Bagenbrook Farm Nurse

08/22/2024

My Tuesday patients (Enid - RI White) little sleepy sweetheart going through a painful fright molt along with minor contact dermatitis - and Minnie the spirited Plymouth Barred Rock- abdominal swelling and contact dermatitis.
Good news for both of these lovely ladies- Minnie was Ascites free and simply has a fat storage in her abdomen. Enid, (my buddy) just needed some soothing magic for her painful quills as they grow back in. Mom will be removing and replacing the roost in their living quarters, to provide a more comfortable sleeping area that won’t irritate their delicate skin. Everyone is getting an increase in Vitamin E & Selenium along with their already heathy diet. So glad mom came all this way to see us! We’ll be checking in on these babies in the next couple of weeks!
🙏🏼❤️

Bagenbrook Farm Nurse

08/20/2024

Did you know that dehydration can mask an infection?!
Please keep your animals hydrated first and foremost every single day!!!

08/09/2024

Spent this beautiful morning with these beautiful babies and their loving Mom!
Wellness checks, nutrition planning, beak & nail trims for the Silkie gals! Little Broody Margie will be going on some adventures with mom to help change up her day and get her up out of the comfort if the nesting box 😂…. The sweetest little fluff ball she is!!!!
Ohhhh my and this duck trio ????? Cutest that I ever did meet!!!! Personality plus- Larry and his lovely ladies- each baby had their physical and got plenty of healthy yum yums after being sooooo good!!! It made me so happy to see the wonderful relationship these babies have with their Mom. They came even when called by name!!! Such a beautiful thing ❤️
We’re working on some changes in nutrition and hoping to increase omega fat intake, thereby enabling the ladies to better absorb their vitamin D. Everyone seemed quite happy to hear they could have some exciting new additions to their menu! ❤️
Such a rewarding day!

08/06/2024

08/03/2024

Booking Appointments for Next Week! Please reach out ASAP if you need a visit or a phone consult.
Monday -Tuesday- Thursday are fully booked

07/28/2024

A day in the life of this farm nurse…
Do what you love…. Love what you do 🙏🏼❤️

07/27/2024

07/26/2024

Flock Wellness check today with some of my favorite people!!! Eric Wainwright & Leslie Joy.
Such a pleasure working with a diverse flock, each with their own unique personality!
These babies were in excellent shape (they are very well loved) .
We are going to bump up their iron intake and add some black oil sunflower to their diet. Like many birds this season, the heat and overall climate conditions are just depleting essential minerals. We’re going to help get these babies feeling their best with a little boost! All the girls are looking good with their pedicures and beak trims. Maxwell (a beautiful Silver Lakenvelder) was an absolute joy! Ideal weight, clear lungs, strong heart and such a snuggle bug!!!!!
It’s so important to keep an eye on your c**kerels and c***s as you would your hens.
Often times, the c**k with back down from eating and drinking so that his hens are nourished and safe. Please keep a check on their overall condition and weight. ❤️

07/17/2024

Cecal - (Round Worms)
Informative Video.
*note- I am not a licensed veterinarian, nor do I represent merck or the manufacturer of fenbendazole. This is my personal dewormer of choice and I use it at my own discretion based on my hands on medical technician training.
Feel free to contact me
Bagenbrook Farm Nurse
If you have need of my services.

06/26/2024

Hey guys,
I need to take the next 72 hours to baby “my baby”
I won’t be returning calls or messages until Friday or Saturday. Thank you for understanding. I need to put my family first.
~ E 🌻

06/18/2024

Hey Everyone! With the hot, dry weather wave coming- please remember WATER FIRST!!! Just like us, animals NEED to stay hydrated! This is a good time to kick it up a notch and add some healthy probiotics and electrolytes to help your fur & feather family with a little “boost” of wellness!!!
☀️💧🦆🐓🦃🐐

06/08/2024

When your fellow rescue friend gets you a nutribullet as a gift…. You cry tears of joy!!!!!
When you tube feed as many birds as we do- this item is worth its weight in gold!!!!! Thank you so much Romi Cully ❤️❤️❤️

05/22/2024

Tubby day for 20 of my favorite patients!!!! Never have I seen a White Leghorn enjoy a warm bubble tub so much in my life!!!! 😂
We had to wake Miss Jane up when it was time to towel down!!!!
I’m so happy with the progress these ladies are making! All showing new quills and feather growth, vibrant combs, lots of energy!
The proper diet and daily maintenance make an enormous difference in the life of your feathered friends. A month ago these ladies had extreme feather loss, dry, itchy skin and boy…. were they picking at each other!
Black oil sunflower seed, Vitamin E & Selenium, free choice oyster shell and a weekly treat meal of scrambled egg, spinach, a few raspberries and some herbs!!! The girls and their bodies are loving it.
Their Dad has been faithful with his nightly vaseline leg rubs and “purple magic” pick no more applications where necessary.
Giving them a nice medicated bath and finishing off with a deep conditioning treatment really allowed us to see the improvement in the skin along with all of the beautiful new feather growth.
It’s not easy work to keep your flock “tip top”
but once you’ve got a routine that works, you stick to it for the benefit of the animals in your care.

05/13/2024

HOW AMPROLIUM WORKS

by: Doug Buffington

Many have the misguided notion that starter feeds, medicated with Amprolium, are somehow unhealthy for chicks. Some will even say that it is a vitamin B blocker that kills chicks. The following will explain how Amprolium works to control Coccidiosis and to build chick resistance.

