bird health Archives - SoCal Nestbox

Basic Health Assessment of Chicks

Joseph Gendreau2023-04-28T00:11:43-07:00

If you are purchasing and/or raising baby chicks, it is important to regularly monitor their health to ensure they are thriving. In this article, we will discuss how to make a basic health assessment of baby chicks. Appearance The first thing to look at when assessing the health of a baby chick is their appearance. Healthy chicks should have bright, alert eyes and clean, fluffy feathers. They should also be active and moving around, rather than huddled in a corner. If a chick appears lethargic, or has a drooping head or wings, or is standing with one leg tucked up,

Basic Health Assessment of ChicksJoseph Gendreau2023-04-28T00:11:43-07:00

Understanding and Preventing Bumblefoot in your Chickens

Joseph Gendreau2022-11-10T04:07:37-08:00

When dealing with any disease we have a tendency to focus all of our energy on treating the disease and then moving on to other issues. However, like most diseases and conditions in poultry, bumblefoot is largely a consequence of less-than-ideal husbandry practices. This means that you can prevent bumblefoot by optimizing a few simple husbandry practices. What is Bumblefoot? Bumblefoot is a bacterial infection or abscess of the foot. It’s caused by a cut/scrape to the chicken’s foot that gets contaminated by different species of bacteria that are present and often ubiquitous in the environment including the bacteria Staphylococcus

Understanding and Preventing Bumblefoot in your ChickensJoseph Gendreau2022-11-10T04:07:37-08:00

Toxic Fumes: PTFE Non-stick Coating Poisoning in Birds

Joseph Gendreau2021-12-23T18:11:15-08:00

Most of us have heard at one point or another that you can’t cook with non-stick pans around pet birds, and if you have not heard now you know! The culprit lurking on the pan’s surface is the polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE or commonly Teflon) coating that makes the cookware non-stick. PTFE and related coatings (PFOA, PFOS, etc.) emits toxic fumes when heated that are especially dangerous to birds due to their unique respiratory system. These coatings are the most common source of inhaled poisoning in companion birds. This article will discuss why pet birds are particularly sensitive to PTFE fumes, which

Toxic Fumes: PTFE Non-stick Coating Poisoning in BirdsJoseph Gendreau2021-12-23T18:11:15-08:00