Seven dead hens within 4 hours, not attacked. UPDATE: Teflon Poisoning!

[casportpony]

I have to get an actual weight on him but the bottle says 1ml/100lbs. I got .5ml syringes that go by 1/10 mls. How long should he take it? 10 days?

The dose on the bottle is for mammals, and mammals get less. The books I have say the dose is 0.15 ml per pound once a day. Some books say every two days, one says every 1 or 2 days.

Spoiler: Book info pictures

Plumb's Veterinary Drug Handbook

Source - http://avianmedicine.net/content/uploads/2013/03/18.pdf

Source - http://avianmedicine.net/content/uploads/2013/03/09_therapeutic_agents.pdf

 

[JMotuzick]

Yeah looks like you beat me to it! I’m sure your boy would be to much for bantams. Either way get him a couple to Hang out with!

 

[casportpony]

@AaronandAlice , there is a facebook group that has several vets, so I asked over there what the chicken dose is. Hopefully, they will comment soon so if you need to give it you will have a better idea of how much to give. that he doesn't need it.

 

[AaronandAlice]

@AaronandAlice , there is a facebook group that has several vets, so I asked over there what the chicken dose is. Hopefully, they will comment soon so if you need to give it you will have a better idea of how much to give. that he doesn't need it.

That would be awesome- thank you.

 

[turtlelaura67]

I am so sorry. I just came across this post and it was awful to read.
Do NOT beat yourselves up. I didn't know about any of this. I had no idea that the Teflon pans I've used for cooking for YEARS could be so harmful. Never again. Straight into the scrap pile and they will go to the metal recycling place tomorrow.

 

[lazy gardener]

"And almost all heating pads and electric blankets contain wires coated in PTFE."

Interesting quote from http://www.mickaboo.org/newsletter/oct10/Teflon.html

At least those wires are inside the fabric cover. Sure makes one nervous about all the other uses.

I'm going to check on him soon. He didn't want to go in the coop last night- I found him perched on the big tire I had in their run and he was shivering. I picked him up and brought him in the coop and hung out with him a bit and held him. I gave him a little bit of cracked corn which he seemed happy to have something to peck at. I have some quick oats and I'll probably bring him up a bit warm this morning along with some tepid water. I was mostly nervous for him because he was shivering- I'm sure he had some effects of the toxicity even though it didn't kill him. I'll update again later.

Thank you, that is sweet. It is tough- especially because we can't start to rebuild a flock until spring. Before I had a room in our old house I could dedicate to the care of the chicks- here, there is none of that. I want to order chicks right now for delivery on my birthday. (May 1st) By then, even if the house isn't totally done I should have a walled in room with electricity.

You can place the order now, so you can reserve the chicks that you want for the delivery date you want. If you wait, you will be stuck with "the left overs" as far as breeds go, and won't be able to get what you want...

Hmmmmm....many of us are using heating pads to heat chicks......may be they don't get hot enough to release fumes?....certainly not as hot as a heat bulb or a frying pan.

I've been using heating pads for 3 seasons now, without issue. So, I'm thinking that the off gassing is a temperature issue. And as Banty said, SOME, not ALL heating pad wires are PTFE coated.

I think the temp toxic compounds start to release is 480ish. So they don't. I'll note though that scratched old non stick is thought to be much more dangerous than new. So old heating pads that have flexed 1000s of times could be more concerning. Zero evidence to back that claim though.

@Blooie's husband is an electrician. Blooie has stated multiple times that it is not safe to use old heating pads in the set up of the MHP system. And I'm sure the same advise would go for human use. Have an ancient heating pad? Toss it!

 

[bruceha2000]

Have an ancient heating pad? Toss it!

Or use it ONLY on yourself and not while you are asleep.

 

[lazy gardener]

Yep. Hubby sustained severe burns falling asleep on an old heating pad!

 

[bruceha2000]

Maybe we best go back to "if you don't know how often it was flexed, throw it out"! Clearly one shouldn't ever buy a used heating pad. Given the danger, I wonder if Goodwill even takes them in.

 

[Blooie]

Well, I've used non-stick pans for years...even with canaries and budgies in the house as far back as the 70s. Oh, and one obnoxious, awful cockatiel named MortimerSnerdtheCockatielBird in the early 80s, and there were times when I would have quite gladly......but I digress. Again.

I raised my first batch of chicks in this same house for 5.5 weeks, and in an 10X80 mobile home they would have been exposed to any and all fumes no matter where their brooder was. All subsequent batches of chicks started out in the house for the first few days before they went outside to live as well. The only place I had for the brooder, after the first batch, was against the half-wall between the kitchen and the living room, so they were just several feet away from our cooking activities.

Not once in all that time did I lose a bird to toxicity. Did I get lucky? Maybe. But before everyone rushes to dump all their pots and pans, might I suggest finding out what the non-stick substance is on the pans? That could be the difference, I don't know. I'm winging it here! I do use my cast iron and one or two stainless too, and love them, but there are times when I want to use my non-stick and I guess I'll keep using them. Apparently whatever is on them isn't toxic, or I'm sure I would have had issues before now.

I am not downplaying the warnings about Teflon coatings. Far from it - this thread contains critical information and needs desperately to be heeded. In fact, I've already referred others back to this thread just to share the excellent information that has been posted here. I guess all I am saying is that just because a product is non-stick doesn't automatically make it lethal. Caution and total panic are two entirely different things. I don't want anyone to go through what @AaronandAlice have been through this week, but I also don't want anyone to go through the expense and hassle of replacing cookware if it's not necessary. If it makes you more comfortable to do it, and you can do it, then by all means do it! Otherwise, a little common sense can go a long way.