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Thanks for the info MrUnderbridge. It's been a tough day today, went back to bed twice. Sat out with the hens in the sunshine and they were more accommodating with me there (treats of yogurt and raisins helped). Then when I went back in to sleep in the afternoon, Liv went in the house looking for me. She still has questions why I disappeared for 10 days. Best drat hens. spookygonk fucked around with this message at 21:24 on May 19, 2024 |
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May 19, 2024 21:05
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Glad you're doing well, spookygonk. Like I said, expect a '3 steps forward, 1 step back' kinda recovery with epic sleepfests...mine was really up and down the first week or so. Sleep is your friend!  29 Chickam eggs are in the incubator and cookin' away!   The hatch is scheduled for 6/9, but our eggs ALWAYS hatch 1-2 days early, so keep an eye out for updates! I'll candle the eggs in 10 days (5/28) & cull any duds. Moms noted where known, it's thanks to the kid camping out in the henhouse & watching nest boxes that we know who moms/possible moms are! This includes 3 eggs from Swiffer, our little bantam frizzle Cochin--any chicks from her may or may not have frizzled feathers--bit all will carry the frizzle gene to pass along! Dads: Mjolnir (Buff Orpington), Bobbie (Buff Brahma), Eggroll (Blue Laced Red Wyandotte), & Bacon (Belgian d'Anvers Bantam). Bacon is so very tiny, I doubt he got with the big girls, tho!   EDIT: VVV It is entirely possible that Bacon got with Swiffer...if so, their offspring will be obnoxious little mega-assholes. Velvet Sparrow fucked around with this message at 02:15 on May 20, 2024 |
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May 19, 2024 23:48
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Hooray for hatching!Velvet Sparrow posted:Bacon is so very tiny, I doubt he got with the big girls, tho! I believe in you Bacon. I think you could land yourself an Amazon
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May 20, 2024 00:11
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Velvet Sparrow posted:29 Chickam eggs are in the incubator and cookin' away! EGGS!
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May 20, 2024 03:30
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Got a sick hen question. Up front, our local vet who works with chickens is out on leave for a week, next closest place that would see them is an hour away and charges far more than we are willing to spend given the age of the hen and what we are comfortable with. I am trying to ascertain if there is something we can do beyond "wait and see" or if this is a case where she is suffering needlessly and its her time to go. She's 4 years old, has been in perfect health and part of a flock of 6 other hens. About 5 days ago she looked less lively, her tail feathers started going flat / parallel to the ground and she seemed a bit more in a daze. She was still eating, drinking and pooping and while lethargic is mobile and getting up on bars to roost etc. She more or less continued to be more lethargic and her posture started to change more like it is now in the photo after another day or two and she began to sleep in the nesting box on the floor of the coop and not up on the roost bars with the others. We isolated her into a separate cage 24 hrs ago after that and shes still eating and drinking, but clearly looks a bit dazed and in discomfort. One other hen has displayed similar demeanor but it was only for a <24hr period and has improved. We do not suspect that she has layed recently based on the low number of orpington eggs but we can't be 100% certain, I'm about 90% certain she hasn't layed in the past few days. She's eating still, but definitely less.  My wife had given her an epsom salts bath yesterday and this morning. We can't see any very obvious signs of mites or other surface level issues. E: Her vent is in decent shape, no pasty bottom, feces looks fairly normal from her as well. Our question is, is there anything else we can look for or try for treatment? If she's in pain and just in decline I'd rather not have her suffer for long, but if its something we might be able to try I am willing to give it a go for another day or two. As is we decided if her symptoms don't improve in another 24-48h we should put her down. We care well for our hens, but they are a bit more on the side of working animals vs pets for us as that applies to overall amount and expense of care. That Works fucked around with this message at 16:39 on May 20, 2024 |
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May 20, 2024 16:16
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You could try some Nettex Poultry Nutri Drops, I used it once to bring a hamster back to life. I don't have any better suggestions than that though.
