Consolidated Kansas

[HEChicken]

We are making another set of nest boxes today. I have found a nice little active nest in my tree row along the road the other day. It had 7 eggs in it... I am hoping once I get more nest boxes in the coop, the girls who have been laying in the tree row will get back in the coop - any suggestions on this? I have a set of 3 nest boxes in the coop right now, putting another set of 3 today - I have 12 hens that are currently laying right now. (9 new little pullets aren't laying yet)

Another set of nest boxes probably isn't going to make a difference - they are creatures of habit and once they have found a place to lay, they will continue to lay there. The only way to retrain them to laying in the coop is to lock them in there for a week or two.

 

[Hawkeye95]

A quick update. All of the "Spice Girls", that is what DD calls them, are doing fine today. Since it is snowing here they haven't come out of the coop. Part of me thinks this is because of the attack yesterday. Tomorrow should be a normal day before the next snow storm hits. Yes, I said snow storm. The forecasters up here don't know how much yet, but that we will get snow. What a way to ring in Spring!

I'm sooo glad that they all seem to be doing okay. What is the latest update? Are they all still hanging in there? I was worried about the hen you said had blood coming from her mouth-- that is scary!!

Michelle, I've been in KS 13 years but this seems like a weird winter/spring to me. I would say that normally winter is Jan/Feb and by March its pretty much spring. But this year we had such a mild January and then Feb really turned on the winter weather and now in March we're still getting snow in the forecast. I think we're all done with the weather and so ready for it to be spring already. I look at my garden patch and my coop and my lawn and my horses and just want to get on with things but with another snowstorm in the immediate forecast, I have to put all those things off again.

Danz, sorry about the little chick - nothing you could have done about it.

Hawkeye and Danz, sorry you are feeling sick. The frequent ups and downs in temp probably don't help a bit.

I'm doing the same thing-- looking at all the things I want to get on! I want to get my garden started and start cleaning up things outside. It really does look like we're moving, so I won't be building the second garden I really wanted. I'm still sick this morning, but not near as bad as yesterday. I've been taking decongestants and I think I caught it early enough that it didn't get really going... crossing my fingers!! I hope it doesn't get worse!

I have missed alot of posts.. This has been a busy site.

Everyone is talking about the snow,,

I am so over the snow.. I hope it just rains and moves out...

X2!!

Hi everybody, just checking in.

Last week I acquired a bunch of babies. I had 8 silkies shipped, they are about 4 weeks old and absolutely adorable. I was supposed to get them weeks ago, but the weather did not cooperate. They are so much fun to watch. Their personalities are so different from the last batch of mixed chicks we raised. A couple of them had bare butts so I was a little concerned. I contacted the breeder and she said that they had poopy butt at the beginning, so she carefully plucked them back there to keep them clean.

I also bought 6 bantams at TSC. Unfortunately we already lost one, but the others are doing very well. They are SO TINY. One of them looks like it is going to be a frizzle. Yesterday its new feathers started to come in curly. It is going to be fun to see what these babies end up turning out to be. We got a variety of colors, and 4 of them have feathered feet.

We are getting new neighbors and was so happy to hear that they are planning on raising chickens too. They have two little girls and you can tell they have been doing their research, telling me all kinds of chicken facts.

Ahhh, that makes sense! I pluck bottoms, too! I didn't even think of that as an option. That is nice about your neighbors! I have the BEST neighbors here!

