Demented!

[Glutton4...]

I'd get her to a Vet Bobbie. Tea tree stuff can be very unpleasant - the shampoo stings my scalp like lemon in a cut - so I wouldn't try it, personally. Do you have a Vet locally that will treat Chooks?

[Bephlam]

Our local vet can't...they're useless! We have an avian vet...but to be honest I can't afford it this month (my car's just cost me hundreds of pounds) and this vet charges £28 quid to walk in the door.

I am going to try some home remedies before the vets...remember I can get all my anti biotics and things free, so I just need to establish treatment, then I can pick up what I need without going near the vet with her.

Sad state of affairs, but it's the truth...money is a problem this month (and I only got paid on FRIDAY!)

[di]

Don't feel bad Bephlam...there's a lot of us in the same boat.We agreed when we first started that we'd not be spending money on vet bills.{{{{x}}}}

Just an idea,I agree that Tea Tree can sometimes sting,but maybe a drop of lavender...I find it far more gentle but it has both cleansing and healing properties.
All the best with her.xxx

[Glutton4...]

Hey Bobby, I've been 'Googling' yeah, I know. I started with thickening of the skin. Got to Erysipelas (in Pigs), and from there to this;

http://www.thepoultrysite.com/diseaseinfo/56/erysipelas

Hope it helps. Do keep us informed, our little loves are such a worry!

[Bephlam]

Good idea...I'm going to bring her in and give her a bath anyway, even if it's just warm water...I want to get the remains of that feather peck spray off, and let her skin breathe a little. Then I can fully assess how bad the problem is...at the moment it appears to be pretty bad under the right wing..and just beginning to creep on to the underside of the second wing. Thing is...that feather peck spray stains everything so brown and yellow...so I'm doubting myself if it's actually yeast or the stain from the spray. I'm thinking I've maybe caused it by covering her in the spray so often...burned her skin, if you like.

I hate seeing her like that...she's such a gorgeous bird...and she doesn't deserve to be in any discomfort. I'll get my finger out and sort it...poor wee Bertha! Scary how much love you can feel for them, isn't it? They're not like the other pets in the house, but they're part of the family all the same!

[Bephlam]

Google away...I'm having no luck!!

Going to read it now! Thanks!!

[Bephlam]

I dunno if I wanted to read that...she's got a lot of those symptoms...but I don't think it could be that, as no others are showing any signs. Suppose what I got from that was that it's treated with antibiotics...so that's something.

Keep googling!

[Bephlam]

Ok, so I brought Bertha in and bathed her in a lavender bath tonight. She appeared to thoroughly enjoyed it...cooing throughout, and very relaxed! I then blasted her skin with the shower to remove any dead tissue, etc. We then spent a wee while enjoying a preen together (me blowdrying, her fluffing up her feathers) before lathering her in thick eczema cream. The underside of her wings are fishy, but not as yellow as yesterday (so some of it must have been discolouration). I read on PP that athletes foot spray/cream helps...so might give that a bash...and repeat the whole process in a few days.

Fingers crossed she'll be good in no time!

[its hilly]

Patch test new stuff though Thinking athletes foot is a fungal thing isnt it? So thats why its recommended. Would guess spray is best as you want to let it breathe as much as poss. You can get tea tree shampoo for horses which is gentler than people ones but some people (G4 from the sound of it) and animals DO react to it.
Love the thought of you two sitting blow drying and cooing at each other

And yes, I'm in the same position vet wise. Money is tight and the only vet around here who knows anything about chooks is 30 miles away, which is an hours drive on the roads round here (the lake district may be pretty, but straight and convenient it dont do) and charges for the consult plus treatment. The good side is that she is happy to do phone chats and consults for free, and only says bring it in if its bad. As Ive had livestock of many varieties all my life thats fine by me as Im confident with what I can and cant treat at home. But I know lots of peeps who wouldn't be comfortable with even a scratch to treat.

[Bephlam]

I was planning on putting the athletes foot spray under the wings only, as the rest of her skin looks too raw to really take it. The skin under her wings is not broken at all, just yellow and stinky! Poor wee thing...I was treating her for feather pecking, and I was way off the mark...bad bad me!!

She really seemed to like the blow drier, which surprised me. I was blasting her and she was making a lovely wee cooing noise and fluffing up her feathers with her beak. She looked lovely (but bald) for about 10 minutes before I smothered her in grease again! Still, I think she needs the greasy cream as the skin is peeling off like crispy chicken skin (seriously) and it's leaving really fine delicate skin under it, which I think will be fine when it recovers!

Truth is I'm skint...I've had one of the dogs at the vet this month already, which fleeced me. Then my Mum brought her dogs up and they had fleas (unknown to her) so now we have to de-flea everyone (which is a whole lotta animals!!)...then the car broke and cost us a fortune...and blah blah blah!! Plus, the vet is so expensive it's a joke...I wouldn't mind paying, if they knew what they were talking about...but their knowledge of poultry is almost nil! So, I'm going down this route for now...and if it doesn't work, I'll make a phonecall to my old boss and get his advice, then get my Vet Nursing mate to send me the necessary treatments! Like you...I treat almost everything at home....because I can!

How are you anyway? How's Festher doing? Has he fathered any wee baby birds yet? Ooo...just remembered I was trying to get you some Araucana eggs! Did you get any? If not...I'll email my mate, Matt, and get some from him. Our Araucana girls (last years hatch - oooo aye, Festher's sisters) have started to lay now..their blue eggs are to die for!

[Hilary B]

Sounds like nappy-rach treatment might be a way to go. I get a form of sweat rash sometimes, and the ONLY treatment that clears it is Zinc-and-castor-oil cream. What you describe is similar (but worse), so Sudocrem (which is very similar) might well be the answer!