Wound Care Help Please

[chooks4life]

Thanks for the update. Sorry to hear it's an ongoing problem. I've not found purebred high production laying breeds or crossbred ones to be anything but a false economy. I've sworn off them. Waste of time and money. I can keep two mongrel hens for the price of one high production hen, and get more eggs from them, for many more years, than I'll ever get from the unfortunate high production layer.

In future I think these hens will go the way of the double-muscled cattle and extreme milkers of any species, as well as the extreme meat producers of any species. It's almost a form of genetic abuse, to develop them to be like that; but their reasons for wanting to do so make sense, and in the short term they serve a valuable purpose and are educational too.

I'm not condemning any who utilize those breeds, nor those who bred them, or those who sell them either.

Best wishes.

 

[Chickery Chick]

When I first learned of this condition, shortly after this wound, I was very angry that this kind of genetic manipulation is allowed. These types of hens were bred to lay a bunch of of eggs in 2 years then cull them. I wish they would put a warning signs at the store by them for this condition. Too many unsuspecting people, such as myself, are/were getting them for pets too and are brokenhearted and confused by this condition, let alone the horrible suffering from the chickens. I agree, that man has genetically altered so many animals for production and pets for appearances that very few would survive now without man to care for them. Even Corn and most grains, grass and even your flowers have been messed with that many would would not be able to stand normal weather conditions.

If I ever do purchase baby chicks again, I will be getting mongrels. I don't need an egg a day per hen. Just an egg every now and then and I want a healthy chickens that will live a full life without suffering from genetic manipulation.

This is an epidemic. Just look at how many forums where hurt and confused people are asking for help on their hens swollen back rear end and don't know what it is.

 

[chooks4life]

I've felt the same. It truly is a shame and I believe animal rights laws are a bit behind on rectifying high production breed abuses. Just because it's the genetics doing it doesn't mean it's ok, since we bred until we achieved that set of genes; left to their own devices they'd soon breed out the overproduction program.

But for those who want their chickens to pay their way, this sort of breed is invaluable. Or so the marketing says... I don't believe hens who are run ragged by genetic predisposition can lay prime eggs. Even when I had my high production hybrid layers on the healthiest food I could make up, they looked great but could not lay eggs as visibly great as a mongrel's because their bodies demanded too much, too fast. Their whites were runnier and weaker, their yolks were mostly paler and often rank in flavor compared to mongrel's eggs which were clean and sweet. Far better than storebought either way. But not worth the animal's stunted life.

They died young but prematurely aged, as they all do if not culled, despite all my efforts, and I am done with that breed type. I support that industry adopting better standards by not supporting it.

You may be pleasantly surprised at the amount of eggs a mongrel can produce. I'd believed the books which extolled purebreds and told me to expect almost nothing from mongrels, but my mongrels have outperformed the purebreds at every turn, and done so in spectacular health, and are continuing to do so years after the high production layers have 'rejoined the cycle of life'.

 

[Turtles Mommy]

I used Veterycin on a kitten I had (still have her). She was the runt, sickly and momma was going to abandon her. Her left eye was closed and she would not open it. I used it as an eye wash on her 2x day. She is perfect now.