Accckkk this weather I think is just taking it's toll on everything, the ups & downs are causing illness. Whatever has gotten hold of my laying flock is working quickly. I had put them on Denagard yesterday & it seemed like some of them were better but then today more were worse again & I lost one of my Barred Rock hens & my beautiful Black Copper Marans rooster that I had gotten from Eileen today. I found them both dead in the coop this afternoon. There are more that are not looking good tonight, so I changed them all to Tylan to see if that would do better for them. I'm going to make them stay in the coop & run tomorrow so they will just drink the medicated water because if they go out they will drink the water I leave out up by the house. I also noticed my Speckled Sussex rooster sneezintg tonight too, so if he spreads it to everyone in the new coop I could potentially lose my breeding stock of all my Cream Legbars & Swedish Flower Hens. I'm treating them all now, this is awful! I have those 3 little pullets in the pen in the main run too & they've all been exposed so I had to treat them today too as a precaution. I'm waiting to see who will start sneezing next. I hope I don't have to start all over with birds, I just can't afford it. I wish they all had been laying & at least I could have saved some eggs & incubated them just in case, but unfortunately none of the ones that are more rare are laying right now. I'm feeling really down about it all tonight.

Oh no!! I'm so sorry! I can't believe that you lost two birds yesterday! That is so terribly sad! I'm so sorry about your rooster. You picked him up yesterday and he died the SAME day? It sounds like he must have had something before you got him. That doesn't sound right! I am still dealing with one sick silkie and I sure hope that's it. I'm really sorry you are feeling bad, because I totally understand! I hope they will all be okay!

Just checking back in . The last few weeks have been very busy. I'm halfway through worming my girls (wazine 2 weeks ago), and my Welsumer laid another egg (the first one in months). Of course we can't eat it because I just Ivermectined everyone YESTERDAY. Sheesh. Today it was 43 degrees and snowing outside. Criminy.

Butch (the roo) is getting a foot treated again. He is limping on it. There was a tiny scab on the bottom with what looked like a grain of sand on the inside, but no puss or drainage. We cleaned off the scab and the kernal and then used iodine and triple antibiotic ointment on it and wrapped it. He is less than impressed with the vet wrap, but I don't want to get crud (literally) in the sore spot. I don't really want to take him to the vet, but I will if I have to. He is very special.

You probably won't need a vet. I've been able to take care of bumblefoot with the "surgery" route and vet wrap routine. Sometimes it takes a couple of times, though. I wash with peroxide to push the infection out and then do a rinse with Iodine and then put on triple antibiotic ointment and then wrap it all up.

My feeding buddy, a hermaphrodite chicken with a beak that grows in circles is not doing well. He is loosing weight and loosing his energy. This poor bird has all kinds of abnormal things about him and looks strange as heck. But he rides in the wheel barrow with me when I feed. I can pick him up and carry him around. He will usually come when I call him and jump in the wheel barrow or a feed barrel. I've gotten very attached to him. So along with his weird beak that has to be clipped off ever so often he has some kind of growth under his beak that makes it very hard for him to get food. I think that is what is killing him. He seems to eat non-stop but his crop is always empty. He is really loosing weight and it just breaks my heart to see him going downhill. I honestly am very hurt and upset that I can't do anything for him. I tried giving him yogurt this evening but he wouldn't taste it.
It is so dumb to get attached to these birds because you know that they won't live long. This guy is probably about a year old now and because he couldn't eat right grew really slowly. I have just enjoyed him so much. Even DH said this evening if we just knew a vet that worked on birds he would take him to get him fixed. So I am not the only one who has gotten attached to this bird. I don't think he will last more than a couple more days and I sure will miss him.
I made several nests today by cutting rings from a big plastic barrel. I just cut them with the jig saw and set them down and filled them with Straw. I put three of them in with the midget turkeys, and two in with the peafowl. The turkeys took an interest in them right away. Now if they will just lay in them that will be great. I also put one in the lemon cuckoo house to see if the girls would use it as well.
I am just gathering a few kinds of hatching eggs but my incubators are filling up fast. I'm thinking with all these new breeds I need a couple more!

Aww, your poor chicken buddy. I'm so sorry he is failing. I want to be hatching!! I wish my girl were laying. My little laying flock IS laying now, though! But I'm not hatching from them. I'm hoping when Frank's barred rocks grow up, that I will just breed them and maintain my own BR flock.

