How To Build a Simple Chick Brooder Box

There are various ideas for making your own brooder box to house your baby chicks. I had an extra large tote that was big enough to hold a six foot Christmas tree. It is 21 inches wide by 42 inches long.

You need to cut a hole in the lid and attach hardware cloth or small holed cage (1 X 1 inch) wire over it to allow for ventilation and light. I use the cage wire because it is a heavier gauge wire; and I can hang a feeder from it. The easiest way to do this is using a drill with a half inch drill bit and a jig saw.

First, using a ruler, draw the outline of the opening you want. Permanent marker works best for marking this. See photo:

(Use safety equipment - hearing and eye protection!)

Second, with the lid attached to its box, drill holes in the four corners of your rectangle, staying inside the marked area. These holes give you the starting point for the jigsaw blade and cutting around the corners. (I made my opening 9 inches by 15 inches.)

Third, using a blade that will cut plastic, lower the blade into one of the drilled holes and start cutting along the line you made. When you get to the next drilled hole, you will be able to make the turn easily. Before cutting the third and fourth sides, you will need to be very careful - hold the opposite cut edge to keep it from bouncing around as you cut the next two sides.

Fourth, once you have the hole cut out, the lid's edge maybe rough. You can use a file to smooth the rough edges.

Lastly, you can attach the cage wire, which has been cut at least an inch bigger all the way around than your hole, to the lid. (The wire cut edges will be sharp. They will need to be filed flat.) I drilled small holes an inch from the edge. At first, I used small bolts and nuts to attach the cage wire, but was afraid a nut would come loose and fall into the brooder box. This could be dangerous if a chick swallowed it. I realized heavy duty wire ties were the best choice. See the photo example:

When it comes to using a heat light above the hole. It is best to have it hang above the opening for safety. (The heat lights get very hot and you don't want to melt the plastic and have a fire.) Now you are ready to get chick supplies and your baby chicks. 

Your chicken fever has begun. Enjoy your babies!

Rejected Puppies Who Didn't Get Mother's Colostrum & Colostrum Replacement

Puppies rejected by mothers:
Pippin and a sibling (Chihuahuas) were rejected by their mother at birth. The sibling didn't survive. The owners had another Chihuahua mother who had given birth two weeks before. In a weakened state, Pippin was given to Annie, the other Chihuahua mother. With her new mommy, Pippin didn't get the needed colostrum that a mother has for a few hours just after giving birth. Plus, Pippin had to struggled against puppies much bigger than her just to eat, and she weakened even more. To Bright Hope Animal Rescue this dog family went, with Pippin being given supplemental feedings by her human foster mom.

Winter
Photo by Tracey R. Simmons
2016

About 10 Months Later More rejected puppies:
A half Chihuahua, half Yorkie mother who was accidentally bred with another small dog of unknown breeding was in labor for a long time. Eventually, she was taken to the vet who did a C-section on her. There were two puppies in this litter, but one didn't survive. When the mother dog woke up, the vet staff tried to introduce her to the surviving pup, but she didn't want anything to do with her.

The puppy, who weighed five ounces, was tube fed. The next day, the mother dog and her pup were introduced again, but the mother turned away, then walked away from her pup. To the same human foster mommy this puppy went, being named Winter. This time the work to save this pup was combined between two rescues - Pet Elves To The Rescue and Bright Hope Dog Training Rescue.

Why do some mother dogs reject a puppy?
There can be various reason for this, and here are a few - there is something wrong with a puppy, there are too many puppies in a litter, sometimes a dog just isn't ready to be a mother (example: too young), and sometimes a mother just isn't cut out to be a mom at all.

Why is it important for a puppy to get the colostrum?
The first few hours after a dog gives birth, she produces colostrum for her pup(s) to drink. Colostrum is a pre-milk fluid which provides nutrients, growth factors, and antibodies a newborn pup needs. It is vital for a pup to nurse from its mother the first 24 hours of its life. The antibodies the pup gets during this time will provide protection from infection for the first few months until a pup starts producing its own antibodies.

Pippin
(you can see chest area
doesn't have a lot of fur)
Photo by
Tracey R. Simmons
2016

What happens when a puppy does not get the colostrum?
Pippin did not get the colostrum. The health issue she has as a result of this is demodectic  mange, which is also called puppy mange or red mange. Every dog has the demodectic mite on them, but their immune systems keeps the mites from overpopulating. With Pippin's immune system being compromised, the mite population increased, causing itching, sores, and hair loss, or no hair growth at all on her underside. The fur she has is dry and rough in texture.

With Winter being fed from a bottle, precautions were taken to help her immune system. She was given colostrum in her replacement puppy milk. Because of this, she has a nice, fluffy, very soft coat of fur.

