# What goes into a Chicken First Aid Kit?



## ijest247 (Oct 29, 2012)

Coming from another threat about a specific eye problem one of my birds had, what goes into a good chook first aid kit? Worming stuff, vetericyn eye ointment. 

What else do you have?


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## Bird_slave (Oct 26, 2012)

I keep the regular vetericyn (for body wounds) and the vetericyn opthamalic gel on hand. We've used it on the dogs, cat, and birds (truth be told, on our bodies too - though vetericyn now makes a formula for humans). 
Also - a roll of vet wrap, a pair of tweezers for bumblefoot, a tube of neosporin (it CANNOT be the kind with lidocaine, as lidocaine is toxic to chickens), some guaze. 
I don't keep a package of Tylan (broad-spectrum antibiotic) but the feedstore is only five minutes from my home. I do keep electrolytes on hand to add to their water when temps. reach the 90° F mark. I also have or buy a bottle of wormer to worm once a year. If money is tight when worming time rolls around, I just ask one of my neighbors (cattle farmers, all) for a syringe full of ivomec pour-on cattle wormer and use that. 
That's about it for me. I've never had to use an antibiotic with my birds, I worm once a year and have one hen that gets bumblefoot every spring, regular as clockwork.


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## patlet (Oct 4, 2012)

Bird_slave said:


> I keep the regular vetericyn (for body wounds) and the vetericyn opthamalic gel on hand. We've used it on the dogs, cat, and birds (truth be told, on our bodies too - though vetericyn now makes a formula for humans).
> Also - a roll of vet wrap, a pair of tweezers for bumblefoot, a tube of neosporin (it CANNOT be the kind with lidocaine, as lidocaine is toxic to chickens), some guaze.
> I don't keep a package of Tylan (broad-spectrum antibiotic) but the feedstore is only five minutes from my home. I do keep electrolytes on hand to add to their water when temps. reach the 90° F mark. I also have or buy a bottle of wormer to worm once a year. If money is tight when worming time rolls around, I just ask one of my neighbors (cattle farmers, all) for a syringe full of ivomec pour-on cattle wormer and use that.
> That's about it for me. I've never had to use an antibiotic with my birds, I worm once a year and have one hen that gets bumblefoot every spring, regular as clockwork.


<=== curious about the tweezers for bumble foot. How do they help?


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## Bird_slave (Oct 26, 2012)

patlet said:


> <=== curious about the tweezers for bumble foot. How do they help?


 As I said I have one hen that gets the bumblefoot every single spring, when weather is wet around here. 
I have a rather expensive pair of tweezers with one edge being very pointed. If her bumblefoot gets bad, I use the tweezers to grab ahold of the edge of the black scab covering it and working carefully, pull it off. I work slow so that the core or "kernel" comes out with the scab. 
Spray some vetericyn on it, vetericyn kills staph (Staphylococcus_) _and bumblefoot IS staph. The nice thing about the vetericyn is that it is a gel, that forms a barrier, a liquid bandage if you will, as it dries.


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## Mamachickof14 (Aug 28, 2012)

Something new for me...never new about bumblefoot?? Guess I better do some reading! I'll be checking the girls...Jen


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## Bird_slave (Oct 26, 2012)

Mamachickof14 said:


> Something new for me...never new about bumblefoot?? Guess I better do some reading! I'll be checking the girls...Jen


Bumblefoot is usually only a problem when the ground stays damp or downright wet for days on end. 
My bumblefoot queen, Sunny, is nearly 5 years old. It's gotten to the point where I can see her from a distance and just by observing her gait can tell if she's got it again. 
In a chicken it will look like a black scab on the bottom of their foot and/or between their toes. It's basically the same thing humans get that we call a boil.


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