Emergency kit for chickens and ducks?

[NewPoultryMom2019]

First time poultry mom here!
I am planning on introducing my (2) ducks and (4) chicks into their coop within the next few weeks (just waiting for the weather to break here!).
I am nervous because, well because I'm always nervous lol, but I've read so many things that can happen to poultry. Sicknesses, predators, etc. I feel so unprepared! I have basic things like Neosporin, bandages(but I'm not even sure they're the right bandages?), small stuff like that.
What else would I need in an emergency?

 

[Criticalicious]

Go to Tractor Supply if you have one nearby and pick up Blu Kote in case of injuries, Poultry Dust to prevent mites, and Nutri Drench for nutrition boost pick me ups. From Wal-Mart, go to the cleaning supplies aisle and buy a pack of disposable gloves to protect your hands from the Blu Kote or blood and poop. You might also want to have plain epsom salt and corn starch on hand. Do you have a dog cage or crate available to keep a bird inside for short periods (a few hours to a week or two)? Tractor Supply has reasonable prices on those too.

 

[sylviethecochin]

First time poultry mom here!
I am planning on introducing my (2) ducks and (4) chicks into their coop within the next few weeks (just waiting for the weather to break here!).
I am nervous because, well because I'm always nervous lol, but I've read so many things that can happen to poultry. Sicknesses, predators, etc. I feel so unprepared! I have basic things like Neosporin, bandages(but I'm not even sure they're the right bandages?), small stuff like that.
What else would I need in an emergency?

Epsom salts are useful for treating inflammation (soak)

My mum enforced the "livestock rectal thermometer is not human thermometer" rule pretty strongly so you may want one of those.

Some sort of rinse (or at least a recipe for a rinse) to clean dirt out of wounds is really useful. I use 1 tsp salt to 2 qts water. Vetericyn's a little pricy for me. Dr. Naylor's hoof-n-heel is better.

Iodine's a nice thing.

I like to keep b-vitamins and e-vitamins on hand. They're great, they're useful, and they're easily obtained. EDT: add calcium to that. Forgot it.

Keep an electrolyte recipe on hand. 2 qts water, 1 tsp baking soda, 1 pinch salt, 1 tbsp sweetener (such as honey, sugar, or corn syrup. not molasses, they're a diuretic)

If you eat a lot of live-cuture yogurt, that's a pretty good remedy for diarrhea. You can also use probiotics, which come in both paste and powder forms.

Bandages are bandages. If it'll wrap a wound, it's good. And honestly, I like to use enough neosporin to smother a goat rather than a bandage.

Cotton balls are handy, and so is corn-starch (to stop bleeding)

A dog crate is useful in case you have to end up isolating one of your birds (or maybe a few new pullets?) inside the coop due to bullying/breeding/etc.

I like keeping syringes on hand. And antibiotics and amprollium and wormer. But with six birds, I think that's probably going to be more trouble than it's worth for you.

 

[NewPoultryMom2019]

Epsom salts are useful for treating inflammation (soak)

My mum enforced the "livestock rectal thermometer is not human thermometer" rule pretty strongly so you may want one of those.

Some sort of rinse (or at least a recipe for a rinse) to clean dirt out of wounds is really useful. I use 1 tsp salt to 2 qts water. Vetericyn's a little pricy for me. Dr. Naylor's hoof-n-heel is better.

Iodine's a nice thing.

I like to keep b-vitamins and e-vitamins on hand. They're great, they're useful, and they're easily obtained. EDT: add calcium to that. Forgot it.

Keep an electrolyte recipe on hand. 2 qts water, 1 tsp baking soda, 1 pinch salt, 1 tbsp sweetener (such as honey, sugar, or corn syrup. not molasses, they're a diuretic)

If you eat a lot of live-cuture yogurt, that's a pretty good remedy for diarrhea. You can also use probiotics, which come in both paste and powder forms.

Bandages are bandages. If it'll wrap a wound, it's good. And honestly, I like to use enough neosporin to smother a goat rather than a bandage.

