Blu-Kote Dauber (4 oz.) - Fast Drying Antiseptic Wound Dressing

I keep chickens, and quail (separately), some times they get into fights. I use this on their wounds and it definitely helps them heal faster. They also never seem to mind having it put on open/fresh wounds. Unlike alcohol, this doesn't hurt them when it gets applied.NOTE: it will temporarily stain hair, feathers, clothing, and flesh. It washes out eventually, but takes some time.

Arrived just as expected.

I put Rizzo (adult pet rat) in a cage at a friends house that I guess wasn't cleaned properly. Riz got a black, SMELLY bump on his tummy that looked awful! It looked like it was filled with infection. After I soaked it in very warm water and spritzed it with Peroxide, I "painted" it with Blu Kote. The infection burst within an hour after using Blu ( I can't tell you how gross that was!) I've been painting his infection for two day; smell is gone and it's healing fine.But, when you use this stuff, wear something you don't care will get stained because its a very dark purple/blue! Very messy!

My poor little guy was hobbling on one hind leg and I noticed an abscess (if that's the right word) protruding under his foot.I first used non scented soap (basically industry grade, off brand anti bacterial soap) on the end of a wet cotton swap. I ran it across his foot a few time with a bit of pressure to kill any excess bacteria. I then used the other end of the swap with water only, and performed the same motion to clear the soap. I pat dried it, then used another swap to apply the blu kote.After two applications (just applied it in the evening) it was already cleared up. I did it another day or two for good measure, and he is all healed up and back to his healthy self.This stuff, by the way, should be treated as an instant dye. Basically has the same staining properties as sharpie ink, so be very careful when opening the bottle and dipping the swab. After application, place your small furry friend on a throwaway cloth of some sort, because it will be littered in purple foot prints.

I have used Dr. Naylor products for years.