Cow (Bovine) Colostrum:
In the last decade, scientific research has been done showing that the antibodies and growth factors in cow's colostrum is not species specific, which means all mammals can benefit from it. It is important the colostrum comes from pasture-fed cows. They have a much higher range of antibodies. In addition, colostrum needs to come from cows that are free of pesticides, herbicides, antibiotic, and rBST (hormones).

Pippin chasing Winter
Photo by Tracey R. Simmons 2016

Pippin's health journey:
When I adopted Pippin, she was losing fur. We didn't know if she was going through a coat change or if it was demodectic mange. It turned out to be demodectic mange because of her immune system being compromised from not receiving colostrum. She was started on a western medicine medication that she would have to be on for 65 days. She got very sick on the first dose. I thought she was going to die.

I could not go through losing Pippin after just losing Koda a couple months before. I searched the internet, read through various holistic vet books, and discussed things with Pippin's foster human, to find a course of action that did not include the western medicine way of doing things. Pippin was started on a loading dose of colostrum. After 3 weeks, she was put on a maintenance dose. She was also put on various herbs that help the immune system. She has also been given baths with a special essential oil shampoo.

Pippin
Photo by Tracey R. Simmons 2016

Pippin has shown great improvement. She no longer has sores and fur is starting to grow on her underside - neck, chest, and belly. We are hopeful that eventually she will be fully furred, with the fur being soft.

Lastly, as for the Animal Rescues Major Commitment:
Bottle feeding, including supplement feedings to a pup nursing from a mother dog, requires a great deal of time and commitment from the human. Newborn puppies need to nurse or be bottle fed about every two hours. As they grow, the time between feedings increases until at about 4 to 5 weeks of age, the puppies are old enough to start weaning and learning to eat solid food.

In addition, there is more to just feeding a puppy from a bottle. Puppies and kittens, and many others kinds of mammals, are not able to go potty or poo on their own. A mother dog takes care of this by licking and cleaning their babies. Humans who foster rejected/orphaned newborn puppies and kittens need to know how to take care of this requirement properly for the health and well being of the animal. Thank you to all the "human foster moms" who care for these animals!

For more information about the two rescues mentioned in the post, please go to:
Pet Elves

Bright Hope Dog Training Rescue

Rural King, Tractor Supply, and other Farm Stores Are Not Being Cruel

In agricultural areas, there are various farm stores selling farming and farm animal care supplies. They also sell various baby fowl, such as chicks. It has come to my attention that some people who know little about animal care have visited these stores when they have chicks and accused the employee caregives of being cruel when they see no food with the chicks.

Photo by Tracey R. Simmons 2016

As a former trained and licensed wildlife rehabilitation, I know the importance of proper hydration in animals. I also know the detrimental affects of dehydration - how it can kill animals, especially baby animals. If an animal came in dehydrated, they couldn't be given food right away. Time and much care has to be given to get the animal hydrated. Feeding an animal that is not properly hydrated can cause a painful death. They will suffer greatly before the end comes.

This is to educate those people who think the farm store employees are being cruel because the chicks have no food, just have water. The employee caregivers are working to rehydrate the chicks who have just arrived after being shipped for at least 24 hours without food or water. These chicks are newly hatched and can survive, for this shipping time, on the nutrients they received from being in the egg.

The newly received chicks need several hours, approximately 3-4 hours, to rehydrate with just water. Electrolytes added to the water is a major benefit. Once the chicks are hydrated, they can be given food.

What happens if the chicks are not rehydrated when they arrive? Proper hydration is essential for health, and it is something the intestines need to keep everything moving in a healthy manner. Dehydration will cause constipation. In a chick, they will get a "paste butt." You will see the poo stuck to their hind-end. This is like a glue that closes them up - backing up their intestines. This is painful and will cause death if not treated quickly and correctly. 

Stupidity can kill. Be educated - The chick caregiver is not being cruel. They are working to keep each chick alive, so this is the reason these chicks are only given water when they first arrive. Within a few hours these same chicks will be given food.

Blog Posts to Go Biweekly

To all who enjoy reading my posts, which are mostly about animals. I am working on a book right now, and posting every week has and is taking away from my writing. I will post every other week now (Biweekly). Upcoming posts will include - Chicken Fever, Baby Peeps 101, Animals with Disabilities, Demodectic Mange, Honeybee Keeping, and more. Please come back next week for a new post. Thank you for understanding and come back.

Photo by adamr www.freedigitalphotos.net

Skunks 101

How many of you have noticed more skunks dead along side the roads in February? They are out roaming more, looking for their mate, but they have poor vision, only able to see what is in front of them. This is why they don't see vehicles coming toward them when they are trying to cross a road.

(With Valentine's Day and mating season in February, this is a reason you see skunks on Valentine cards.)

