What are the best meds to keep on hand?

[Lollipop]

Posted on another forum. Hope this does ya some good.......Pop

The Medicine Chest By KJ

The Easy Chicken Medicine Chest
* A good online board for when you need help fast….like the EASY CHICKEN for instance, haha!!
* Alcohol
* Apple Cider Vinegar
* Auromycin/terramycin-tetracycline type antibiotics-follow label directions. Use if the whole flock might have the sniffles.
* Baby shampoo- for chicks, when they get wet on the bottom and get that sticky chick start gunk underneath. Just be sure to hold their little heads above the water.
* Bag Balm - for leg mites, also use on comb and wattles to aid in frostbite prevention.
* Ball Pickling Lime-for wounds. It dries it up and deters infection and flies.
* Betadine Solution-for cuts and scrapes
* Bleach-use for cleaning every thing, including visitors
* Blood Stop Powder (Quick Stop),Sugar, (it also helps in fighting infection.),Styptic Powder or flour to stop blood flow.
* Boots, coveralls, or coats that you do NOT wear anywhere but to the coop. Sanitize the boots with Lysol (or other disinfectant virucide) once a week.
* Camphophenique- topical antiseptic
* Cat Food-Dry, 30-40% Protein, used to increase protein to ward off feather eating & cannibalism. Usually protein problem, use only a couple of times a week when necessary. Dry cat food can also be used during molt to up protein levels to aid in new feather production.
* Cat Claw nail clippers for trimming toe nails
* Cayenne pepper-natural wormer-also used as feed top dress when birds are sneezing or turkeys present with sulphur yellow poop indicating blackhead or similar bug.
* Colloidal Silver-added to water to help fight off infections.
* Corona (small yellow and black can) for any cuts, bruises, or other injuries.
* Cotton balls, Cotton swabs and/or Q-Tips
* Diabetic syringes-used for giving injections. Can also be used without needle to administer oral medications.
* Digital Camera
* DE Diatomaceous Earth
* Dubbing shears-sharp (1 pr each, curved and straight)
* Epsom Salt - flush for botulism
* Eyedropper
* Eye ointment with saline solution
* First Aid Tape
* Fish oil gel caps-for general good health. Squirt it on feed. Can also use tuna as a healthy treat.
* Fishzole - for blackhead (turkeys & pea fowl)
* Gallamycin injectable- A 1/2cc dose will cure a sick bird over night, cool stuff!
* Garlic-feed additive
* Gun powder/for attitude, camp ax/for too much attitude
* Hydrolyzed garden lime in powder form for treating runs & surrounding areas if blackhead is prevalent in your area. This changes the PH & helps remove risk of blackhead.
* Iodine stuff w/tea tree oil in it. Good stuff for wounds
* Ivomec Eprinex Cattle Pour-On-1/4 cc for bantam and 1/2 cc for large sized fowl. Use a syringe with needle removed and administer directly to the chickens skin (not feathers) at the back of the neck, right behind the head.
*Levamisole- (tetramisole) treats Capillary worms, Gape worms, Wide variety of nematodes-10 ml per gallon of water-1 day only. Affects the nervous system of the parasite, paralyzing the worm.
* Molasses - flush for botulism
* Neosporin-cuts
* Oxine for treating birds & coops in event of any nasty outbreak. Also use it to clean the brooders & incubator.
* Oyster shell-crushed, available free choice for added calcium
* Pam cooking spray or some other spray on oil, olive oil for leg mites and scale problems
*Panacur - general wormer-follow label directions
* Pedialyte-used to restore electrolytes and hydration to dehydrated chickens
* Penicillin - injectable
* Pipe stem cleaners - for making shoes for chicks with curled toes caused by incubation problem & for treating splay leg.
* Razorblades
* Red Cell-small bottle (*Red Cell should be available at any feed store that sells stuff for horses and cows. Red Cell is a blood fortifier and should be used very sparingly as too much is bad, but for an injured animal it really gives a boost.) .
* Rifle with a long distance scope for sneaky dogs and raccoons!
* SAND play sand, very important for them to dust and help keep down the buggies! Chickens need to dust bathe to get rid of “stickies” on their feathers.
* Sevin Dust 5% - over Bag Balm when treating for leg mites. 5% Sevin is also 'lightly' added to sand for dusting & after coops & nestboxes are cleaned before new shavings. Sevin dust is an effective parasite control.
* Sewing needle & cotton quilting thread, for administering stitches
*Sulmet - coccidiostat to treat coccidiosis-use exactly according to label directions. (various brands:Albon, Corid, Corid Amprovine, Di-Methox, Sulfaquinoxoline, Sulmet Oblet, Bovatec Premix, & Deccox) –Only treat for Cocci if fecal exam warrants. Coccidostats are very hard on the chickens system.
* Surgical gloves - makes cleanup easy
* Sweet PDZ - this helps in runs & under raised cages. Neutralizes ammonia smell fast. It's bio-degradable & non caustic unlike lime.
* Terramycin eye ointment
* Tweezers
* Tylan - powder form very effective
* Tylan 50-injectable- reserved for pets only when all else has failed & culling the next step
* Vaccinate for Coryza and ILT if you exhibit your birds at shows
* Vet Rx-for colds, sniffles, congestions, general respiratory aid
* Vetwrap
* Virucidal cleaner-Use for cleaning every thing, including visitors
*Vitamins & Electrolytes powder (or Gatorade)
* Vitamin K tablets- tablets are given 1/2 hour before dubbing to minimize blood loss, and K and Colloidal Silver (a great antibiotic for people and animals, both internal and external) is available at health food stores or vitamin shops.
* Wazine 17 (piperazine) - wormer for Round worms-follow label directions
* WD 40-spray the coop with it for buggies.
* Wonder Dust – Antibiotic dust-the first thing I grab for injuries, usually nothing else needed once I use this and I've treated some very nasty injuries.