Nettle Soup fucked around with this message at 16:31 on May 20, 2024 |
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May 20, 2024 16:25
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That suspected-Splash-gene-carrier who was discovered to have a wing injury on graduation day is now back outside with her friends  I think she may have slightly affected range of motion for that wing, but it's still healing too so who knows; either way, wings are not really an issue with ground birds. What we do know is she was moving it a lot more and was getting really impatient with being cooped up inside on cage rest, so we brought her back outside. No problems with the other quail picking on her, and she isn't doing anything crazy. We'll continue monitoring thanks to the wireless solar camera in there, but she should be alright now.
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May 20, 2024 18:20
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One urgent illness that could be is egg binding. Give her a whole human sized Calcium Citrate +D3 tablet once a day. Calcium can help with uterine contractions. This is some hen treatment TMI: You’ll need to glove up and check inside her for an egg. Use some lube, of course. If you can feel one you might be able to help it along with another warm bath and a some gentle internal and external work. If she is egg bound it absolutely has to get out ASAP. It could also be internal laying or water belly (ascites/heart failure) Those are both fatal eventually. Given how miserable she looks I’d guess it to be sooner rather than later. Poor girl.
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May 20, 2024 18:48
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Joburg posted:One urgent illness that could be is egg binding. Give her a whole human sized Calcium Citrate +D3 tablet once a day. Calcium can help with uterine contractions. Wife did the digital exam, nothing at all there. We are going to put her down in the morning first thing unless she looks significantly better 
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May 20, 2024 23:11
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That Works posted:Wife did the digital exam, nothing at all there. We are going to put her down in the morning first thing unless she looks significantly better I’m sorry. It is a very hard decision.
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May 20, 2024 23:29
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That's rough, I'm sorry. I would still recommend trying the power drops if you can get them.
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May 20, 2024 23:37
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Joburg posted:I’m sorry. It is a very hard decision. Thanks, yeah we’ve had to do one in the last year. The entire flock is hitting 4-5 years old so we’re somewhat prepared for this to be a thing more as we go We’ve given them a very good and comfortable life in the meantime is about all we can console ourselves with.
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May 20, 2024 23:44
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Nettle Soup posted:That's rough, I'm sorry. Wife got them on the way home but the hen is looking rougher already so thinking just overnight is about all we want to extend now.
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May 20, 2024 23:46
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That Works posted:Got a sick hen question. This LOOKS like the classic 'penguin stance' of an egg-bound hen. Usually hens that are egg bound will strain to lay every 10-60 seconds, and if you watch their vent while they strain, you often see the egg peeking out. If you felt up inside her for an egg and there wasn't one, it could be that the egg escaped her oviduct and is lodged in her peritoneum somewhere (also referred to as an internally laid egg), causing 'Egg Yolk Peritonitis'--if so, only surgery can help her. Good page on Egg Yolk Peritonitis here, with a hen (who also had cancer) matching your girl's symptoms--but warning, necropsy pictures. But a good page that can expand your knowledge and possibly help other hens in the future, so I'd check it out. https://bitchinchickens.com/2020/06/11/case-study-egg-yolk-peritonitis/ The other thing I thought of was Coccidiosis (same symptoms as your hen's, often presents with blood in the bird's droppings, but not always!). Coccidiosis is a common chicken ailment often carried in by wild birds, but is very treatable using a liquid coccidiostat such as Corid (Amprolium). Symptoms are: lethargy, not eating, standing fluffed up with eyes closed, and unusual poops with fresh blood in them (but the latest Coccidiosis strain does NOT have the characteristic bloody poop!). I've found that if a bird has the aforementioned symptoms, doesn't want to eat chicken feed, and acts as if their insides are tender (moving about/walking carefully, reluctant to move about), it's usually cocci. Isolate the sick bird! If you suspect coccidiosis, get the medication and dose your ENTIRE FLOCK right away. The dose for poultry is 2 teaspoons of Corid to 1 gallon of water for 6 days, chickens should be freely able to drink it (remove all other water sources). When I use it, I change their dosed water every other day. Usually sick birds aren't drinking on their own, so in addition to keeping a waterer filled with medicated water available to them at all times, get a feeding syringe--they have a plastic tip, no needle--and handfeed the sick bird as much as you can get down them every couple of hours to get a jump on curing them. Just hold the hen with her beak tilted up, drip it into the tip of her beak and let her swallow naturally. Once they're drinking on their own you can stop handfeeding them the medicated water. Offer the sick bird only soft foods to eat--scrambled eggs, cooked rick mixed with canned chicken and mashed cooked vegetables, diced soft fruit & vegetables, etc. Why the below link says 'lamb and kid omega 3' I don't know, but it goes to the right page: https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/durvet-lamb-and-kid-omega-3-plus Generally, if I have a sick bird and can eliminate all other possible causes such as injury, egg binding, etc., I treat for Coccidiosis. I keep a bottle of Corid on hand in my chicken first aid kit at all times. It usually works pretty quick and perks the sick bird up within a day or two. The NutriDrench poultry drops Nettle Soup suggested are a great thing for sick birds & chicks, too.
