Topic of the Week - Emergency/First Aid Preparedness

[sumi]

This week I would like to hear your thoughts and suggestions on being prepared for emergencies, injuries, etc. Specifically:

- What equipment and/or medicine is handy and necessary to keep around for things like hatching, injuries in the flock, sudden onset of disease, etc?


For a complete list of our Topic of the Week threads, see here:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/topic-of-the-week-thread-archive

 

[azygous]

My arsenal against injury and illness, along with my ability to recognize the onset of such, has grown over the years from nothing to a pretty sizable cache.

The first time a chicken died occurred just a couple days after I began my flock with two adult chickens adopted from a friend's flock after she died in a horrible accident. I had no idea why the hen died, and I just assumed it was something that just "happened" with chickens.

Now, nearly ten years later, I've learned the signs of a sick chicken, and even without being a vet, I can often figure out what's wrong and how to treat it. However, I still need to come back here and ask questions when I have a chicken with an ailment I can't figure out, as I just did recently, surprising a few of my friends here.

I keep amoxicillin and penicillin on hand to treat a chicken who suddenly becomes ill. A normally chatty hen will suddenly go mute. She will seclude herself in a corner, often facing a wall, tail held low and flat. Last spring, I lost a new layer to a sudden illness and it took her life before the antibiotic could take hold, but I was in time to save her sister a week later when she came down with the same thing. I strongly suspect my compost pile was responsible.

A very wet winter and spring had made a soggy mess out of the compost bins, and I had been disposing of a lot of spoiled apples and squash in it that turned normally present botulism spores into a deadly toxin called Clostridium perfringens. It can kill in 24 hours. With an antibiotic, a chicken can be cured.

I get my antibiotics from KV Pet Supply. They're for fish, but work just fine on chickens, and I can cope with the new US federal law which requires a vet prescription starting in 2017.

I also have on hand antibiotic eye drops, steroid drops, and anti-inflammatory drops for eye infections and sinus infections, as well as simple lubricating saline eye drops. I and a few of my friends have had cataracts removed and these drops were prescribed for our surgeries. They work splendidly on chickens.

I've dealt with my share of injuries, and vet wrap is one of the most important items to keep in a chicken first aid kit. Chicken beaks are sometimes even more dexterous than human fingers, and vet wrap is practically chicken proof since it adheres to itself. I use it cut into one-inch wide strips twelve inches long with telfa pads on the wound. Bandaging a bumblefoot patient with vet wrap enables me to return them immediately to the flock to avoid re-entry stress later.

Bag Balm is a helpful product for frostbite prevention. It's better than Vaseline since it has lanolin in it and lubricates and protects deep into the tissue.

Vetericyn is another valuable wound care product, protecting against infection while promoting tissue regeneration.

Here's more:

Epsom salt
Triple antibiotic ointment
Electrolyte powder
corn starch
worm meds
Corid
Elector PSP or permethrin dusting powder
Castor oil
Coconut oil
Mineral oil
Betadine
alcohol
Miconazole for sour crop
Copper sulfate for sour crop and other yeast infections
Blu-kote or Blue lotion
hydrogen peroxide
soap
Q-tips
cotton balls
Baby aspirin
Antibiotics
Poultry nutri-drench and B-vitamins and selenium
Calcium citrate
Vet wrap and telfa pads
sharp, small scissors



Start your own kit. It can save the life of your favorite chicken!

 

[Beekissed]

@Beekissed I'm curious. What do you use the castor oil and epsom salts for?

Any swelling to the feet or wound can be benefited by a soak with the epsom salts...it's takes the throb and pain out of it. The castor oil is a natural antibacterial, antimicrobial, antifungal, and even a natural insecticide...but it's also a great anti-inflammatory and will take the pain out of the site as well. Castor oil is also known for helping to regrow skin and hair quickly, so it covers all the bases when it comes to wounds or damaged scales due to scale mite.

 

[sunflour]

#1 on the have to have list:

A dog crate and a place ready for just in case you have to quickly move one to a safe place.

 

[BantamLover21]

These are items I always have on hand:

Oxytetracycline powder: for mild infections or as supportive treatment for viral diseases, like Fowl Pox.
Tylan200 or Tylan50: for more severe infections, including problems that don't respond to the Oxytetracycline.
Poultry vitamins/electrolytes: help with stress during illness; also used for newly hatched chicks.
Bluekote: great wound spray for broken toenails, picking wounds, or other injured areas.
Veterycin: another wound spray that helps promote healing.
Antibiotic ointment: used for eye infections, frostbite damage, injured combs/wattles, and other mild injuries.
Sevin dust: for external parasites.
Small cages: for isolating sick or injured birds.
Heat lamps: for providing extra heat to sick or injured birds, if necessary.
Corid: for Coccidiosis treatment.
Various sizes of needles/syringes: for vaccinating chicks and injecting antibiotics.

 

[N F C]

Lots of good items on this thread already. The only thing I can think of to add is to have ALL your stuff (unless it needs refrigeration) in one place. I used a large plastic tote to keep everything together and within handy reach. Also, a large clean towel can be handy to wrap a bird securely so she's easier to tend to.

Good tips everyone!

 

[Isaac 0]

Here are some things that i have found useful in a emergency.

Dewomer
Wound Spray(Vetericyn)
Eye Ointment
Vitamin pills
Poultry Vitamins
Scissors
Scalpel
Gloves
Lice/Mites duster
Syringe Feeding Tube
Tylan 50
Cotton Ball
3cc Syringe
Needle Syringe
Heating Pad for Sick Chickens
Corid
Scale

 

[casportpony]

How do you acquire penicillin and amoxicillin?

Which form? you can get injectable penicillin at most feed stores, but oral penicillin and amoxicillin have to be purchased online as fish antibiotics. Google "penicillin for fish" or "amoxicillin for fish".

Injectable penicillin:
http://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/combi-pen-48-100-ml-bimeda-antibacteria?cm_vc=-10005

Oral penicillin
https://www.google.com/search?q=pen...r=1.5#q=penicillin+for+fish&safe=off&tbm=shop

Oral amoxicillin
https://www.google.com/search?q=pen...=1.5#safe=off&tbm=shop&q=amoxicillin+for+fish

Avian vet search links:

• http://www.aav.org/search/custom.asp?id=1803
• http://www.majesticwaterfowl.org/vetfinder.htm

Note that almost all drugs are not "approved" for use in laying hens, and some are actually banned, so it would be best to consult with a vet before using any drugs.

 

[Teila]

At the risk of sounding like a broken record … yet another great Topic of the Week!

Not a chance I am going to be able to add to the already educational and concise must have list .,. thank you all

But, besides some of the stuff already mentioned, I also keep a tin of Sardines in the cupboard.

This may sound silly, but any other oils, even if in the chicken-only cupboard, may get used if the pantry has run out and not be available when you need them.

My gals love sardines and the oil content is good for helping shift impacted crop, besides giving the bird some probably much needed nutrition. Also, no chance of anyone else using the sardines

 

[Beekissed]

This week I would like to hear you all's thoughts and suggestions on being prepared for emergencies, injuries, etc. Specifically:

- What equipment and/or medicine is handy and necessary to keep around for things like hatching, injuries in the flock, sudden onset of disease etc?

Castor oil, antibiotic oint, epsom salts. That's it.