Taking chickens to a vet question

[raingarden]

I don't know, but imagine that a visit to the vet could have a dampening effect on chicken math. Maybe that's a good thing.

 

[gtaus]

I do not not appreciate the dismissive tone towards those of us that do take their chickens to the vet.I'm not dismissive towards those that don't. To each his own.

We can all have different methods of caring for our flocks, and it would not be appropriate to have a dismissive tone towards others that chose other options. I did not think any comments were dismissive of others, but you are entitled to your feelings.

However, the ridiculous part, IMO, is that it would be "ethical" for any vet to tell a client to just forget it, go get another one, they're cheap.

Let me disagree with you here on that point. When I took my old pickup to the mechanic for estimate of repairs, he wrote up the estimate and flat out told me that the repairs would cost more than the car was worth. He advised me not to do the repairs but the decision was mine. I think that is the advice I would want to hear from a vet, but understand pets are not cars and the decision is not always based on economics.

Many years ago, we had a dog with throat cancer and took it into the vet. The vet stated we could spend about $600-$800 for surgery, but chances are the dog would live in pain after that and still die within 6 months. He advised us to put our dog to sleep. That was his best advice and that is what we did. It was not so much about the money, it was to prevent his needless suffering that we could expect post surgery. Our dog had a good life, and an easy passing.

I guess I would hope a vet was willing to tell someone that it might cost them $300 to treat their sick chicken, but you could probably buy another 100 chicks for that price, or feed your remaining flock for a number of years for the cost of one vet visit. The decision to treat, or not to treat, your sick chicken at the vet's office is still your choice, but at least the vet gave you some good information to consider.

I worked in the veterinary field for 15 years. I know a lot of vets. NONE of them are rich.

I have known a few people who worked in the veterinary field and none of them got rich either. It must take a love of animals to get into that field.

I grew up in a hunting family and was putting food on the table by the time I was a teenager. I have raised small animals for food (on and off) for almost 50 years. I am biased against bringing a chicken to the vet, but I personally don't care if someone wants to spend their money for vet care for their pet chicken. I do advise young people to become knowledgeable in the care and treatment of their animals, and to be able to make the difficult decision to cull an animal when necessary. But that is the way I was taught, and it has allowed me to financially enjoy raising small animals for many years.

 

[DesireeB]

I think it's great that you are asking this question before you might have to deal with it in real life. Good for you.



Unfortunately, I don't think vets have a code of ethics, at least not the ones where I live.



Some people treat their chickens as pets, and a vet visit, despite the cost, is worth it to them. I don't judge people who chose that option. I don't read @raingarden was judging others for paying for a vet visit. It's just not an option for them.



I am in a somewhat similar camp. My chickens are not my pets, but they are perhaps more than just livestock. I am the vet for my chickens. I save some. I lose some. That's the responsibility I assumed when I decided to raise a backyard flock.



My approach "to do right by them" was/is to learn as much as I can to treat my chickens if they get sick or injured. I have nursed a few of my flock back to health, but just a few months ago I had to break the neck of one of my chickens that was suffering and was not going to live.

I think what helped me to put things in perspective was that I first started out with raising meat chickens that have a life span of about 10 weeks, then I butchered them. You can't/don't want to get attached to your food for the family like you would for a household pet.

Laying hens live much longer, and it's hard not to get more attached to them, but still, in the big picture of life, they don't live very long. My laying hens are now 3+ years old, but I have decided, in the future, to replace them every 2 years at which point they don't lay many eggs anymore. I don't think that makes me a cold-hearted person. It's just the economics of how I want to keep my backyard flock.

For the price of a single vet visit, where I live, I could replace my entire backyard flock 3X over. My strategy was to buy a few extra chicks when I started my flock and I was able to lose a few to illness or injury along the way. So far, that has worked out pretty good for me. It has allowed me to financially afford and enjoy my backyard flock for many years.

Thank you for your reply and for your wisdom. I share your sentiments.

 

[Quarterhorses1]

How did that affect you? Would you do it again?

It was well worth it. Yes I would do it again. She actually died two weeks later, but she wasn’t suffering

 

[Quarterhorses1]

How did that affect you? Would you do it again?

It was well worth it. Yes I would do it again. She ended up dying two weeks later, but she wasn’t suffering

 

[saysfaa]

...My chickens are not my pets, but they are perhaps more than just livestock....
You can't/don't want to get attached to your food for the family like you would for a household pet.
...

I do get attached to food.

I think my big livestock farm background resulted in seeing no distinction between livestock and pets. Food gets just as much TLC (tender loving care, for those of you from different language or cultural backgrounds) as nonfood. It doesn't matter if it is the heifers that will stay in the herd for a decade or so vs bulls that will be sold in a few days or months or if is the dog vs the odd cockerel in the layer-breed pullet order. Just to be clear - they all get TLC from me. Not the same care - the chickens don't like belly rubs.

Calling a vet or not isn't a litmus test for how well someone takes care of an animal or for how attached they are. There are too many variables, for one thing, starting with how willing a person is to find out what health care is needed and what preventatives can be done.

 

[gtaus]

It [a $375.00 vet visit] was well worth it. Yes I would do it again. She actually died two weeks later, but she wasn’t suffering

Well, I guess we have different approaches, but I'm glad you felt your money was well spent. Nobody should want to see an animal suffer. Appreciate the response.

 

[raingarden]

Well, I guess we have different approaches, but I'm glad you felt your money was well spent. Nobody should want to see an animal suffer. Appreciate the response.

See there. I knew it. Money can buy happiness. Or, at least it think it would.

 

[Chipmunk Chicks]

I think it was $80 for my chicken to be seen and $16 for NSAID type meds.

I had to make a lot of calls just to find a close enough place where she could be seen, but now I know a couple options. She was seen by a "large animal" vet who also treats other livestock. Her issue turned out to be minor and basically resolved itself, but I'm glad I established the connection with a vet who could see our birds or other animals we might get in the future, if need be. If hypothetically, say there were a question of a communicable illness, I may or may not want to have a vet confirm what I am thinking so as to make the best judgement for the rest of my flock.

Of course other larger animals may have issues arise that beg veterinary care too, so knowing where I could bring a horse or a sheep, to me, is good to keep in my pocket.

I had difficulty administering the medication by myself, so that was a learning experience, and now I know in the future I would absolutely enlist my partner (who is usually pretty hands-off with the birds) to help. Now I have a little medication left over that I may be able to use in the future if a more serious injury were to occur. Etc. etc. etc.

I see it all as an invaluable learning experience, despite the fact that in my case, the chicken recovered just fine basically on her own. I feel like the experience will serve to make me a better chicken owner because of the knowledge I gained. Sure, I could replace the chick-cost of my little flock for less than what we spent at the vet that day. But factor in feed and time everything else that goes into raising them, and it's worth it to me. I've already spent more than that on hemp for them to poop on, so....

 

[Quarterhorses1]

Well, I guess we have different approaches, but I'm glad you felt your money was well spent. Nobody should want to see an animal suffer. Appreciate the response.

She just needed pain meds while she rested out her last days. They did X-rays, and other tested too