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May 21, 2024 00:44
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That Works posted:Wife got them on the way home but the hen is looking rougher already so thinking just overnight is about all we want to extend now. I'm sorry you and your little girl have to go through this. Having to perform euthanasia is the worst part of keeping chickens, but as a responsible owner, something you have to face once in a while. Over the years, when a vet wasn't available I've had to euthanize both adult birds and chicks. I can't bring myself to use anything but the starter fluid/cotton balls/mason jar method for euthanasia (starter fluid comes in a spray can, get the premium starter fluid with the highest percentage of ether you can find), everything else is too hands-on for my husband and I. If you go the starter fluid route, do it ONLY outdoors, starter fluid is quite flammable! I'm not sure if posting euthanasia details here is allowed, even if I spoiler it. So if you need a how-to, message me and I'll help you through it. 
Velvet Sparrow fucked around with this message at 01:52 on May 21, 2024 |
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May 21, 2024 01:46
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Iirc, it's safe to discuss especially from the standpoint of good livestock husbandry. Spoilers are used for the comfort of others who may not want to be exposed to some of the harder aspects of keeping these beautiful birds in our lives.
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May 21, 2024 04:53
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Thanks we have our preferred humane method and have sadly done it once recently without incident. The hen is isolated and feeding still. In good news this morning she was moving around better than yesterday and eating more so we are giving her another 12h to see if she gets better or not.
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May 21, 2024 12:07
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Fingers crossed for the little featherbundle.
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May 21, 2024 12:24
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Can’t remember if I posted about this or not, at the meeting last night my county passed the final version of the chicken ordinance. The chicken tenders in the community pressured them to make it fairly permissive. The agricultural-residential zones have no restrictions on the number of birds but the housing has to be at least 200’ from the neighbors’ houses. In the single-family residential zone, the coop has to be 150’ from neighboring houses (which unfortunately excludes many lots) but they allow up to 4 hens and a  ROOSTER If there are complaints the rooster will be considered the same as any other noisy animal and it will be a case-by-case consideration.If any of you end up dealing with local governments about this issue, it’s helpful to have examples of communities with less-restrictive rules that you can show to the Powers That Be and I’m happy to send a link when the Ordinances get changed on the county website.
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May 22, 2024 13:18
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Joburg posted:Can’t remember if I posted about this or not, at the meeting last night my county passed the final version of the chicken ordinance. The chicken tenders in the community pressured them to make it fairly permissive. This is MUCH better than others I've heard of (including the southern California city we lived in). Usually it's a noise thing (roosters at 4:30AM). We chicken people have to stick together!
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May 23, 2024 06:58
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Velvet Sparrow posted:We chicken people have to stick together!
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May 23, 2024 09:33
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...like a flock?
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May 23, 2024 13:54
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We can have four chickens per quarter acre in the suburbs, with coop at least 50 feet from neighbors houses. No roos
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May 23, 2024 14:58
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Our permit from the city allows 3 hens for our size lot. No roos, and the coop has to be minimum 15 feet from the property line. We're only breaking two parts of that! We have 5 hens and the coop is maybe 8 feet from the line. We have a 6 ft privacy fence so you can't really see into the yard. Plus, there's zero checking by the city after the permit is issued.
