help cedar poisoning!

[sky68ou1]

ok let me start off by saying this was NOT my fault.

i bought a new brand of bedding from my supplier. they didnt have the old one i usually buy. they swore to me it wasnt cedar and that alot of people had asked the same thing about it. it looks similar in packaging is all. well it turns out the company who makes this brand mixes the differant wood together! it is cedar mostly and now i lost 2 bantam babies and i have a SQ bantam 8 weeks old struggling to hang on as we speak! it acts drunk and cant stand up or walk straight. was eating and drinking on its on earlier but now isnt however it is still fairly alert and chirping. is there anything i can do for it (besides put it down) to save its little life? this bird is worth a ton of money and im none to happy with everything right now.

so any advice?

 

[fargosmom]

Oh dear!! I don't know the answer but hope someone else will . . . seems to me that since the cedar effect is mostly due to the oils and odor - if you can get the chick onto fresh non-cedar bedding and provide lots of fresh air it might help. Sending all my positive thoughts your way - hang in there little chicken!

 

[sky68ou1]

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thats just it i cant get any right now they are out of the bedding i normally buy. hes been out of it since this morning. im sitting here at the comp cuddling it as i type. theres got to be something that can be done.

 

[chookchick]

If you can't get any other bedding, just use paper towels for now. Probably the best thing for it anyway, as even pine has some fumes. Does the bedding you have smell fairly strong of cedar? Is there any possibility of another problem? How do it's droppings look?

 

[Kazzandra]

I can understand cedar being dangerous to chicks, but I use cedar bedding in my adult coop for a year now and have never had any adverse effects of which I can think. I used to use aspen bedding but I had problems with mites when I used it, and switching to cedar fixed that.

Is it ever advisable to use cedar bedding? Would it really be so terrible if adults or chicks ate it? Also, this is Eastern Red Cedar (actually a JUNIPER-- Juniperus virginiana) in the bedding, which decomposes more quickly than Western Red Cedar. I would THINK that this would be safe.

So to the OP, what kind of cedar do you suspect is in the bedding? How does the chick's crop feel?

I would think that the juniper cedar would not be a problem, and just getting the chicks off the the cedar and on paper towels would fix it. Also, is it a very fine litter? I've never raised on litter because chicks eat anything they can-- I always use paper towels to avoid this.

 

[sky68ou1]

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ive had it off the cedar for 2 days now and not much improvement. then this morning i get up and check on it and its back to how it was the first day. but still fighting strong. its droppings were normal until this morning and its kinda tarry looking. keep in mind it was dried up by the time i got in here this morning. i am getting some food into it and it will perk up for awhile but over night seems to do some harm.

 

[Opa]

You might try using VetRX. It can help with respitory problems.

 

[sky68ou1]

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how long should i use it?

 

[Opa]

I think 2 or 3 days but it would be wise to follow the instructions that come with the product. Good luck.

 

[sky68ou1]

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thanks! this is one of my show birds im raising for breeding stock of the breed. its not a cheap bird. i need all the help support i can get.