I rescued 2 chickens today - Help me treat plz - GOOD NEWS UPDATE

[purpletree23]

Wow! What a story. To get rid of the scaly feet soak them in warm water with Dawn is or baby shampoo. Dry well and then coat the legs and sores with neosporin. It will have the same softening affect as the vaseline but will also keep the wounds from getting infected. Bathe the feet every couple of days but apply the neosporin every day. The soaking and ointment will make the scales fall off. The scales are actually accumulated, dried mite poop. Make sure you use the kind with out the pain relief ingredient. It is poisonous the chickens.

If you want to make sure you get any mites or lice that still might be on them you could give them a bath with Adams Flea and Tick shampoo and then apply the neosporin. A good bath just might be what they need. Instead of a board I would give them dried wood shavings to walk on. It wouldn't be so hard on their feet and they might adjust better. I can't imagine someone raising an animal on wire but thats another post.

Give then good food, probably grower for a while so they can get their strength up. Slowly introduce new, healthy foods to them like chopped greens, halved pumpkins, scrambled eggs, scratch and try to let them range on the grass for a while. They've probably never felt grass or eaten it. Also make sure you give them crushed oyster shell and granite grit.

In no time they will be different birds and probably your new best friends. With attention and time and nutrition they will be as good as new.

The yellow spot on the hens belly is probably due to wire rubbing the same spot when she layed down. I think it will go away in time.

THANK YOU for having the courage to rescue them.

 

[fldiver97]

How kind that you took pity on those chickens and took them home. The environment they were kept in would have been their death I am sure. For general cleaning of their feet the Dawn dish detergent (original Dawn), a small amount added to warm water, should do fine. We used Dawn to treat seabirds rescued from oilspills and they did well with it. I would probably only do that if their feet are very soiled, otherwise maybe soaking in warm water. I would try to provide some type of bedding but not straw or shavings. Maybe unprinted newspaper (like the stuff they sell for moving), papertowels etc. That way it can not get ito the sores, you can see any drainage/blood on the bedding. I would try the triple antibiotic topically. I don't know if they would benefit from oral antibiotics? Also good nutrition, protein is important to heal, at least in many species I know of... I have a big metal dog crate that I have used for bigger chicks before they were moved out in the coop. To contain messes and to keep it less draft I used big sections of cardboard on two sides. Get some old boxes, it is easy to change out and helps keeping the wire from getting all yucky. One thing I don' know about is the use of tea tree oil, very diluted, in birds. I have added a couple of drops to water and sprayed that on sores in cats and dogs, it has always worked well on inflamed wounds that are not too deep. But again, I don't know if that would work for chickens... Keep us posted, I really hope your little rescues are going to have a full recovery and finally a better life!

had to edit for spelling....ugh

 

[poultrypatch]

How about some vitamin E ??? Has wonderful healing properties. Cheaper to buy the caps and using a pin, poke a tiny hole in it...then squeeze the oil onto the chicks feet. Excellent for softening too as well as healing. A small bottle of caps isn't too pricey at Wally.
Liz
Rochester, MA

 

[Eggcellent]

Thanks for all the responses folks. It's funny, but my wife did a lot of what was recommended today. I had put in a wood box for them to get under for warmth and such last night before I went to bed. While I was at work, my wife added wood shavings to the floor of the crate and put a towel on top of the wooden box. The chickens really like the towel so we put it inside the box so they can sleep inside and rest their feet (really its a little table top lectern, but hey it fit the bill). I switched them from layer to start and grow because it's medicated and the hen is in no condition to be laying anyway. My wife already decided to use neosporin today, even though I never thought to do that.

She also gave them a bath but didn't use any soap. We didn't have any dawn or baby shampoo, but I will buy some tomorrow on the way home from work.

I think the rooster is feeling a little better now too... He is very concerned when we take the hen out and much less lethargic. He is kind of prancing around and acting rooish. He even pecked me when I was getting the hen. Never been happy to be pecked by a roo before, but in this case I think it's a good sign.


Here is a quick rundown of the treatment so far... and my questions about the treatment

What we have done:
QUARANTINED THEM
Cleaned and bathed the feet
Put vaseline and then neosporin on the feet (daily)
Put down one area that has wood shaving bedding and another that has a soft (towel) surface
Offered medicated start&grow as well as a layer mix
Trimmed the hens nails (sadly too much on one nail

)
Super glued the toe that was gushing blood as a quick stitch
Kept the pen area clean and changed bedding often
Worried a lot
Read (and learned) a lot
Probably other stuff I am forgetting about

What we haven't done but we will do:
Adams flea and tick bath
Vitamin E (we have some in the pantry)
Crushed Oyster Shell and Granite (we buy it in 25-40 pound bags already anyway)
Trim the roosters nails
Give them a variety of fresh foods
Take the bottom out of the kennel and put them in the grass so they can be chickens for probably the first time ever

Questions I still have:
What is the black crusty stuff on the roos toes/nails?
Should I try to remove it with an old toothbrush or something?
Should I put neosporin on the hen's yellow scabby area?
Does Purina Medicated Start & Grow have antibiotics in it? I can't see it listed anywhere on the bag
If so, is that enough oral antibiotics or should I try to get something more... direct?
Should I put down sevin in the garage area to keep the bugs from reproducing off the chickens?
Should I give a full body bath to them? The hen stinks literally like corn chips. I don't think its a wound stinking as much as just being filthy (no dust baths in a cage)
Do you all think this current course of action is responsible or should we really consult a vet? I don't want to rescue an animal just to turn around and deny it proper care.

