Assemble a first aid kit before you buy chicks!

[Katanahamon]

Go to the emergencies section. Read about all the horrible things that happen, and see people that are utterly unprepared. Ok, now, you don’t be that way. Get some spray sterile saline cans, get some Vetericyn, get some self adhering wrap and sterile gauze and bandages, disposable sterile scalpels, some splints designed for chickens (my pet chicken has them) and whatever else I’m forgetting that you research long before you buy your chicks..! Vetbond..a doggie pop up tent for a hospital..diapers for chickens in case you want to bring them in..that meloxicam knockoff for poultry for pain relief..
edit..I used the Bondic UV pen to seal a crack in one of my girl’s beaks..not an everyday first aid item, but, you drop the liquid, zap it with the little UV diode, and presto, all sealed..
re edit..here’s a pic of the extremely cheap spray saline, and the excellent book on chicken Health by Gail Damerow..

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Some of that stuff seems a bit over kill

 

[Katanahamon]

Some of that stuff seems a bit over kill

Not if they get attacked by..oh, anything..! Rather have it and not need it..and yeah..it’s extremely unlikely I’ll ever suture, but, it’s there..

 

[topochico225]

Some of that stuff seems a bit over kill

I don't necessarily agree, maybe the diapers are, but everything else seems good.

 

[Katanahamon]

I don't necessarily agree, maybe the diapers are, but everything else seems good.

Well..I only got the sutures for a massive emergency, figuring I can ineptly hold something in place long enough to get to a vet who can remove it and redo..

 

[HeathenHavenHomestead]

Most vets won’t suture chickens due to their delicate skin it just rips apart. it’s also going to be extremely difficult to do. The diapers seem like more of a hassle then a help. I just laid down puppy pads for my chicken and replaced them daily. A covered enclosure is a good idea though. After the weeks ours has been in his we don’t have to reach in and get him anymore he just hops up when we open the top and then hops onto our hospital table (my dryer covered in a puppy pad)

*5 year veterinary nurse who worked with a chicken doctor*

 

[Katanahamon]

Most vets won’t suture chickens due to their delicate skin it just rips apart. it’s also going to be extremely difficult to do. The diapers seem like more of a hassle then a help. I just laid down puppy pads for my chicken and replaced them daily. A covered enclosure is a good idea though. After the weeks ours has been in his we don’t have to reach in and get him anymore he just hops up when we open the top and then hops onto our hospital table (my dryer covered in a puppy pad)

*5 year veterinary nurse who worked with a chicken doctor*

Good advice..perhaps the vetbond is a better idea..I was thinking a torn wing or something too big for vetbond, holding it until being able to get to a vet..also, my main thrust in putting this post in the chicks section was to get new owners to think ahead and prepare..also, it’s easy to find examples of chickens being sutured, it’s not like it never happens. Probably not at home, but, there it is..the likelihood of an exotic bird vet, which is the only vet I have access to that will see a chicken being available or affordable to me is slim..especially when most emergencies happen..

 

[JacinLarkwell]

I mean more the splints. Especially for splayed legs, if you decide you want to fix a chick like that, you can use a part of a straw and a rubberband.

Bit I guess if you have chickens just for pets the price might be worth it for some of this stuff.

 

[Katanahamon]

I mean more the splints. Especially for splayed legs, if you decide you want to fix a chick like that, you can use a part of a straw and a rubberband.

Bit I guess if you have chickens just for pets the price might be worth it for some of this stuff.

Broken leg/foot was what I was thinking..after an attack, or getting shut in a door..those splints can keep it immobilized for healing and give at least some pain relief..

 

[Swbertrand1]

Go to the emergencies section. Read about all the horrible things that happen, and see people that are utterly unprepared. Ok, now, you don’t be that way. Get some spray sterile saline cans, get some Vetericyn, get some self adhering wrap and sterile gauze and bandages, disposable sterile scalpels, some splints designed for chickens (my pet chicken has them) and whatever else I’m forgetting that you research long before you buy your chicks..! Vetbond..a doggie pop up tent for a hospital..diapers for chickens in case you want to bring them in..that meloxicam knockoff for poultry for pain relief..
edit..I used the Bondic UV pen to seal a crack in one of my girl’s beaks..not an everyday first aid item, but, you drop the liquid, zap it with the little UV diode, and presto, all sealed..
re edit..here’s a pic of the extremely cheap spray saline, and the excellent book on chicken Health by Gail Damerow..

Good advice to have emergency supplies on hand well before they're needed, even if everything in here is not what each and every individual person would buy.

Get your supplies while you're thinking clearly so you're prepared with what you need when the inevitable problem comes to your coop/run, and it will if you keep chickens long enough...