The media could not be loaded. ♦IntroLike many of my reviews, this one is lengthy. The bottom part is mostly tips and tricks to other city dwellers considering backyard poultry. My video shows what Blu-Kote is like. One of our birds was recently attacked by another and I recorded us putting Blu-Kote on her wound. My pup is the one making squeaking noises in the video; he did not appreciate that our attention was being focused elsewhere.I put a list of the ingredients as listed on the bottle at the very end of the review. I included references to several products in this review with their 10-digit ASINs that start with “B.” If you want to search for any of these, just copy/paste the ASIN into the Amazon search box.♦Helen & Our introduction to Blu-KoteI found out about Blu-Kote from Backyard Chickens and picked it up a couple months ago at the local feed store when our female white midget turkey Corie attacked our white leghorn hen Helen and bloodied her comb.Chickens and turkeys are attracted to red and will peck at bleeding wounds of their flockmates. This can lead to cannibalization and death of the injured bird. When applied to a wound, Blu-Kote will kill germs and tint the area. The idea is that the other poultry won’t see red and will leave the injured bird alone.We washed Helen’s injured area in the sink using the sprayer and then used the blow-dryer on low heat. When she was mostly dry, we painted the wound with Blu-Kote. I kept Helen in the house overnight and then put her out with the flock the next morning. She healed nicely and was back to laying eggs relatively quickly after this incident.♦DianeWe had a second incident where my Easter Egger hen Diane was attacked in the chicken tractor, I’m assuming by Corie. Poor Diane’s injuries seemed far more severe than Helen’s. We again washed and dried her wounds and painted them with Blu-Kote. I kept Diane segregated for several days during the day and night and then reintegrated her with the others.♦The Chicken Chick and VetericynMy favorite resources are Backyard Chickens and The Chicken Chick. When I went to the Chicken Chick site to refer to information on building a first-aid kit for this review, I was surprised to see Blu-Kote missing. I found an article where she advised *against* using blue tinting products. She has two reasons for this: one being that a main ingredient is alcohol which burns, the second being that it is important to be able to monitor the injured area for redness, the first sign of infection.♦The Bottom LineAlthough I am not in the veterinary field, these reasons seem logical to me. For the future, I will consider using Blu-Kote for minor injuries, like Helen’s, but for more serious ones like Diane’s, I will go with Vetericyn (B00337KW8M) and keep the injured bird segregated to monitor her and keep her safe. See comments also.♦What I Would Tell a Friend Considering Backyard PoultryI became interested in keeping chickens a couple of years ago and read Backyard Chickens obsessively for about six months prior to bringing home 4 newly hatched chicks from my local feed store a year ago. I still have a lot to learn, but most of what I know now came from Backyard Chickens, and “The Chicken Chick.” It’s been so exciting to see my poultry do the things I read about in advance: taking dust baths, roosting at dusk, using their nest boxes without being taught, etc. I am by no means an expert, but these are things I would tell a friend if they were thinking of getting backyard chickens.•Health: Be knowledgeable about common illnesses and injuries and act fast to keep your flock healthy and expenses down. Poultry are prey animals and often don’t show a lot of symptoms. Identify an avian vet in the area before the need arises. Keep a first aid kit ready for emergencies. Decide in advance how much money and medical treatment to give to a sick bird before euthanizing.•Responsibility: Who is going to watch your poultry if you go on vacation; will you need to pay someone? My husband and I haven’t been out of town together in the 13 months since bringing home our chicks. Will the fun and novelty wear off?•Doing it Yourself vs Hiring Someone: What is your skill/ability level when it comes to projects and do you have the tools you need? I built my own chicken tractor but could have likely saved both time and money by hiring a professional as well as ending up with a better result.•Chicken Nipple Waterer AKA the best invention ever. Even newly-hatched poultry (chicks, turkey poults, ducklings) can be taught to use them; take away all other sources of water to force them to learn quickly. I have several 2-gallon coolers with nipple attachments (B009IXBDT2). The water says clean and needs refilling less often. Ice packs or ice can be added in the summer to help them beat the heat.•Chicken Treadle Feeder AKA the other best invention ever. The one I have needs refilling less than once a week for five chickens and two turkeys. It also prevents wild birds and rats from pillaging, saving money on feed and reducing risk of disease. The feeder I have (called “Rat Proof Chicken Feeder”) shouldn’t be used if there are chicks, but force full-grown birds to learn quickly by taking away all other food sources.•Roosters: Good roosters are great for rural areas and help watch over and protect the flock. I live in an area where roosters are not allowed and ended up with one anyways. I wish I would have rehomed my rooster Ollie instead of using the “no-crow rooster collar.”•Turkeys: Turkeys are at risk for blackhead disease if they live with chickens. Flight feathers on one of their wings should be trimmed otherwise they may get flighty. One day, I received a text from my husband with a picture of one of the turkeys on our roof. Male turkeys (toms) can be quite vocal: ours makes his presence known whenever there’s a loud noise or someone comes to the door. They can get territorial: our female white midget has attacked two of our hens. I lost two turkeys at less than a week old; the feed store where I bought them told me that turkeys are “hard to start.”•Ducks: Female ducks (hens) are LOUD. Male ducks (drakes) need several lady ducks to satisfy them or they may try to mate with female chickens. This can kill female chickens as the anatomy of a drake is completely different from a rooster. My two ducks were rehomed for this reason. They are also a mess: their pool (B0070ZFMBA) water needed to be changed at least every other day.•Raising Babies: “Pasty-Butt” & the Brinsea Ecoglow Brooder (B008HVM56Q). I lost a chick, from pasty-butt I believe. She had it previously and I cleaned and dried her but several days later she died. I wasn’t as vigilant as I should have been: don’t let this happen to you. I originally went with a heat lamp for my chicks to save money. In the first or second week, the heat lamp lowered and melted part of the Rubbermaid container that held the chicks. Fearful of a fire, I immediately ordered the Brinsea. Even if I never have baby poultry again, it was worth the cost.•Chicken Tractor: Getting a chicken tractor instead of a coop was a great decision. The tractor gets moved around the yard and I don’t have to worry about cleaning a coop. The tractor is in a completely separate area from where they range to avoid attracting flies.•Egg Song: One morning, when our first chicks were just under 4 months old, I heard loud squawking. Later, I discovered a green egg (the first!) from an Easter Egger. This distinct noise is called the “Egg Song” and goes something like “bwak bwak bwak bwak bwak bwak bwak bugAAWK” repeated over and over again. On the subject of vocalizations, each bird sounds slightly different, and I can usually identify who is making noise with my ears alone. Most of the poultry know their names as well.•Broodies: If you see a hen sitting on eggs, golf balls, or nothing at all, she may be broody, which means she wants to hatch chicks. My white leghorn Helen has gone broody about three times. Since she won’t be hatching chicks, I “broke” her by nominating her for the Ice Bucket Challenge, or rather dipping her in the pool for about 10 minutes to lower her body temperature. She was back to normal the next morning and went back to laying eggs a few weeks later.•Predators: Find out what predators are native to your area (including neighborhood dogs). Chicken wire keeps chickens in or out of an area, not predators; for this, use hardware cloth. Have things like bushes that poultry can run under for shelter. Learn how to build a coop to keep predators out. There are lights you can buy to scare off predators, but I haven’t used those.

Used on a chickens' damaged comb- before applying it I put a small amount on a wound on the back of my hand to see if it really deters pecking, as claimed. Two of them came up and gave it a light, exploratory peck then left it alone.The applicator is way to big to use on a small wound, and rather than risk spilling the whole bottle I cleaned out a new-skin liquid bandage .03oz glass bottle and filled it about half full. The cap had an application brush, but I removed it and used a q-tip to apply the blu-kote to the wound, since this stuff is so runny.

This stuff has been a Mainstay in my first aid kit for not only the critters but myself for decades. I think every Rancher has used on themselves and their kids