HI everyone!! Oh, I have been on everyonce in awhile. No, I have not moved in the barn, DH, has been puting dirt (clay) in and I have been waiting for him to give me the go-ahead. With the weather turning south again, maybe he will get busy with the hired hand and get the electric in. With the 7 day 24 hr call, some days I don't even see him. Let alone him get anything done around here.
Welcome to the newbies,
Welcome back to everyone that just have not had time to get on!.

Hope you get moved in soon, but this weather is really not cooperating!! Grrrrrr!

I set eggs 3 weeks ago and one of them had an intact air sac along the side of the egg instead of at the top as normal. The chick hatched without any problems All my eggs have hatched except for 3 - I'll give them another day to hatch before calling it quits. (I have duck eggs in there too - Never hatched duck eggs, let alone with chicken eggs!)

Went to Atwoods yesterday and once again, I made it out without bringing home anything that needs to be fed

Hoovers is sending me 20 free chicks today! They delayed my shipping of my last order by 2 weeks and offered me free chicks - how can I say no to free chicks! They asked me what kind I wanted - I said, "surprise me!" As long as they aren't RIRs, I don't care - they will be laying chicks though. I'm not a fan of RIRs - they seem a little pushy for my usual calm flock.

We are making another set of nest boxes today. I have found a nice little active nest in my tree row along the road the other day. It had 7 eggs in it... I am hoping once I get more nest boxes in the coop, the girls who have been laying in the tree row will get back in the coop - any suggestions on this? I have a set of 3 nest boxes in the coop right now, putting another set of 3 today - I have 12 hens that are currently laying right now. (9 new little pullets aren't laying yet)

I'm anxious for spring!

I had that problem-- once they start to lay some where else, they won't change their minds about it unless you lock them in. I'm guessing they will just keep doing it and it wont matter. Sorry.

Yay on the free chicks!!! Let us know what you end up getting!! That will be fun!

 

[JosieChick]

Hi everyone! I am so very far behind, we finally have internet at the new house though!

All the birds are moved down. I rented a small u haul trailer and loaded them all up in the dark. Chickens in the front in crates stacked and tied together and then most of the geese loose in the back with an x pen and tarp with straw and shavings. It was a fiasco at best and I had to do it by myself because DH forgot he had to work that Monday. Sigh. Everyone made it fine, I had one hen that had an egg break internally just inside her vent but she seems to be doing okay. It was a ridiculous site and sound. I stopped at the gas station on the way down and the whole trailer was cackling and honking! I just didn't make eye contact with anyone at the gas station but I am sure they were all wondering!

Jackson, my tennessee walker, fell over the welded wire fence into the lagoon area the other night trying to reach the grass on the other side. Geez, such a meat head.

Hope everyone is well!!!

Hawkeye- You aren't moving away are you?

 

[Hawkeye95]

Hi everyone! I am so very far behind, we finally have internet at the new house though!

All the birds are moved down. I rented a small u haul trailer and loaded them all up in the dark. Chickens in the front in crates stacked and tied together and then most of the geese loose in the back with an x pen and tarp with straw and shavings. It was a fiasco at best and I had to do it by myself because DH forgot he had to work that Monday. Sigh. Everyone made it fine, I had one hen that had an egg break internally just inside her vent but she seems to be doing okay. It was a ridiculous site and sound. I stopped at the gas station on the way down and the whole trailer was cackling and honking! I just didn't make eye contact with anyone at the gas station but I am sure they were all wondering!

Jackson, my tennessee walker, fell over the welded wire fence into the lagoon area the other night trying to reach the grass on the other side. Geez, such a meat head.

Hope everyone is well!!!

Hawkeye- You aren't moving away are you?

