Washingtonians Come Together! Washington Peeps

[Chickielady]

Every broody hen i've had shoots their poop out instead of getting off the nest all the way. No it's not hummingbird water it's water and food color. As i stated before my niece and nephew like to color the water.
All my chickens are vetted and are completely healthy.

We were having discussion on a chicken forum.
OPENLY.

If anything, everyone here is trying to offer help to one another.
I am a surgical assistant, and have worked many years in vet assisting also.
I am also older than dirt and have kept farm animals and poultry for over 45 years.
If there was something to see, I've seen it.
Please understand all of us here are supposed to help each other.
There also is no way to "gets the facts straight" unless we DO discuss it, only then do we know the facts, and until then, please rest assured that no one is here to attack you.

My broodies do not "aim & shoot"
They have always gotten off the nest & gone outdoors to deficate.
Usually a big smelly ammonia poop, normally on the hard side.
Ok, that's all.
Sorry, that is just the way it is !

edited by staff

 

[Chickielady]

I wanted to share some info to warn anyone that may be interested in purchasing chickens from a local seller. There's an ad on Seattle CL for "BBS English Orpingtons" in Covington. I sent my sister to pick up a new rooster for me yesterday because I was stuck at the oncologist. From what I was told by both sides she didn't really handle the rooster herself, the seller sent her daughter to get him and bring him to the car. I paid $20 for this guy.

First off, he was not what she had represented in the ad or her emails to me. I thought I was purchasing a "6mo old splash cockerel with beautiful clear white/gray plumage but was later told that she "sold the others and this was all she had left" but didn't bother telling me that. Hes was overloaded with Red Mites, lethargic and didn't try to fight me no matter where I touched or how I held him. He gorged himself on food after my sister fed him. hes severely underweight with a protruding breastbone that's rubbed raw. bald across his belly and missing most of the feathers on his chest as well and whats not missing is broken to stubs. Probably from trying to chew the mites away. His feet are the worst ive ever seen on any bird, It pained me to even see them because I know it must hurt.

When I emailed her about all of the issues with this birds, told her I was appalled and she should be ashamed for offering animals in such condition for sale let alone taking money for one. She wrote me back and insisted she had treated him with ivomec a week prior and shot him with penicillin for his feet, all of which was very apparently not true. She continued to tell me that his poor weight and feather condition was because he was the main rooster to 5 hens.
______________________________________________________________

Anyone with any sense and knowledge of keeping chickens would know what nonsense all of the above is. Ive always used ivomec for my birds and any sign of bugs is gone by the following day in my experience, even in severe infestations. My previous rooster(recently lost to a very bold bobcat) managed 18 hens alone and was maybe even overweight, with only morning feedings and free range. My birds coop admittedly gets pretty muddy at times but I have never in my life seen a bird with such horrible bumble foot. It's disgusting.

I felt I HAD to share this because only God knows how many peoples flocks shes already put in harms way by selling these sick animals & I just don't want it to continue. I have filed a complaint with animal control regarding the situation.

These are the pics I took after I got home and saw the poor guy.

So exhausted he just buried his head in my arm to sleep.

OMG that is the worst case of bumblefoot I have ever seen, and so small for a EOrp...hope you did not pay much or got your $ back & thanks so much for the warning !
Do you intend on culling him, taking him back or treating him ?
Be careful if he is infested with Depluming mites rather than red fowl mites.
Red Fowl mites are bigger, and easier to get rid of, and usually identifiable by the dirty egg infested "crotch " feathers on the bird.
If Depluming mites, they are super tiny, run really fast & will take off right up your arms.
They are the devil to get rid of !

 

[Chickielady]

sweetlilbaby, I did call and have to wait til Monday morning to talk to someone about it and see how I can get the pics t them, even if I have to go in person to do so.

After washing him yesterday I treated the poor guy yesterday with topical Ivomec and there's was not a mite to be seen on him this morning. The scabs that were covering his back, tail nub, butt and belly were drying and flaking off by this afternoon as well. I had to make him a thing to leap his exposed breast bone covered so it wouldn't get injured or scraped/cut up. I let him out in a small patch of grass this afternoon with my couple goslings so he could et some sun and maybe eat some grass or at least get some exercise. He didn't try and eat any grass, I guess he just doesn't know what it is or something. He walked around a little before laying down to rest but he was very slow and his movements looked almost arthritic. It was sad to watch but I'm sure the warm sun felt good on him.

Here's some new pics from today. It's amazing what the correct care and treatment can do for an animal OVERNIGHT!

Good job Bleenie !
He looks so much better !

