The cedar just has a really strong smell that may damage their lungs.
I'm not as experienced as many of the people here but I'll tell you what I've learned in a week and a half.
1. Chicks are surprisingly resilient.
2. If you are having to bandage a chick's leg or foot on your own and it won't hold still enough for you use the cut-off cuff of a baby/toddler sock. (I have a chick with a form of splay and curled toes)
3. If you have small children, put a child lock on the door of the room the birds are in and use it. I caught my daughter yesterday having a grand time spreading 1/2 a small bag of feed all over the floor. We're now out of feed but the birds got scrambled eggs for breakfast.
4. By the time an animals acts sick, it may already be too late but you should still try to help it. In nature, showing weakness is like telling a predator to eat you.
5. Sometimes battles in futility are still worth fighting. We got a "free" chick from the store because it had been crushed by it's shipping mates. At worst, the children have an opportunity to learn about loss. At best, we have a pet that will be healthy afterwards.
6. If you are feeding treats, be sure to provide some kind of small grain grit. I offer a mix of sandy soil (my garden is 80% sand), parakeet grit and granite grit as free choice in a seperate bowl. They went hog wild over it the first day and seem to have settled down now. They also seem to like scratching around in it.
7. Good things to have on hand are: neosporin, medical tape, quarter (makes a good sole for a boot), electolyte powder, bandaids, sock cuffs that will fit the birds, small syringe for force feeding electrolyte water, small bowl for sitz baths for the chicks. This list is not inclusive but is what I have needed thus far. (1 chick got pasty butt, 1 with a twisted leg and crooked toes/ankle, 1 squashed)
I can't think of anything else at the moment. I hope this helps.
I'm not as experienced as many of the people here but I'll tell you what I've learned in a week and a half.
1. Chicks are surprisingly resilient.
2. If you are having to bandage a chick's leg or foot on your own and it won't hold still enough for you use the cut-off cuff of a baby/toddler sock. (I have a chick with a form of splay and curled toes)
3. If you have small children, put a child lock on the door of the room the birds are in and use it. I caught my daughter yesterday having a grand time spreading 1/2 a small bag of feed all over the floor. We're now out of feed but the birds got scrambled eggs for breakfast.
4. By the time an animals acts sick, it may already be too late but you should still try to help it. In nature, showing weakness is like telling a predator to eat you.
5. Sometimes battles in futility are still worth fighting. We got a "free" chick from the store because it had been crushed by it's shipping mates. At worst, the children have an opportunity to learn about loss. At best, we have a pet that will be healthy afterwards.
6. If you are feeding treats, be sure to provide some kind of small grain grit. I offer a mix of sandy soil (my garden is 80% sand), parakeet grit and granite grit as free choice in a seperate bowl. They went hog wild over it the first day and seem to have settled down now. They also seem to like scratching around in it.
7. Good things to have on hand are: neosporin, medical tape, quarter (makes a good sole for a boot), electolyte powder, bandaids, sock cuffs that will fit the birds, small syringe for force feeding electrolyte water, small bowl for sitz baths for the chicks. This list is not inclusive but is what I have needed thus far. (1 chick got pasty butt, 1 with a twisted leg and crooked toes/ankle, 1 squashed)
I can't think of anything else at the moment. I hope this helps.
