Cedar Shavings Not Recommended

I have heard that we should not use cedar shavings in the coop or brooder and that it can be bad for the birds' health.

I'm new at raising chickens and certainly don't want to use something dangerous for the birds.

Jenny W, Oregon

There were studies in the late 1960s with small animals (rodents, mostly) that showed an increase in liver enzymes when the animals were raised on cedar shavings. This increase is usually interpreted as a sign of toxicity, so it is assumed that the animals are dealing with the aromatic gases released by the cedar. Cedar and pine shavings are not suggested, then, as a bedding. It's probably being overly cautious, but most people won't use them, just in case.

Possibly another more important reason is that some people can have allergic or asthmatic responses to the cedar. Some people who think they are allergic to the birds (or other pets) may actually be reacting to the shavings instead.

Additionally, when chicks are first placed in the brooder, shavings of any kind should not be used for the first few days as the chicks may accidentally eat the shavings when first learning to find feed. Instead, use a few layers of paper towels or other non-slippery surface. Slippery surfaces, such as newspaper, can cause leg problems in chicks.—Ed.

Vent Gleet Easy to Treat

I have several Nankin hens that I think have vent gleet. They have normal poop but are always wet on their underside and there is a smell. A friend thought a squirt of hydrogen peroxide up the vent might solve the problem. If it is an infection of the reproductive tract it makes sense that that would work. Have you heard of this remedy?

Do birds spread vent gleet to each other? Can males get it or only females?

Elaine S., Virginia

If it is vent gleet, then a couple of sprays of betadine (an iodine solution) should work. You should be able to find this at a pharmacy or from one of the mail-order vet supply houses.

Vent gleet is basically a yeast infection. I don't know if the hydrogen peroxide would work. It certainly might.

A couple of other comments:

It likely can be transmitted to males that might be mating with the females. It only seems to occur in an occasional bird, though, so I suspect it may be more of a factor of some other stress that is involved.

Also, make sure that the hens haven't prolapsed. This can also cause a lot of drainage and urates around the vent, but treatment for that is more difficult. If it is a prolapse, you will see pink to red tissue sticking out of the vent. This is a part of the oviduct, usually, and it is usually pulled back in right after she lays an egg.

Hopefully, it is gleet, since that's usually pretty easy to treat!

Fowl Pox

The severity of fowl pox lesions can vary from mild, as seen above, to very severe. Fortunately, most birds will get better in a few weeks. If the lesions are in a bird's mouth or throat, it may refuse to eat or drink, causing additional problems. An aspirin/water solution can offer pain relief to the bird. Photos courtesy of Steve E. and Fleur W.

Recenty my Dark Brahma rooster looked as if he'd been in a fight but I wasn't sure as there were no bloody feet or marks. Then I thought he'd met up with a poison Bufo toad whose poison skin kills dogs here if the dogs lick them. These bulbous pox had so covered his face that I thought he might never be able to see again. Two weeks later he's as handsome as ever.

Then Mother Brown Leghorn's face began to look the same way. Veterinarian Shannon Nakaya said it was pox brought on by mosquitoes! My hen was trying to raise 11 youngsters. All of them got it too. The internet says that once over it, chickens are immune to it for the rest of their lives and that it is not transferable between species.

Fleur W., Hawaii

Fowl pox is a viral disease that is often spread by mosquitoes, or it can be spread directly from bird to bird. It often causes lesions on the comb and the rest of the head. As long as these lesions are on the outside skin, the bird can usually get over them in a couple of weeks and will be fine. If they get inside the mouth and throat, then it can be more serious, as the birds may refuse to eat and drink.

Since it is viral, there's not much you can do for the chickens, other than try to keep them comfortable while their body is fighting it off. I have heard of people giving an aspirin solution if the pox lesions are in the mouth. This is supposed to help encourage them to eat and drink.

Mississippi State University offers the following aspirin solution on their website, http://msucares.com/poultry/diseases/solutions.htm. Other health treatments are also available on this site.

Aspirin Solution

Used as a general treatment for reducing distress conditions of birds (fever or listlessness) that accompanies many diseases.

Dissolve five (5 grain) aspirin tablets in one gallon of water.

Offer this solution free-choice to the birds for the duration of an illness. The solution aspirin equivalent to 25 grains/gallon or 324 mg/gallon of drinking water. The dosage rate is about 25 mg/lb body weight per day.

You can vaccinate the other chickens against this disease now and it may help prevent spread. You can also vaccinate in the future if it continues to be a problem. Quarantining those that do have fowl pox might also help. It is often spread by mosquitoes (or from bird to bird), so keeping the mosquito population down can help, too.