 

[Eggcellent]

I just gotta say something here that I can't think of a way to say eloquently... So I will just say it!

I don't think taking in these 2 chickens isn't something that 99% of us on this board wouldn't have done. I really don't feel like what we are doing is beyond the call of duty or anything. All of you know you couldn't have left these 2 to die in that cage....

So.... enough of of the "Thank you for saving them" talk already

We just wish we were more knowledgeable. These chickens will have all of you BYCers to thank when they get the life they have always deserved.

 

[Emzyyy]

GOOD JOB WITH THEM!

Doin' great, pretty birds just need some attention thats all.

 

[tulie13]

Regarding your questions:

Questions I still have:
What is the black crusty stuff on the roos toes/nails?
Should I try to remove it with an old toothbrush or something?
Should I put neosporin on the hen's yellow scabby area?
Does Purina Medicated Start & Grow have antibiotics in it? I can't see it listed anywhere on the bag
If so, is that enough oral antibiotics or should I try to get something more... direct?
Should I put down sevin in the garage area to keep the bugs from reproducing off the chickens?
Should I give a full body bath to them? The hen stinks literally like corn chips. I don't think its a wound stinking as much as just being filthy (no dust baths in a cage)
Do you all think this current course of action is responsible or should we really consult a vet? I don't want to rescue an animal just to turn around and deny it proper care.

I don't know about the black crusty stuff, I'd "wait and see" a little on that. Regarding the yellow scabby area, absolutely put some Neosporin on that.

Purina Medicated Start & Grow probably has Amprolium in it, which helps control coccidiosis in chickens. This is not an antibiotic. If you feel comfortable injecting, Tylan comes highly recommended. Considering the amount of MRSA around (Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus = "resistant staph") I would probably not bother with Penicillin on these birds, it probably wouldn't kill what's on them! So, yes, you need to get some antibiotics - call your feed store and see what they have. You may need to dose the birds directly, either by injection or a drench (solution dribbled down their beak or squirted down their throat) as sometimes they don't like the taste in water and can avoid getting the proper dosage if they don't drink the funny-smelling water!

Sevin in the garage probably wouldn't hurt at this point.

Full body bath? I would wait a day or so to make sure they can handle it.

I think you are doing a great job for these poor little fluffy-butts!

If you are doing more than just standard care (food, water, and shelter), I would say you aren't "denying them proper care". So from there it depends on how much expense you are willing to go to. I think you have a good plan and it just needs some time for everything to start working fully. Get some antibiotics - find out what your feed store has and post it here for more specific advice. Hang in there, and keep us posted!

 

[fldiver97]

Quote:
Good job!!! A couple of things I would suggest....don't use vaseline as long as you use the Neosporin.....double the work, double the gunk. I think it is more effective to just use antibiotic ointment, it is based on a vaseline like substance anyway. I would give her a bath to get her clean....again, maybe a couple of drops of Dawn or baby shampoo in warm water, rinse and get her dry (towel, possibly blow dry on low setting if she tolerates it) Then treat her abdomen with the antibiotic ointment as well, I would do that daily, possibly twice daily until healed. The black toes....??? In humans black tissue = necrotic (dead) tissue. That may be the case here or not. It could be fungal, dirt or dying tissue. I would gently try to clean the feet with a soft toothbrush or nailbrush periodically. See how it looks after a couple of foot soaks. If it is dry necrotic tissue it will come off eventually. There may be a bit of bleeding where it touches living tissue when that happens. That should be OK if it is just a little bleeding and stops on its own or with bit of pressure to stop the bleeding.
I would not rely on the medicated feed, you may want to check in other threads/county extension office, more knowledgable poultry keepers on the use of an oral antibiotic. I know there are a few you can get at feedstores
As far as vet care is concerned....is there a vet available that can treat chickens? Are you OK with the expenses involved? Is there a possibility to find someone at the university ag department or vet department that would be willing/able to give some recomendations via e-mail?? You can send the pictures.... I don't know what to suggest. Whatever you are doing, remember that it is way more than anyone has ever done for these two and it can only improve their situation....
Also not sure on the Sevin dust, I would imagine it would not hurt to use it as you describe bu I would not use it on the birds.
And yes, you are a good egg!!!!!

 

[poultrypatch]

Black crusty "stuff"....could it be gangrene ??? I've seen it both dry and moist. Not nice. I'm a nurse and that's all I can keep thinking. Goodness only knows what could have happened to those poor feet.
SORRY !!...You're my HERO in chickendom. AND DW as well for helping you. Just can't help myself ! )
Liz
Rochester, MA

 

[Eggcellent]

I checked with my vet and she said she would see them but was very candid with the fact the she doesn't normally treat chickens. We do have 4 kids on a single income so money is always an issue, but I would rather not have pets than have pets I can't care for properly... We always seem to be able to figure out the finances. I think I may just keep treating them at home as long as they continue to improve.

I wonder if any of the injectable antibiotics from TSC could be used? Maybe someone can chime in with a suggestion there.

I will contact the extension office tomorrow and see if they know someone in the ag dept at a university that I can email these photos to.

Oh yeah, after reading my post it wasn't real clear... We aren't treating with vaseline and neosporin... We just did vaseline the 1st day then neosporin afterwards.

Here is a picture of what I am taking about with the black crusty stuff circled in blue. Maybe someone can give me a better idea of what it is. It looks like it is either on the toenail or on the skin/cuticle (if there is such a thing as a chicken cuticle

)

I should have figured before mentioning the chicken thanks remarks... No one ever listens to me anyway.