Josie, so good to see you back!! That trailer ride down sounds hilarious! I can only imagine this little pregnant lady with a trailer full of noise making animals in the back.. what they must have thought! LOL I'm sorry about your hen, I sure hope she really will be okay-- I'd be worried for sure. Did it all come out? Are you doing anything special for her?? Antibiotics or wait and see??
Horses are NUTS! I swear, if they can do something, they will. Of course he fell over the fencing! I mean, that's all in a day's work for a horse. Sheesh! It sounds like he didn't injure himself, so I'm really, really glad that he's okay. It would be my luck that they would pull a tendon or do something really dumb. And if they do, I recommend the Equine Surgery Center up north WIchita-- wouldn't be too far from you, I don't think. They can handle all disasters big and small. They've saved my horses countless times. They are also a 24 hour clinic-- so if you have a midnight call, they will come, thank goodness! (or meet you there)

My Dh's layoff was extended until June, but nothing is cropping up here. He has tried all the "big" business that we'd expect would take him. Most companies now contract out software, so they aren't hiring for those positions anyway. Then there are a few companies that do have a department for it, but either they aren't hiring, they are unstable and thinking about downsizing or they pay so much less! And I mean like 10-20K less... not just a few thousand. The other problem we are facing is that he has been an engineer for 15 years and that pay scale is something that doesn't seem to be widely supported in the Wichita economy right now. Perhaps later... So we made the decision to go ahead and secure jobs in OKC and we're pushing forward with it. Now... if something pops up for us here, it better happen QUICK! Basically before the two of us sign contracts we can't back out of. So I'm not happy about it, but we can't keep hoping something is going to show up here and go broke waiting.

 

[Trish44]

Hawkeye, no I didn't just get that rooster, in fact I haven't gotten any new birds other than the little chicks from Eileen lately & the Cream Legbars who are out in the other coop. Since the illness started in my main coop I think it just must be some kind of virus or bacteria that the wild birds brought in or something. These birds free range all day so they're out & about all over the place in my yard & property. It seems like even if you take the very best care of your birds with good food & all the rest you still can get illness coming in from somewhere. I sure hope I can get this stopped, I have several other birds that aren't looking good out there. I wish I knew what drug is the best for this, but not knowing exactly what it is, it's hard to guess. I'm sorry you're having to move, but you have to do what's necessary. I hope you can find a place down in OKC that you like that will accommodate your animals & birds. I hope you also will keep posting on here, we all enjoy your posts & even though you won't be in Kansas you still will always be welcome here. My son lives in OKC, maybe on the rare occasions when we come down there I can stop by & see you some time. Right now he is driving a truck & isn't home much.

Josie, I'll bet that was comical with all of that noise coming out of the back of a U-haul. I'm glad you got your birds moved OK. Are you about moved to your new place now? I know it will be nice to only have to deal with one place. I can't even imagine doing what you have been doing & being pregnant at the same time.

Danz, I'm sorry about your little rooster, he sounds like a sweetie.

I agree about the chickens laying outside the nests, once they do that they just don't quit unless they're given no choice. I had some laying on top of some straw bales I had in the run for the longest time until the straw bales were no longer there.

The "rainbow layers" that these hatcheries are selling are just a group of different breeds the hatchery has picked out for different colors of eggs. It could be any combination of layers according to what they decide to send, probably whatever they have a surplus of. I figure it's just another way for them to get rid of excess chicks of different kinds if they don't have enough to fill specific orders. Personally I would rather choose what chicks I buy rather than have them choose them for me. I noticed Orschelyn's has gotten in on that too, they had a "rainbow layer" bin.

I did come home with a few new chicks last night that I have in my brooder in the house. I figure with me losing hens right now that I will need a few more to fill in. I'm going to pick up my Welsummer eggs this afternoon too, so maybe I will get a rooster out of those that can replace my BC Marans rooster I just lost. I sure hated losing him, he was a gorgeous guy & such a good flock leader.

 

[RoosterLew]

Hey there Jay Hawkers!
Thought I'd wave a wing and say Cocka Doodle Groovy!
I'm New - Live in Coffeyville - Names Rooster - hope to learn lots from you all!

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/756636/new-rooster-in-se-kansas


BTW - Anyone know where I can get Some Wellies or Buff Orphs around here? I need some Chickys!