In addition to the helpful list of items to keep on hand, here are some general words of wisdom from The Easy Chicken Folks.

*There are some things on the list I wouldn’t bother keeping on hand for the small poultry farm. For example Tylan 50, its very expensive, expires, must be refrigerated, and is an injection in most cases. If you were too need it you could buy it, or improvise with a different product.

*Back up food and water! Most people forget about this! I keep a weeks supply of food in the garage, also don’t forget to keep swapping it for fresh feed so it will not go bad. I also have 50 gal drums that are already filled with water serving another purpose, but if I ever need to get water I would have plenty.

*Add a little vinegar to waters to keep algae and other critters from growing in the water-1 Tablespoon per gallon. It also helps with the digestion and calcium intake.

*Also sprinkle garlic powder over food and use colloidal silver in water to help fight off infections.

*I use apple cider vinegar with 'mother' in it. Besides cutting down on algae, 1 Tablespoon per gallon helps the chickens absorb nutrients, like calcium, easier.

*I do add both cayenne & garlic to my feed along with Red Cell for horses (selenium) 2 Tablespoon each per 50lbs. Be careful using the Red Cell. Too much can build up toxicity in the birds.

*Meds should be stored in a cool, dark, dry spot. (basement) When opened some things have a very short shelf life. Most of the powder forms V&E will last around 7-10 days once the pkg is opened. I no longer use these, I've switched to pedialyte

*I keep track of who is treated for what, how, why, length of treatment and any reoccurrences. If a bird has recurring problems then I will cull it and I don't mean cull as in sell to someone else. If you hatch eggs even for entertainment then you are in essence breeders and have responsibilities. You do not want a sick bird procreating chicks for you. No matter how pretty, it does not belong in your gene pool to be passed on to neighbors & customers when you sell extra chicks & birds. If you have a favorite that has problems then do not allow it to breed.

*New birds are quarantined for a minimum of 1 month and that is not a guarantee you won't have problems. But it does help.

