Help! My chicken ate rat bait!

[LibertyChick]

Hi,

Sorry to hear about your chickens eating rat poison. Rat poison is such a bad thing to keep around. I don't know if you know this or not, but chickens are really good hunters. You may want to get it off your property immediately. They will keep your mouse population down just being in the area. I once saw a pullet of mine who found a mouse and was eating it. Yuk, but it's good protein for them.

As far as the your chicken's poisoning goes...how are they doing? I know it's been several days since it happened. I just read on a homeopathic website about a cat who ate a mouse that was poisoned with rat poison. The new types of rat poisons are less powerful and poison them slowly over time, so I think your girls are not necessarily out of the woods at this point. Please read the blog about how they used homeopathy on their cat and saved her life.

http://www.homeopathy-for-animals.com/consequences-rat-poison.html

The person in the blog did not mention any specific remedies, but I've been using homepathy for several years now and it's usually pretty easy. Homeopathy works "like cures like". I've had awesome results with my cat and helping heal one of my roosters who looked like he has Maerk's disease. He couldn't stand. I forgot what remedy I gave him, but he loved picking up the pellet and dropping it over and over. I eventually cut up a piece of grape and cut a slit in it and gave it to him, he ate it whole then.

Here are some remedies I would suggest you get immediately. Most health food stores have homeopathic remedies. There are even some Rite Aids and other chain drug stores that are starting to carry homeopathics. It's worth a try, especially this late in the game.

Arsenicum Album (arsenic is a blood thinner too, so this would be like cures like)
Arnica

http://treatment.hpathy.com/homeo-medicine/homeopathy-anemia/

You can also try, if you can find it, homeopathic Vitamin K.

This other website has a dog poisoned by rat poison and these are the homeopathic remedies they used "She went instead with three other remedies, Arnica 12C, Phosphorus 30C and Ferrum Phosphorous 40C. Sydney recovered completely in four days!"

Don't worry about the strengths of any of these homeopathics, use whatever you have, it will not hurt, but won't work if you don't try.
http://dogingtonpost.com/dogs-rat-poison-worst-case-successful-case/

If you are not familiar with homeopathic medicine, then here is a quick lesson. Most of the time, they are little pellets in little tubes. Do NOT touch the pellet with your hand as you will rub the medicine off on your hand and it won't be effective for your chicken. Not that it's harmful, it just deactivated the medicine. So, you twist the little tube and drop the pellet into the little cap/cup. Then, if you have multiple remedies you want to use, and it will not hurt to give multiple remedies. You only need one pellet of each remedy for each dose you are giving to the chickens. Put them in a little bit of water and allow it to sit in the water for a few minutes. Then, with one of the baby medicine syringe, suck up the water and give to the chickens by dropping drops on their beaks, they will drink it. Do this several times a day.

If the remedies are working, I would continue giving them.

Good luck!
Liberty Chick

PS - It usually best to go for the homepathics for any ailment right away.

 

[shanefus]

Rat Poison takes 3 to 5 days to start showing any affect, by that time it's to late to do anything.
They need a shot of Vitamin K before there blood thins and fills there lungs and other organs.
unsure if low doses from food is enough but it's worth a try.
Good luck.

 

[ten chicks]

There is always a debate unless you can offer inconclusive proof. There are actually different kinds of rat poisons and they act differently (and at different rates) so I always look at the active ingredient of the poison. Warfarin is not the only one and yes volumes probably are at play. So again there will be debate unless you actually know and have irrefutable proof. I am using many sources I can find to form an opinion and actual discussions with a national park ranger who watch a bird eat rat poison in front of us. Based on the evidence I have so far that is my view and that is why there is debate. So unless you have proof or are a scientist ........................

I understand all about rodent poisons and the different types of chemicals used,ie: Warfarin,Brodifacoum,Bromadiolone,Coumatetralyl the list is long. I am also well versed in the effects on other animals including birds. All birds react differently to rodent poisons,for example rodent poisons hit owls hard possibly b/c their body does not metabolize warfarin,so if they have eaten a rat that died from poisoning,they are affected by poison also.

Some birds have a higher ability to metabolize warfarin such as chickens,possibly b/c of the high vitamin k they receive from their diet, All the data i have read does not say anywhere that chickens are immune to the toxicity of rodent poisons,all it says is they might require a higher dose,but if you had chickens that were not free ranged and they did not receive the high doses of vitamin k in their diet naturally,then a small amount may be enough to kill.

I do not need to be a scientist to understand the effects of poison on animals,it is common knowledge that poisons kill.

 

[tarred and feathered]

I understand all about rodent poisons and the different types of chemicals used,ie: Warfarin,Brodifacoum,Bromadiolone,Coumatetralyl the list is long. I am also well versed in the effects on other animals including birds. All birds react differently to rodent poisons,for example rodent poisons hit owls hard possibly b/c their body does not metabolize warfarin,so if they have eaten a rat that died from poisoning,they are affected by poison also.

Some birds have a higher ability to metabolize warfarin such as chickens,possibly b/c of the high vitamin k they receive from their diet, All the data i have read does not say anywhere that chickens are immune to the toxicity of rodent poisons,all it says is they might require a higher dose,but if you had chickens that were not free ranged and they did not receive the high doses of vitamin k in their diet naturally,then a small amount may be enough to kill.

I do not need to be a scientist to understand the effects of poison on animals,it is common knowledge that poisons kill.