Cotton balls are handy, and so is corn-starch (to stop bleeding)

A dog crate is useful in case you have to end up isolating one of your birds (or maybe a few new pullets?) inside the coop due to bullying/breeding/etc.

I like keeping syringes on hand. And antibiotics and amprollium and wormer. But with six birds, I think that's probably going to be more trouble than it's worth for you.

Thank you! I will be going to the store in the a.m. and getting our things together.
The vitamins, calcium, and probiotics, can I get those in like the vitamin isle of any store?
Also the antibiotics and amprollium and wormer? Maybe online?
Besides TSC I don't recall any stores nearby carrying things specifically for chickens.

 

[NewPoultryMom2019]

Go to Tractor Supply if you have one nearby and pick up Blu Kote in case of injuries, Poultry Dust to prevent mites, and Nutri Drench for nutrition boost pick me ups. From Wal-Mart, go to the cleaning supplies aisle and buy a pack of disposable gloves to protect your hands from the Blu Kote or blood and poop. You might also want to have plain epsom salt and corn starch on hand. Do you have a dog cage or crate available to keep a bird inside for short periods (a few hours to a week or two)? Tractor Supply has reasonable prices on those too.

Oh gloves! That is a good idea (wish I would have thought of that for cleaning out their brooder!)
I do have a TSC nearby, I'll be making a stop tomorrow.
I have a metal cat crate? It's for my large cat who's about 17lbs, do you think that would be okay?
I grabbed a bag of DE, because I'd like to mix that in with some sort of dust bath(in their very own turtle sandbox!), is that what you mean by poultry dust? Or is that something entirely different?

 

[sylviethecochin]

vitamins, calcium, and probiotics

Vitamins and calcium you can pick up in the vitamin aisle of Walmart. Probiotics are basically gut bacteria, and they are species specific. So you'd need to pick up poultry ones from TSC, or online depending on the size of your Tsc.

antibiotics and amprollium and wormer

As I said above, I don't think you're going to need those. You only have six birds, and are unlikely to need anything offhand. i have broodies with chicks regularly, and so I keep amprollium on hand to combat any coccid infections--which are common in baby chicks. Wormer, I keep because I live thirty-four miles from TSC and I prefer to do worming during the winter, which is, coincidentally, the time I'm least likely to want to drive. Antibiotics are useful because, with eighty-some birds, I might have a wound go undiscovered, and have to treat it after it gets infected.

 

[sylviethecochin]

Oh gloves! That is a good idea (wish I would have thought of that for cleaning out their brooder!)
I do have a TSC nearby, I'll be making a stop tomorrow.
I have a metal cat crate? It's for my large cat who's about 17lbs, do you think that would be okay?
I grabbed a bag of DE, because I'd like to mix that in with some sort of dust bath(in their very own turtle sandbox!), is that what you mean by poultry dust? Or is that something entirely different?

Good poultry dust contains permethrin, which is a form of pyrethrin, a natural insecticide.
DE is pretty ineffective, and there's a lot of evidence that it's a respiratory irritant.

 

[NewPoultryMom2019]

Good poultry dust contains permethrin, which is a form of pyrethrin, a natural insecticide.
DE is pretty ineffective, and there's a lot of evidence that it's a respiratory irritant.

Oh, good to know! Thank you

 

[NewPoultryMom2019]

Vitamins and calcium you can pick up in the vitamin aisle of Walmart. Probiotics are basically gut bacteria, and they are species specific. So you'd need to pick up poultry ones from TSC, or online depending on the size of your Tsc.

As I said above, I don't think you're going to need those. You only have six birds, and are unlikely to need anything offhand. i have broodies with chicks regularly, and so I keep amprollium on hand to combat any coccid infections--which are common in baby chicks. Wormer, I keep because I live thirty-four miles from TSC and I prefer to do worming during the winter, which is, coincidentally, the time I'm least likely to want to drive. Antibiotics are useful because, with eighty-some birds, I might have a wound go undiscovered, and have to treat it after it gets infected.

Makes sense, thanks again!