 

[Chickielady]

I have come to the decision to have my husband kill a pullet with a tendon issue I have been unable to fix. She was stepped on as a chick and it pulled the tendon to the side. I thought I had it fixed but then when she got heavier the tendon seems to have severed completely. I have been splinting it so she could stand on it and then I resorted to putting her in a sling but the leg clearly is not getting better. I hate to have to give up on her but there is nothing more I can do for her so it is time to end her suffering. I spoke to someone about her this week when I picked up Silkie eggs and she convinced me that it is time to give up on her. It has just taken me asking my husband to do it because I can't bear to do it myself when I am so attached to her.

I have another pullet that has a torn eyelid so I have cleaned the eye numerous times and I treated her with penicillin so the eye is not as swollen but I am not sure if I should try putting antibiotic ointment in her eye (the label says not for use in the eyes but I have read it is okay, like using cattle Ivermectin for chickens is not approved but I use it anyway, being careful not to overdose with it). I am tempted to try sewing the eyelid where it is torn but for now she is in a cage where she can't get any dirt or grass in it since my chickens free range in my yard and they like to take dust baths. They especially like hanging out under my lilac bushes on both sides of my yard and I have some new suckers growing so I am guessing she ran into a low branch but I am not certain how the eyelid was torn. I have treated inverted eyelid in lambs and kid goats by injecting penicillin into the eyelid but chickens have different eyelids so I am not sure if I should try treating the eye or just have my husband kill her with this other pullet that am giving up on. I probably put too much effort into treating my birds because they are like pets but I guess I need to start getting more aggressive about culling birds instead of treating them. It does not bother me if this chicken is blind in the injured eye so I want to give her a chance but with the eyelid being torn I don't know if she will have chronic eye infections and I can't keep her in a cage longterm.

Veterycin says it is OK for eyes, but usually you end up having to get that tiny little tube of antibiotic ($$$) at a feed store or Vet office for eyes.
Good luck, culling is never fun, especially when you have worked so hard to save them and have grown attached !
I was wondering if you knew of anyone locally who raises Cayugas ?

 

[Chickielady]

We have a mess of workers here packing up compost to fill every garden bed, and the green house, and then weed wacking all the way down the road & up behind all the pens, and now they are painting the pump house/water tank house.
So I get to make some kind of lunch......................and looking forward to tomorrow when I can rest !
Sun comes out, we work too hard !


TotalColour: you can come get these ducklings or maybe we can meet up @ Costco about Wednesday ?

 

[Bleenie]

I do believe they were red mites, they were small and his read end almost looked sandy until I looked closer and saw it was millions of bugs and big poo/old blood. I treated him with Ivomec topically and they were gone by the next morning.

edited by staff

 

[Chickielady]

I do believe they were red mites, they were small and his read end almost looked sandy until I looked closer and saw it was millions of bugs and big poo/old blood. I treated him with Ivomec topically and they were gone by the next morning.

I have never seen Penicillin do much for bumble as bumble is mostly a staph.
One bumble is so hard to cure, let alone all toes.

It looks as if he was kept on a muddy ground & has "manure (ammonia) burns then the staph moves in.....Unfortunately that happens alot around here in the wet part of this state.
It wouldn't hurt to spray his feets with a solution of 1 cups household bleach in 1 gallon water, add this to a spray bottle.
Works great for staph & e-coli infections, and fungals.

Be too hard to bandage all his toes.
Try triple antibiotic on his feet & maybe a strong broad spectrum antibiotic in his water, in isolation.
Hopefully your other birds do not get the bugs.

 

[Duck Drover]

Veterycin says it is OK for eyes, but usually you end up having to get that tiny little tube of antibiotic ($$$) at a feed store or Vet office for eyes.
Good luck, culling is never fun, especially when you have worked so hard to save them and have grown attached !
I was wondering if you knew of anyone locally who raises Cayugas ?

I don't know anyone with Cayugas but they are easier to find than East Indies. People often think they have East Indies when they actually have Cayugas.

I have had eye ointment in the past but I would have to look for some so that is why I was wondering if the triple antibiotic is okay to use. An eye doctor had posted somewhere that it is okay but then people can post anything they want, whether or not it is true. I am not sure if the eye can be saved but I don't want to cause more problems than I am treating. I also don't want to have to kill her unless her eyelid is so compromised that her eye will not stay clean. I need to do everything I can for her but I also don't want to keep her in a cage for long.

 

[CoopDeDoo]

Last chance for these cutie-patooties before I list them on Craigslist. Anyone up north interested?

LF Salmon Favs - 3 available

Splash AM ( silkied feather gene - pure AM - not a cross) 2 available


BBS Jersey Giants - Blues and Blacks 6 available


Send me a PM if interested

These are the friendliest bunch I have ever raised!

 

[CarolynF]

In humans, Neosporin will cause severe irritation. The eye doctor educated us after my mother used it.