 

[chickens egg me on]

I didn't include in my list the towels and large dog carrier that I use in case of emergency. No way I'd use antibiotics with my flock. 'Anti' means against and 'biotic' means life...in other words, antibiotics kill everything, even the good bugs that all of us--including our chickens, need for good health. The herbs I use work great. Most everything my birds can get appear to be handled very well by keeping the yard/coop clean, by regular use of pumpkin seeds (for worming), colloidal silver both external and internal (for getting rid of any sign of illness or for cleaning an injury), and comfrey ointment for use on any kind of injury. Over Christmas, I had a bird get attacked by something out in the yard and found an injury to the intestine which I sewed up with a small needle and thread and treated with colloidal silver and comfrey ointment. My hen is back out in the yard with the others having a great time and just started laying again. We can eat her eggs without worry because I didn't give her antibiotics. I used to buy the ointment and colloidal silver but found I could easily save my money by making it. Don't get me wrong, when I started keeping chickens I didn't know that there are alot of folks making good money selling products I don't need. But after switching to herbs, my chickens get better much faster and I've never looked back. However you decide to go, good luck to each.

 

[chickens egg me on]

Thanks for the extensive list, Pop. I keep alot of stuff that's on your list in our household for any emergency and really appreciate seeing it all laid out like that for the chickens. I can't imagine what else anyone would need after that!

 

[ryanhodapp]

The only other thing I need, is where to buy the stuff I have never heard of. Do you buy on line, at a feed store?
Is there someplace I can go online, print the list and get everything?

I did find some polyxxxx stuff for the respiratory symptoms this past weekend to add to my first aid box.

thanks

 

[chickens egg me on]

Ryan,

There's a great book out there called, 'City Chicks'. It is head and shoulders above any book I've ever read regarding chickens. Since you're just starting out, I highly recommend it. It is written by a pharmacist that is also a biologist and she just makes complex ideas very simple and easy to understand. I'm sorry I didn't say enough in any of my other messages to make entirely! clear what I use.

First, I love Pop's list but honestly have found I can use Colloidal Silver (CS) for eye infections, cleaning and treating wounds externally and internally as a supplement, hydrator, and antimicrobial if I have a sick or injured bird. (You can make this at home as shown on You Tube--just remember to use distilled water and .9999% silver which can be found on Ebay. Any questions, feel free to PM me.) For small wounds like those to feet, I use QuiK Stop...this can be found at any pet supply place for stopping bleeding for cats, dogs and birds. I use a cat/dog claw clipper for trimming bird nails when needed but my birds are out in the back doing my gardening for me most days so they rarely need their nails done.

For any cut--including deep cuts, after cleaning and treating with CS, I use comfrey ointment. I make my own but this can be found at supplement stores or online. Look for ingredients--comfrey, beeswax, sometimes calendula and ginseng are included.

I keep a large container of Vaseline which I use to coat the birds legs to deal with scale. Just rub it on their legs and feet when you given them their dusting for mites and fleas.

Diatomaceous Earth (DE) food grade only, works for mites and fleas. I treat the birds, their coop, and the nests every 2-3 months. This has also been used by the Chinese for thousands of years for worming. When you use it, don a mask to keep it out of your lungs but otherwise there is nothing toxic about this stuff. I sprinkle some in their sandbox which is a 4 X 4 foot area I keep (play) sand in for the birds to dust bathe in. You can find food grade DE at any good gardening store or at the feed store--note that non-food grade will kill your birds. For worms, I give my birds pumpkin seeds that I find at my food coop. When I dust the chickens and do their feet/legs with Vaseline, I also use Pam to spray their roost and try to get in the crevices of the coop and nests to deal with mites.

I use fish meal as a supplement instead of fish oil caps and just add it to the bird feed when I refill their feeder...maybe 1/2 a cup or so. I buy a 50 pound bag of this at the gardening store. Additionally, I add 1 cup olive oil to each 50 pound bag of food. I also give my birds a tub of nonfat yogurt (probiotic and calcium--birds cannot digest fats) with 2-3 tablespoons of ground flax seed which I buy at my food coop. The oil and flax seed adds nutrients to their food and to their eggs. I use ground oyster shell which I also get at the gardening store but can be found at the feed store, too, for calcium. Some ppl keep a separate bowl of crushed oyster shell out for their birds, but I just find that it's easier for me to add it to the feed when I add the oil and fish meal.