 

[HEChicken]

You probably won't need a vet. I've been able to take care of bumblefoot with the "surgery" route and vet wrap routine. Sometimes it takes a couple of times, though. I wash with peroxide to push the infection out and then do a rinse with Iodine and then put on triple antibiotic ointment and then wrap it all up.

Ummmm.....can I make a date with you to help me with a rather bad bumblefoot in one of my hens? I keep putting off doing it because I wasn't so successful in getting rid of it in the past and since you've done it many more times than I have, I'm hoping you can show me a few tips and tricks for getting it taken care of. I soak in Epsom Salts - is that about the same thing as Peroxide, or do you use the Peroxide after you've started cutting?

Hi everyone! I am so very far behind, we finally have internet at the new house though!

All the birds are moved down. I rented a small u haul trailer and loaded them all up in the dark. Chickens in the front in crates stacked and tied together and then most of the geese loose in the back with an x pen and tarp with straw and shavings. It was a fiasco at best and I had to do it by myself because DH forgot he had to work that Monday. Sigh. Everyone made it fine, I had one hen that had an egg break internally just inside her vent but she seems to be doing okay. It was a ridiculous site and sound. I stopped at the gas station on the way down and the whole trailer was cackling and honking! I just didn't make eye contact with anyone at the gas station but I am sure they were all wondering!

Jackson, my tennessee walker, fell over the welded wire fence into the lagoon area the other night trying to reach the grass on the other side. Geez, such a meat head.

Hope everyone is well!!!

Hawkeye- You aren't moving away are you?

Glad to have you back with us, and glad you got the birds moved down. You should have taken video!!! Our move last year was relatively easy as I moved the chicks and juveniles in one lot, and the laying flock, which only consisted of 12 hens, in another. If I were to move now I'd probably have to do the same as you and it wouldn't be pretty. Glad your TWH isn't badly injured. Sheesh. If there's a way for a horse to injure itself, you can be sure it will find it.

My Dh's layoff was extended until June, but nothing is cropping up here. He has tried all the "big" business that we'd expect would take him. Most companies now contract out software, so they aren't hiring for those positions anyway. Then there are a few companies that do have a department for it, but either they aren't hiring, they are unstable and thinking about downsizing or they pay so much less! And I mean like 10-20K less... not just a few thousand. The other problem we are facing is that he has been an engineer for 15 years and that pay scale is something that doesn't seem to be widely supported in the Wichita economy right now. Perhaps later... So we made the decision to go ahead and secure jobs in OKC and we're pushing forward with it. Now... if something pops up for us here, it better happen QUICK! Basically before the two of us sign contracts we can't back out of. So I'm not happy about it, but we can't keep hoping something is going to show up here and go broke waiting.

I'm sorry things aren't panning out for you job-wise. We will surely miss you and do hope that you will continue to be active on this thread.

The "rainbow layers" that these hatcheries are selling are just a group of different breeds the hatchery has picked out for different colors of eggs. It could be any combination of layers according to what they decide to send, probably whatever they have a surplus of. I figure it's just another way for them to get rid of excess chicks of different kinds if they don't have enough to fill specific orders. Personally I would rather choose what chicks I buy rather than have them choose them for me. I noticed Orschelyn's has gotten in on that too, they had a "rainbow layer" bin.

I was just at my Orschelns this morning but they didn't have a rainbow layer bin. I was laughing a little though as they had them lined up as "Black Sex Links", then "Production Reds". I was just thinking to myself that at least they're calling them what they really are, instead of "Rhode Island Reds", when I came to the next bin and it was...."Rhode Island Reds". So I'm thinking by "Production Red", they meant "Red Sex Link". The last bin contained "Americans". LOL. Of course they were EE's but I thought it funny that hatcheries always call EE's, Ameraucanas, but this store didn't even get THAT right. Oh well. I was easily able to resist them this year. It helps that I'm currently hatching some Alohas for Karen, but I'm also just really committed now to getting higher quality birds than what comes from hatcheries, and sticking with the heritage birds that are so in danger of becoming "lost" thanks to the hatcheries breeding for quantity rather than quality.

