First Aid on hand

[ellie32526]

Hello, Just want to get a box together of some helpful things I should keep on hand "Just in Case" one of my chicks gets sick. Any suggestions?

 

[ChickensRDinos]

Not pain relief neosporin is always a good one to have on hand.

 

[Demosthine]

I don't have any personal experience with it, but I hear Nu-Stock works miracles, literally. I was reading BeeKissed's blog about her flock that she had given away. They ended up being severely mistreated and neglected, being in tear-jerking conditions. She used Nu-Stock liberally on them for a variety of ailments and she had absolutely wonderful success. I would strongly recommend everyone read her story from her blog. You can read it here. It's a rather long read, but I just couldn't stop until I knew most of the girls had recovered well.

Most of the old-timers seem to say no to medications and treatment. Simple flock maintenance appears to work wonders at keeping all of the ailments away. You might check the couple of old-timer threads that are active. They are fascinating reads.

The book I've found most helpful so far is Storey's Guide to Raising Chickens: Care, Feeding, Facilties by Gail Damerow. There is a chapter dedicated to Health Care, including: biosecurity; parasites; health, disease and disease resistance; poisons and other hazards; and first aid. In the first aid section, she lists the following items to have on hand:

• Saline-solution wound wash
• Hydrogen peroxide for flushing out really dirty wounds
• Gauze pads to mop out a cleaned wound
• Tweezers to pick dirt and debris out of a wound
• Povidone-iodine antiseptic, such as Betadine, for disinfecting wounds
• A syringe for squirting saline solution or Betadine into a wound
• Wound powder, such as Wonder Dust, to stop bleeding
• Antibiotic ointment, such as Neosporin, for dry wounds
• Antimicrobial powder, such as McKillips, for oozing wounds
• A thick ointment such as Desitin (zinc oxide) or Ichthammol for removing nfected scabs
• Pipe cleaners for splinting broken toes
• Tongue depressors, Popsicle sticks, lollipop sticks, stiff paper or cardboard, or short lengths of water hose for splinting broken legs
• Vetrap or rolled gauze to cushion splint
• First-aid tape, Vetrap, or shipping tape to hold splint in place
• A broad-spectrum antibiotic such as Terramycin (oxytetracycline) or Aureomycin (chlortetracycline), if your vet doesn't know how to, or won't, treat chickens
• Electrolyte powder to replenish electrolytes in stressed birds
• Petroleum jelly, such as Vaseline, to protect combs from frostbite
• Water-based lubricant such as K-Y Jelly for treating an egg-bound pullet
• Hemorrhoid cream, such as Preparation H, for treating prolapse
• Sandwich or snack-size plastic zip bags for collecting suspicious droppings to take to a vet for examination
• Paper towels to wipe up whatever needs wiping
• Old towels to wrap and restrain a chicken that requires treatment
• A clean container to hold everything

Hope that helps!

 

[ellie32526]

Wow! That's a pretty extensive list. Thank you. I do have some of these items already so not too much expense, but good to know. I will get to work on collecting these.