I keep the following on hand just in case--needle and regular white sewing thread and tweezers for pulling the thread through to stitch up a deep wound...in my experience most wounds just need cleaning/treating with CS. I keep an eye dropper for feeding, a diabetic syringe without the needle (drug store) to apply CS to wounds, some surgical gloves, old towels for holding birds with as needed, and for lining the dog carrier which is where I put my birds if they need a little clinic setting. For bathing indoors, I use baby shampoo (after learning that liquid dish detergent burns the birds eyes).

My birds don't pick on one another maybe because I use the fish meal. It's full of protein. But also probably because they don't want for much. They always have clean water and plenty of food. When I want to introduce a new bird, I have a separate little fenced in area where I isolate it for 30 days and then just set it out with the other birds while they are free-ranging/gardening. There's sometimes a slight fuss but usually the birds just get on with whatever they were doing before the new arrival came and all bed down together that night.

I keep a set of boots by the back door that I use out in the garden and the coop area but never have cleaned them and probably won't ever because there's nothing that I know of that I step in out there that my birds haven't already stepped in plenty of times.

I have the kind of relationship with my birds that when I go out to them, they come running. I hold them regularly and feed them table scraps. I've got 16 birds of various breeds and really love them. I used to kill and eat them but have become a vegetarian due to the gentle nature that I've observed in these birds. I can't imaginge hurting any of them anymore. If one of them passes or if I need to put a bird down due to an extreme injury, I make sure the other birds get a good look at her after she is dead so they can grieve--which I have seen them do everytime they lose a flock member. I have found that what goes in my birds guts seem to make the largest difference in their health. My family and I eat their eggs and when the bird gets too old to lay, she gets to die on her own time--after all, she gave us eggs for years. I have one bird that is 10 years old this year. She rules the roost, teaching the new ones how things are best done out there in the flock.

Hope I didn't miss anything this time. The older I get, the more time it takes me to remember what in the heck is going on where!

Bless you as you enter your new journey with your birds, Ryan. I hope my missive here helps you not to go bankrupt in buying your initial chicken stuff and that you and your loved ones will have alot of fun and develop great friendships with your new birds. My apologies again for not being more organized before. If you have any questions, you can PM me anytime.

 

[phasian]

So much great information. My list is pretty similar to the extensive ones, though I also do not use antibiotics. Lavender oil is a very effective antibacterial, antiseptic, anthelmintic, and as immune support. I use this both internally & externally. Homeopathic remedies are also incredibly effective and inexpensive. Arnica both as an oral homeopathic remedy and as a topical cream for swelling with trauma injuries is also very effective.

Regarding flax and fish meal= Flax that is not cooked inhibits pyrixodine (vitamin B6) absorption.

I just learned that commercially sold fish meal has ethoxyquin in it. Ethoxyquin is often used as a preservative, but was originally developed by Monsanto to harden/preserve rubber. It can cause extensive damage to the endocrine system and is considered by many vets to be the cause of so much of the increase of degenerative diseases we see today. The Coast Guard requires fish meal to be treated with this preservative. While I used to use it, I now provide whole fish or I save the bones & skin-- sometimes crab shells, and bake them in the oven until they are completely dry and then pulverize these ingredients to make my own meal.

I have worked on and off with vets (some naturopathic) for years. In most cases the natural remedies are more effective and typically there is less relapse of a condition using these treatments.

 

[chickens egg me on]

Many thanks, Pha. That is great new information for me about the fish meal. In all the years of having birds, I never stop learning! My flax seed is toasted before grinding but that is a good point for anyone who wants to use that for the Omega's.

 

[chickens egg me on]

Alright, I went looking up ethoxyquin, pha, and have discovered a few things I didn't know. Can you please post your information source? Thanks in advance!

 

[ryanhodapp]

awesome info, thanks so much!
I read about the injuries/sickness on here and I get really scared.

I am going to get prepared!

 

[chickens egg me on]

Ryan,

You're welcome and our pleasure. As organized as you are getting, you are going to have so much fun! Sometimes there are hard times when you are learning so if you have any questions, rest assured that you will find answers here at BYC. This is a wonderful site for just about everything 'bird'.