The gestation period is seven to ten weeks, with kits born in May. There can be two to ten kits born in a litter. Like puppies and kittens, kits are born toothless and blind. A kit is several weeks old before its eyes open. It is just before their eyes open that their spraying ability develops. The kits stay with their momma until fall.

In the United States, there are four different kinds of skunks. The two main skunks people see are the spotted and striped ones. There are also hood and hog-nose skunks. No two skunks are marked exactly alike. They are each unique just like snowflakes.

Skunks are non-aggressive, and work hard to stay out of harms way. If a skunk feels threatened, it will stomp its feet, raise its tail, and lurch its back. If you see any of these signs, it would be best to back away quietly.

Skunks love to eat bugs, many of which are pest to humans, so they can be beneficial to have around. They also eat plant material, fruits, mice, and eggs from ground nesting birds.

Lastly, another name for a skunk is polecat. That's it for Skunks 101.

Silver Laced Wyandotte Chicken

Living on a small farm with farm animals means there is life, but along with life there can be death. This past week the Midwest has experienced extremely cold temperatures, with some days in the single digits. Winds have been blowing the temps below zero, as far as wind chill factor.

Golden Laced Wyandotte Hen
Photo by Tracey R. Simmons 2016

 The Hens Nest Inn has a small door for the hens. Whenever I close that door, I go inside the fenced pen and pull open the bigger door to count my girls. I got six chicks – the minimum sold; and fortunately, all six grew into beautiful Silver Laced and Golden Laced Wyandotte hens. On Tuesday, I only counted five. I thought maybe one was sitting in one of two nest boxes, but no.

Rolling the big door closed so the girls wouldn’t get too chilled, I looked under the Inn, since it is up on legs that are up on blocks. This design allowed me to put a rectangular sandbox underneath with dusting materials in it – dry sand, dirt, and some wood ashes. In the summer, this area allows the girls to get out of the sun. When there is snow on the ground, this is a snow free zone for the girls to walk around in. 

"The Hens Nest Inn"
(Chicken House)
Photo by Tracey R. Simmons 2016

When I looked, there in the dusting box laid my hen. She was gone. This caused me to remember an event that occurred when I was eight or nine and lived on a small farm for three years. Our farm was surrounded by a couple of housing editions and an apartment complex, all of which had been pastures just a few years before. For me it was paradise.

Our farm was a place for horses and a multitude of cats that found their way to our barn. Grandpa got us a Holstein (black and white) calf, which had to be fed from a big bottle. I remember trying to hanging onto that bottle with both hands and arms wrapped around it as “Duke” sucked away, nearly pulling me off my feet and the bottle away from me. Grandpa had gotten us another calf – a brown and white one. I don’t remember the breed type, but he was mean, and we didn’t mess with him. My siblings and I did fall in love with Duke, though.

As time past and Duke grew, he was so tame that we could stick a thumb into his mouth and he would follow us around. One day, both calves got out, but we didn’t know it. With Dad’s business on the main level of our house, he was home when a deputy sheriff came to ask if we owned some calves, which were down the road tromping through the large cemetery.

Dad left, taking one lead line with him to the cemetery. It went around the brown and white calf’s neck to lead him home. It was easier to bring Duke home. He didn’t need a lead line. He walked home following Dad while sucking his “pacifier” – Dad’s thumb.

As time past, the calves were taken to the butcher to be made into meat. Our family’s finances were not great, so we didn’t have steaks – a luxury food item, prior to having the calves. After the calves left, any kind of beef that was sat on the table in front of my siblings and I for supper – be it hamburgers, chuck roasts, and now steaks, was refused. We didn’t care about the brown and white - nameless calf, but we had loved our Duke and we sure weren’t going to take the chance of eating him!

We just hadn’t been raised from the beginning of our lives to take care of farm animals and then send them off to be made into meat for our meals. We never raised any other animals for meat, nor did farm life last for us, although I wanted it too as a child.

Silver Lace Wyandotte Hen
Photo by Tracey R. Simmons 2016

Fast forward to the present day and back on a small farm, not as grand, and without a huge wooden barn, but it's a place in the country - a dream come true. It's a "Little Bit of Paradise." There’s still the dead chicken situation. Since this is not a typical farm where farm animals are raised for meat, I was not going to make chicken noodle soup out of her or homemade chiken nuggets. She was a pet who gave great eggs. She needed to be buried, but how can that be done when the ground is frozen? Well for now, she is frozen by Mother Earth and laying in the "Chick Condo" - the small summer chicken house where predators can’t get to her. Hopefullty, she can be buried soon.