Danz, I'm sorry your rooster is failing. I do know what you mean about them being "special" and it is sad to lose them.

Pikeman - how is your flock doing now after their scare.

Well, Chickies, that first duck that I thought was broody Monday morning is well and truly broody now. Unfortunately she's brooding in a nest box that the chickens are still laying in, so I'll have to move her. I guess I will do that tonight and then she can be left alone for the rest of her time. I'm thinking about putting a dozen and a half eggs under her.

Sharol, I hope Butch is recovering nicely by now.

The Alohas that I am hatching have turned out really well. These are the eggs I smuggled through airport security and didn't expect to develop at all. Of the 18 eggs I started with, I discarded one clear at 10 days, but 17 went into lock down. So far there are 15 hatched and another that is pipped and rocking like mad. The last one I thought was a dud but I think I saw it rock a little while ago, so I'll give it a little more time. I went ahead and set another 10 eggs though, even though there are still two unhatched eggs in there. I figure I'll let the new eggs go a day without turning to give the last eggs a chance to hatch, and once they are out, I can turn the turner on. So far I am really liking the Rcom Incubator. Not cheap, but definitely worth it.

 

[Trish44]

HEChicken, which Orschelyn's were you at? I go to the one in Arkansas City of course since they're the closest for me. They are the ones that had the Rainbow layers bin. They told me they will have another shipment of some other chicks Thurs. since all of the ones they were supposed to get didn't arrive. They're supposed to be getting Australorps, Black & Red Sex links this time. I wouldn't mind having a couple of each of those if the weather doesn't get too bad that evening, that is when they get their shipments they said at 5 pm. I don't mind the hatchery birds just for my laying flock. If I were really breeding them I would get birds from breeders & that is what I do, but with the layer flock you don't keep them forever anyway since they start to decline on laying in two years. I try to get some new ones every year just so I have some to cover molting & birds that are cutting back. That way I have a fresh set of layers coming up.

 

[Hawkeye95]

Hawkeye, no I didn't just get that rooster, in fact I haven't gotten any new birds other than the little chicks from Eileen lately & the Cream Legbars who are out in the other coop. Since the illness started in my main coop I think it just must be some kind of virus or bacteria that the wild birds brought in or something. These birds free range all day so they're out & about all over the place in my yard & property. It seems like even if you take the very best care of your birds with good food & all the rest you still can get illness coming in from somewhere. I sure hope I can get this stopped, I have several other birds that aren't looking good out there.

I did come home with a few new chicks last night that I have in my brooder in the house. I figure with me losing hens right now that I will need a few more to fill in. I'm going to pick up my Welsummer eggs this afternoon too, so maybe I will get a rooster out of those that can replace my BC Marans rooster I just lost. I sure hated losing him, he was a gorgeous guy & such a good flock leader.

Yeah, I agree with you! These birds just get sick, and I don't think there is any kind of preventative that will work 100%. I remember back when I first joined BYC-- EVERYone (except this thread) said that if you had a sick bird, to cull them. But what you don't take into consideration is the fact of how much you have invested in them, and especially so if they are out of quality lines. I want to save, save, save!! I'd rather not cull a bird at all if I can help it. Not unless it were just some horrible disease, of course. But for the sniffles, sneezing and runny noses most of us have been dealing with, I think it's just a part of chicken care. Losing your rooster, that is just sad. I'm really sorry. I didn't understand what rainbow layers were, so thank you for clearing that up! I was lost on that one!

Hey there Jay Hawkers!
Thought I'd wave a wing and say Cocka Doodle Groovy!
I'm New - Live in Coffeyville - Names Rooster - hope to learn lots from you all!

