'd reassess the areas and do it again, reapplying a deep massage of the castor oil upwards into those scales. After that I'd just give that time to work, checking it now and again to see any progress towards the good.

I'd also check your other birds for scale mites....usually if there is one that affected, he's had it awhile and long enough to spread it to others. I'd castor oil the whole flock just because, even if you don't find any. CO is a great preventative for spreading it from bird to bird. Wouldn't hurt to dust down your roosts also..

Thanks!!! I wasn't going to do any cutting - I was planning to soak and see what came loose and re-evaluate. Regarding the scaly leg mites. I think I must have not recognized it because I haven't had other birds with feathered legs before, and I wasn't sure what was normal. (Are they more susceptible?). I had remembered your castor oil recommendation and had it on hand.

So tonight (just now) I took him off the roost and started by just soaking his feet in warm epsom salt solution well to figure out what's what. (He was very good and sweet - he's been so easy to handle.) I think that spot is early bumblefoot- it's a round dark scab after a good soak and cleaning. When I dried everything off, I put antibiotic ointment on the bottom, and then I did a quick (not super deep) application of castor oil over the scale areas - I hadn't really set up to do it easily one handed, so I'll set it up differently next time. I'm going to wash well and soak for the bumble foot each night, but reapply castor oil after dry and done. I'm hoping to do the flock health check this weekend, so I'll be checking legs (as well as other issues including other mites), but was already planning castor oil anyway. (I do have permethrin spray, though - if it looks extensive/widespread, I may consider doing that.) He's in with 7 other girls, but I'm due for a health check for all the rest anyway, I'll just be sure to do them first.

Thanks so much!!!

- Ant Farm

 

[Fire Ant Farm]

@Beekissed , I was reading through the scaly leg mite thread (the "quickest/easiest" one started by Nifty Chicken back in 2008). I'm about 13 pages in, but I noted where you had been successful in treating a bad case with Nu-Stock (back in 2010). Thoughts? (I sorta already ordered some, it looked like good stuff to have on hand.)

(I'm feeling very bad now that I didn't recognize it before now, poor guy...

)

- Ant Farm

 

[Beekissed]

@Beekissed , I was reading through the scaly leg mite thread (the "quickest/easiest" one started by Nifty Chicken back in 2008). I'm about 13 pages in, but I noted where you had been successful in treating a bad case with Nu-Stock (back in 2010). Thoughts? (I sorta already ordered some, it looked like good stuff to have on hand.)

(I'm feeling very bad now that I didn't recognize it before now, poor guy...

)

- Ant Farm

Yep...Nustock works GREAT. It only took one application of NuStock on light infestations to eliminate it.

Later on I had a longer standing mite infestation on a rooster that came back to me from a bad place of management(you should have seen the rooster that was left behind~not mine...his feet looked like tree bark). The NuStock didn't quite cure it up for me on that one so I tried Castor Oil and was amazed at how quickly it healed it up and how quick new scales grew in...that too was just one application and it was much cheaper and easier to get than NuStock. As a neat side effect, it also healed up that old rooster's slight gimpy gate he picked up at that farm too...I think they might have kicked him or something. The CO took the pain right out of his joint there and he never limped again after that.