Amprolium is a common anticoccidial medication used for the prevention of coccidiosis in young chickens, turkeys, peafowl, guinea and game birds. The thiamine transport system in the coccidiosis parasite is more sensitive to Amprolium than that of the host. More of the Amprolium will enter the coccidian protozoan to limit its absorption of vitamin B1. Amprolium works by mimicking thiamine (vitamin B1) that coccidia need to develop and reproduce. When the coccidia ingest Amprolium, it will experience a thiamin deficiency and starve from malnutrition. Medicated starters are dosed to allow a small amount of the Coccidia to survive that stimulate the immune system to build a resistance to it. Vitamin B1 is not completely shut off. Additionally, Amprolium will not affect the levels of B12, B6 or B3. In the United States, it is one of the few medications approved by the FDA for use with egg laying chicken hens. There is no required egg withdrawal.

Blending a medicated starter with other feeds will reduce the Amprolium ingredient below a therapeutic level necessary to control Coccidiosis. Medicated starters need to constitute a 90% minimum of a chick’s diet to effectively control the Coccidia protozoan. Building an immune resistance to Coccidiosis will require a minimum of 3 to 4 months after hatching. However, it is not harmful to feed medicated starters to young birds beyond 3 to 4 months. It will only affect the Coccidia protozoa that may be present. Hens that remain with chicks may also consume the starter feed.

However, medicated starters are not recommended for ducks, geese and other waterfowl as medicated feeds lack the elevated level of vitamin B3 (niacin) necessary for good health and development. Waterfowl will need an non-medicated starter with a more fortified level of niacin. During their first 3 months of developmental growth, waterfowl will need 2 to 3 times more niacin than other farm birds. After this period of development, waterfowl can be converted to the Purina Flock Raiser. It will also have an elevated level of niacin to maintain good health.

Some are feeding a non-medicated starter because they believe that somehow it is healthier than the medicated because it lacks the thiamin (B1) blocker that combats Coccidiosis. This is just not the reality. First, the strain of Coccidiosis that infects other poultry species does not exist in waterfowl so there is no need to medicate their starter with Amprolium. Secondly, the non-medicated Purina Start & Grow has an elevated level of niacin (B3) to support good health in Waterfowl. Waterfowl need 3 to 4 times more niacin than other poultry to prevent a crippling leg development from swelling in the hocks and bowed legs.

SIDE NOTE: It is not harmful to feed medicated starter to vaccinated chicks from the hatchery.

04/30/2024

A wellness check for my beautiful new patients today!!! 20 beautiful girls, each so special! These sweethearts have been losing a lot of feathers, experiencing swollen, red skin and really just haven’t been themselves. We added some Vitamin E, Selenium & black oil sunflower seed to their diet and Mom and Dad have been so diligent with their care! Everyone got a thorough skin, leg and foot treatment today, along with plenty of healthy treats! I’ll be back again to check up on the ladies in a week or so - and of course…. to snuggle all of the baby bunnies!!!!! ❤️🐓🐰

04/16/2024

03/20/2024

Reminder!
It’s time to Deworm your herd (goats & sheep)
Also CD & T vaccines are due!

03/12/2024

Medical Day today.
Please bear with me everyone. I won’t be responding to messages or calls.
I’ll catch up with you all within the next 48 hours.

03/11/2024

My sweet Bodie has Pneumonia…. Please say your prayers for him. This weather is no joke!!
Please pay attention to your birds- breathing, respiratory functions, discharge from the beak or nares, comb color- blue or purple are indicative of breathing trauma or a weak cardiac system. Be mindful of their resting heartbeat as well. It only takes a day or two for a basic infection to get worse. It can happen to any of us, no matter how experienced or watchful we are.
Bodie is inside staying warm. He’s being tube fed to stay hydrated and nourished. I am clearing his sinus cavity twice a day and he is getting 2.5cc tylosin 200 once a day, IM injection to the breast.
He’s such a precious boy.

02/18/2024

Tube Feeding.
Miss Lily, my Gen 1 White Leghorn.
Please if you have questions on tube feeding, recipes, methods, when or how to determine if your bird requires a tube feed. Don’t hesitate to contact me.
My friend Romi Cully is also an excellent resource on this topic.
Nutrition is soooo important folks!!! For some birds, tube feeding is temporary, for others it’s the only way for them to get there proper nutrients they need to survive!

02/15/2024

I’m falling in love with this sweet girl!!!
Blossom 🌸
God’s creatures are so full of love and sweetness!!!!!

02/14/2024

Tube feeds for all of these sweet babies with CB. Thank you to my amazing friend Romi Cully for adopting these amazing birds and fur trusting me with their care.

01/26/2024

Emergency Farm Calls
Beyond Regular Service hours are available!

01/26/2024

😱WORMS😱
My choice for topic of the week
(Time of year is irrelevant folks) Please be vigilant in monitoring the condition of your flock. Use proactive measures to deter nematode presence and take “action” by using a regular deworming schedule. Be mindful… deworming is not a “one & done”
It is a process, a progression. Repeat dosages of FDA approved parasite control coupled with proper disposal of bedding and other materials that may contain worm eggs.

What are the “clinical signs” associated with high worm loads in poultry?

1. diarrhea
2. depression (yes its true)
3. reduced weight gain
4. weight loss
5. anemia
6. Visible worms in the chicken’s eggs
7. Egg production (decrease)

01/08/2024

A little wing trim to keep these babies from roosting in the trees at night or finding their way over the fence!!!
When introducing turkeys and waterfowl (particularly Muscovy ) to new surroundings, I like to give them a chance to settle in and realize “This is home”. Clipping the wings inhibits the full range of flight.
After a period, the wing feathers will grow back in and they won’t be tempted to fly away as they realize they have food and shelter where they are.