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/756636/new-rooster-in-se-kansas


BTW - Anyone know where I can get Some Wellies or Buff Orphs around here? I need some Chickys!

WELCOME!!!! I'm sure you'll find someone here who can help you out! There are a few others here in your neck of the woods.

Ummmm.....can I make a date with you to help me with a rather bad bumblefoot in one of my hens? I keep putting off doing it because I wasn't so successful in getting rid of it in the past and since you've done it many more times than I have, I'm hoping you can show me a few tips and tricks for getting it taken care of. I soak in Epsom Salts - is that about the same thing as Peroxide, or do you use the Peroxide after you've started cutting?

I was just at my Orschelns this morning but they didn't have a rainbow layer bin. I was laughing a little though as they had them lined up as "Black Sex Links", then "Production Reds". I was just thinking to myself that at least they're calling them what they really are, instead of "Rhode Island Reds", when I came to the next bin and it was...."Rhode Island Reds". So I'm thinking by "Production Red", they meant "Red Sex Link". The last bin contained "Americans". LOL. Of course they were EE's but I thought it funny that hatcheries always call EE's, Ameraucanas, but this store didn't even get THAT right. Oh well. I was easily able to resist them this year. It helps that I'm currently hatching some Alohas for Karen, but I'm also just really committed now to getting higher quality birds than what comes from hatcheries, and sticking with the heritage birds that are so in danger of becoming "lost" thanks to the hatcheries breeding for quantity rather than quality.


The Alohas that I am hatching have turned out really well. These are the eggs I smuggled through airport security and didn't expect to develop at all. Of the 18 eggs I started with, I discarded one clear at 10 days, but 17 went into lock down. So far there are 15 hatched and another that is pipped and rocking like mad. The last one I thought was a dud but I think I saw it rock a little while ago, so I'll give it a little more time. I went ahead and set another 10 eggs though, even though there are still two unhatched eggs in there. I figure I'll let the new eggs go a day without turning to give the last eggs a chance to hatch, and once they are out, I can turn the turner on. So far I am really liking the Rcom Incubator. Not cheap, but definitely worth it.

I can plan to come over! I do the epsom salt soak first. Scrub the foot down with a brush and make sure to get all the toel nails and everything super clean. By that time, the foot is feeling really soft. Then I make my first cut with a very sharp Xacto knife and look around and see if I can pull anything out. I squeeze out what I can. Then I use the peroxide to spray in and let it foam out the rest I can't get. Often times it will bring up more junk to the surface and I can dig more of it out. Spray in more peroxide and wait until it stops bringing stuff up and out. I run water over the foot then in the sink to rinse off the blood. (I don't soak in the dirty water) Then I use the Iodine to clean it up after that. Then I cut up vet wrap length wise to make it thinner to wrap around the foot and in between the toes. I have cotton gauze on hand and I put a big dollup of triple antibiotic on that and then press it to the open hole in the foot. Then wrap (not too tightly) around the foot and in between toes to keep it on. I leave it on for several days and then take it off and see if it needs wrapped again. It probably won't need cutting into again-- UNLESS it's obviously still red and infected and you can see more pus coming out. If that is the case, then I repeat the process all over again, but then I add in Penicillin shots for the next few days too. It's probably not a bad idea to do the shots on the first go around, but I've had success without doing them on the first go. But the bottle is large and cheap, so it would be easy to do.

Of course I wear gloves since this is a Staph infection and easily transferred to us!


Showing the "plug" that has to be cut all around and then either squeezed off or finish cutting off.


Below-- showing how I wrap the foot:




Below: digging in over the sink... you can see the huge hole I have left after the infection has been mostly cleaned out!

 

[Trish44]

RoosterLew, welcome to the Kansas Thread! I know there are some people over your way with birds, I don't know if any have Welsummers or not. If you check on the Kansas Poultry Swap site on FaceBook, you might find some or put an ad on there to find some. Here is the link for it: https://www.facebook.com/groups/275183675880038/.