Since you know it all I shall leave you to it. I am glad you are so knowledgeable and have all the information to counter any studies to the contrary.

 

[ten chicks]

Since you know it all I shall leave you to it. I am glad you are so knowledgeable and have all the information to counter any studies to the contrary.

Good idea. None of the studies have proven anything other than what i have stated regarding chickens.

 

[tarred and feathered]

Good idea. None of the studies have proven anything other than what i have stated regarding chickens.

Oh dear. You are serious aren't you. I am happy to have a discussion with you however finding a study that counters those I've found doesn't mean you are right. And "common knowledge" is great however was also common knowledge that; eggs are unhealthy, Asian students are smarter than Caucasion students, lie detectors are always accurate, soap kills bacteria, astrology is accurate, IQ tests accurately measures levels of intelligence, the earth is flat, Italians invented pasta, MSG does not cause problems for the majority of the population, Twinkies do not have an infinite shelf life, bulls are not enraged because the cape is coloured red, and finally ostriches do not stick their head in the sand.

You have not proven your opinion. You have merely as have I been able to post information from sources (or a source in your case), that shows some different data. So you may believe I am incorrect however your belief does not make me wrong. So far I actually know of no one that has had a chicken die from eating Warfarin-based poison. Do you, or is it "common knowledge"? I'll go with the articles I have found and what I 'actually observed' to base my opinion. You can base your opinion on your article and common knowledge.

Have an excellent day!

 

[ten chicks]

Yes, i have seen chickens that have died after ingesting rat poison containing warfarin and have read several reports pertaining to this as well.

 

[ellend]

I gave up using rat poison because I decided it was cruel to the rats, but when I was using it I put it in a cake tin. Lid on during the day when pets and chickens could get at it, lid off at night for the rats.

There are LOTS of nocturnal and crepuscular (dawn and dusk) animals, like flying squirrels, that you were poisoning with this method. I'm glad you aren't using it any more; the death they suffer is protracted and horrendous. Thank you for being concerned about cruelty!

If you do go back to it in the future, please use it in those boxes that keep MOST other creatures out of it.

 

[heartsizedfarm]

Nope. Haven't used it for ten years and I regret ever having used it at all. We were new to farming, took neighbours advice, witnessed the results and gave it up. Wish life wasn't such trial and error but there you go.

 

[MyPetNugget]

Hi,

Sorry to hear about your chickens eating rat poison. Rat poison is such a bad thing to keep around. I don't know if you know this or not, but chickens are really good hunters. You may want to get it off your property immediately. They will keep your mouse population down just being in the area. I once saw a pullet of mine who found a mouse and was eating it. Yuk, but it's good protein for them.

As far as the your chicken's poisoning goes...how are they doing? I know it's been several days since it happened. I just read on a homeopathic website about a cat who ate a mouse that was poisoned with rat poison. The new types of rat poisons are less powerful and poison them slowly over time, so I think your girls are not necessarily out of the woods at this point. Please read the blog about how they used homeopathy on their cat and saved her life.

http://www.homeopathy-for-animals.com/consequences-rat-poison.html

The person in the blog did not mention any specific remedies, but I've been using homepathy for several years now and it's usually pretty easy. Homeopathy works "like cures like". I've had awesome results with my cat and helping heal one of my roosters who looked like he has Maerk's disease. He couldn't stand. I forgot what remedy I gave him, but he loved picking up the pellet and dropping it over and over. I eventually cut up a piece of grape and cut a slit in it and gave it to him, he ate it whole then.

Here are some remedies I would suggest you get immediately. Most health food stores have homeopathic remedies. There are even some Rite Aids and other chain drug stores that are starting to carry homeopathics. It's worth a try, especially this late in the game.

Arsenicum Album (arsenic is a blood thinner too, so this would be like cures like)
Arnica

http://treatment.hpathy.com/homeo-medicine/homeopathy-anemia/

You can also try, if you can find it, homeopathic Vitamin K.

This other website has a dog poisoned by rat poison and these are the homeopathic remedies they used "She went instead with three other remedies, Arnica 12C, Phosphorus 30C and Ferrum Phosphorous 40C. Sydney recovered completely in four days!"

Don't worry about the strengths of any of these homeopathics, use whatever you have, it will not hurt, but won't work if you don't try.
http://dogingtonpost.com/dogs-rat-poison-worst-case-successful-case/

If you are not familiar with homeopathic medicine, then here is a quick lesson. Most of the time, they are little pellets in little tubes. Do NOT touch the pellet with your hand as you will rub the medicine off on your hand and it won't be effective for your chicken. Not that it's harmful, it just deactivated the medicine. So, you twist the little tube and drop the pellet into the little cap/cup. Then, if you have multiple remedies you want to use, and it will not hurt to give multiple remedies. You only need one pellet of each remedy for each dose you are giving to the chickens. Put them in a little bit of water and allow it to sit in the water for a few minutes. Then, with one of the baby medicine syringe, suck up the water and give to the chickens by dropping drops on their beaks, they will drink it. Do this several times a day.

If the remedies are working, I would continue giving them.

Good luck!
Liberty Chick

PS - It usually best to go for the homepathics for any ailment right away.

We actualy put it out to keep away chicpmunks and stuff. We heard that buckeyes were good rodent hunters, so we got them. We have not put out the blocks for a year and we don't plan on doing it as long as the chickens are here. They are all doing fine now.