Robin, I have a little bottle of Quik-Stop I bought literally 15 yrs ago. It's lasted through thousands of dog toenail trimmings, beak trimming and cuts on goats, sheep, people, you name it. I need to try to find you some. It's like magic yellow powder.
Loved the auction stories. Bardies, you're a great writer and your post about the realities of chicken-hood should be framed. I just can't trust myself at auctions. What I've finally figured out is to have a permanent place set up beforehand for birds before I get them. And beings it's winter and freezing cold I haven't had the chance to build any more pens. So I know better than to go to the auctions.
I've been losing chicks at a high rate of speed and am so frustrated. My guess would be coccidia except they haven't been anywhere around adults or on ground yet. At this point I'm a bit numb and just waiting to see who makes it out alive come spring. It occurred to me that maybe winter chicks aren't as healthy, I don't know. I've even got full spectrum lighting on them during the day, they're on a 10x10 enclosed deck with a roof and heated. There's so many hundreds of things it could be that there's no way to know. And in thinking back.....I lost a bunch of chicks 18 months ago that were this age. Maybe the 3-4 month age range is one of the more dangerous ones for chicks.
My Silver Blue Modern Game bantam boy and his girl also have frostbite on their feet! They had an 18" round by 12" tall cookie tin heater covered with a rug in their 4x4 pen they were in and lots of shavings. I couldn't figure out why she was limping and had what looked like burn marks on the bottom of her feet. I thought she was roosting too long on the heat even though it wasn't that hot and was covered by the rug so I unplugged it a week or so ago. All of a sudden last night it occurred to me it was frostbite! They must have gotten it from standing on the brick their foot and water was on. The boy doesn't look as bad but won't put down his right leg and the foot looks swollen. His OEGB girl is going to lose some toes on both her feet. It makes me just sick. They were in a pen under an 8x30 roof that's covered on 3 sides. I made sure they had heat and heated water. The Bantam Cochin pair next to them have the same setup (minus a heat source) and are fine. Spidey and his girl are now inside and that's where they're going to stay til spring. I've had him for 2 yrs, it just never got so bitter cold before :-(
Loved the auction stories. Bardies, you're a great writer and your post about the realities of chicken-hood should be framed. I just can't trust myself at auctions. What I've finally figured out is to have a permanent place set up beforehand for birds before I get them. And beings it's winter and freezing cold I haven't had the chance to build any more pens. So I know better than to go to the auctions.
I've been losing chicks at a high rate of speed and am so frustrated. My guess would be coccidia except they haven't been anywhere around adults or on ground yet. At this point I'm a bit numb and just waiting to see who makes it out alive come spring. It occurred to me that maybe winter chicks aren't as healthy, I don't know. I've even got full spectrum lighting on them during the day, they're on a 10x10 enclosed deck with a roof and heated. There's so many hundreds of things it could be that there's no way to know. And in thinking back.....I lost a bunch of chicks 18 months ago that were this age. Maybe the 3-4 month age range is one of the more dangerous ones for chicks.
My Silver Blue Modern Game bantam boy and his girl also have frostbite on their feet! They had an 18" round by 12" tall cookie tin heater covered with a rug in their 4x4 pen they were in and lots of shavings. I couldn't figure out why she was limping and had what looked like burn marks on the bottom of her feet. I thought she was roosting too long on the heat even though it wasn't that hot and was covered by the rug so I unplugged it a week or so ago. All of a sudden last night it occurred to me it was frostbite! They must have gotten it from standing on the brick their foot and water was on. The boy doesn't look as bad but won't put down his right leg and the foot looks swollen. His OEGB girl is going to lose some toes on both her feet. It makes me just sick. They were in a pen under an 8x30 roof that's covered on 3 sides. I made sure they had heat and heated water. The Bantam Cochin pair next to them have the same setup (minus a heat source) and are fine. Spidey and his girl are now inside and that's where they're going to stay til spring. I've had him for 2 yrs, it just never got so bitter cold before :-(
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(I know you well enough to know it's not lice or mites).