Deaf Dog Hope and EPI

Hope was adopted a few days after Christmas 2013. Hope is a mostly white, Border collie husky mix who was born deaf. She gave hope on a visit to a nearby humane society while dealing with our black lab – Worf’s hospice care, which explains her name. Ten and a half months later, Hope was extremely sick with severe, gag a maggot smelling diarrhea. First, she was diagnosed with giardia, a parasite that humans can get, and in which can be transmitted through mud puddles and even municipal water. Three rounds of medications and extra food did nothing to stop the diarrhea and quick weight loss.

Another veterinarian became involved along with another test that revealed a microscopic parasite called cryptosporidium, which is worse than giardia. Both of these parasites are zoonosis – a disease that can be transmitted from animals to humans. More medications, various food recipes tried, and extra food were given to Hope in vain.

Hope while so sick.
Photo By Tracey R. Simmons 2015

Endless days and nights of constant diarrhea took its toll. I felt like I was losing the dog who had given so much hope over the loss of another beloved dog. Hope looked like a dog being neglected through starvation as her weight continued to slip away.

 A third veterinarian was consulted who said Hope’s immune system might be compromised by something which was not allowing the medications to work. Hope’s adoption paperwork showed she’d tested positive for ehrlichia, a disease caused by ticks. The vet also thought there might be a disease connected to Hope being part Border collie, but this could only be determine with another test, a test which cost several hundreds of dollars, and which had to be sent to a lab at Texas A&M University.

On Friday, February 13, 2015, faced with more medical bills, the information I read on the Internet about ehrlichia, the possible time span Hope had ehrlichia without treatment and that end result, there seemed little reason to continue fighting a battle which appeared already lost. Fighting tears and putting on a false front so the children and adults I worked with wouldn’t know, I dealt with the dread of putting down a young beautiful dog, who already had strikes against her being born deaf…

…It has nearly been a year since that fateful and dread filled day. After finding out that ehrlichia can show up positive in a dog for two years even after successful treatment, I opted to have the expensive blood and stool test sent to Texas A&M. In the mean time, I asked if Hope could be started on the enzymes for the disease Hope was being tested for just in case. On February 14, Hope’s battle with diarrhea for more than three months finally ended. She had a solid stool, the best Valentine’s present I could have gotten.

What was the diagnosis? EPI which is Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency. It means the pancreas is not working properly to release enzymes the body needs to digest food and absorb the nutrients within the food. This caused the severe diarrhea, which contain undigested food, causing Hope’s body to starve and appear very anorexic despite being feed extra food. The lack of proper nourishment, along with the lack of nutrients can cause organs to fail. If left untreated, a dog suffers greatly and would die a painful death.

EPI is a disease not all veterinarians know about, and it’s frequently misdiagnosed. It can be very frustrating to the affected dog’s human, who takes the dog from vet to vet trying desperately to help the dog. (In rare cases, cats can have EPI too.) It is a disease, which can show up at anytime in a dog’s life - from puppy-hood to older adult. German Shepherds use to be the most affected breed, with collies next. Now it is showing up in mixed breeds.

Hope’s symptoms:

·      * Constant diarrhea

·      * Extremely smelly gas

·      * Rumbling sounds in her abdomen

·      * Severe weigh loss despite extra food being given

·      * Endless hunger

·      *  Coprophagia (eating feces)

·      *  Pica – eating sticks, licking dust, etc.

·      * Dull, dry coat

Hope could have EPI because of being part Border collie, but she may have it because the  parasite -cryptosporidium may have damaged her pancreas. We will never know the cause, but after five months, Hope’s weight was back to her adoptive weight.

The blood test sent to Texas was called TLI. Hope’s blood was drawn after fasting for twelve hours. Healthy dogs should have numbers from 5.7 to 45.2. Hope’s number was 1.4.

With Hope having EPI, porcine pancreatic enzymes must be mixed into her food, which is wetted down and allowed to sit at room temperature for at least twenty minutes. I made the mistake of not waiting the full twenty minutes, which caused Hope to have diarrhea in the middle of the night. Lesson learned! She’s also on a grain-free diet, with low carbohydrates.

Pippin & Hope, who is so much healthier.
Photo by Tracey R. Simmons 2015

The enzymes contain lipase, which helps digest fats & oils, protease, which digests proteins, and amylase, which digests carbohydrates. I get mine through EnzymeDiane, at about half the cost of the prescription enzymes, and have had better results. Go to her website and read, because she is not out there like the drug companies who want to line their pockets with lots of cash, she just wants to save dogs who might otherwise be put down. She has helped me and Hope with this life long financial expense, and I am grateful!

If you have a dog who has symptoms like Hope’s and aren’t getting any answers, have the dog (or cat) test for EPI.

For more information about EPI, a very helpful website is:

 EPI4Dogs website

Enzyme Diane's website