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May 23, 2024 15:36
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Our sick hen still soldiers on. We have been assessing twice a day and she's been more alert and walking around more easily after we put her in isolation. She perks up whenever we come to see her and she is making good cooing / clucking noises when we are there. She's eating plenty and is voracious for mealworms etc. She's still got the penguin stance, but her walking speed and responsiveness have both improved a bit. She's still not laid, and another digital exam revealed nothing either so we are keeping her going and monitoring closely for now to see if she keeps improving.
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May 23, 2024 15:47
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That Works posted:Our sick hen still soldiers on. We have been assessing twice a day and she's been more alert and walking around more easily after we put her in isolation. I’m glad she’s feeling a bit better. Did you try the calcium citrate?
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May 23, 2024 16:41
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Joburg posted:I’m glad she’s feeling a bit better. Did you try the calcium citrate? Yup no egg came out, that and the nutrient drops
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May 23, 2024 16:59
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That Works posted:Yup no egg came out, that and the nutrient drops I’d continue the calcium once a day for a week and see if any egg eventually appears. Fingers crossed for your hen!
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May 23, 2024 18:53
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Yeah, here's hoping she'll perk up! Today I had more energy and for longer, so I say with our four hens down the garden while they dozed in the sunshine. Even though I wasn't sitting on the ground with them they did appreciate the company, and when I returned to get a drink I got happy clucks from Nova, Sky and Liv (Blossom was deep in a box bath).
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May 23, 2024 19:51
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We have our first named rooster of this hatch! He shall henceforth be called Tree Wizard. Having a name means he's exempt from going to freezer camp. In addition, he's not even being banished to the Bachelor Pad. Since we have more hens now, we can keep 1 or 2 more roosters in with them as well. Since this guy's our only Andalusian, something we were actively trying to get from this hatch, and he has a good temperament, he gets to live out his days with a harem getting fat on the extra treats the ladies get to help with their egg production.
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May 24, 2024 02:00
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Oh, he's lovely looking, and with a good temperament to boot?  Congratulations on hatching such a good one!
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May 24, 2024 05:02
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Need some good vibes our way today. I went outside earlier to check on everyone again and found Peanut Hamper lying on the floor panting and otherwise unresponsive. After about an hour of nursing her she seems more stable now and eventually fell asleep in my hand.  She's resting in the hospital cage after drinking a bunch of water (and a little sugar water). Breathing is steady and the last time she adjusted herself she didn't topple over, so I'm hopeful that she was dehydrated and overheated and now she's just exhausted in need of rest. Her exam is otherwise normal, doesn't seem to be injured or eggbound or have any sort of abscess or infection I can detect. EDIT: She passed quietly in my hands about an hour ago after I got her to take one last drink of water. BaronVonVaderham fucked around with this message at 22:41 on May 24, 2024 |
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May 24, 2024 21:12
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I’m so sorry. RIP Peanut Hamper.
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May 25, 2024 00:10
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NOOOO, NOT PEANUT HAMPER! I'm so sorry. She was one of my fav 'other people's birds', and I especially loved her name, it always made me smile. That Works posted:Our sick hen still soldiers on. We have been assessing twice a day and she's been more alert and walking around more easily after we put her in isolation. Ok, now I'm wondering about injury instead of illness... In your pic I see blood on top of her head (which I realize could be from other hens pecking her when she's down). Do you have rooster(s) that maybe squashed her while mating and injured her? Or an aggressive flockmate, or maybe she jumped down from something and injured her hip(s)? What breed(s) are your other hens? I've found that some breeds, like Rhode Island Reds, will pack up like wolves when kept in multitudes and can be absolutely vicous to more timid hens. It's why now I never keep more than one 'production breed' hen in my flock. I've had hens in the past that our dumbshit rooboys hurt while mating, and it was usually in their thigh/pelvic areas. The tip-off was an unwillingness to walk around, with their legs/feet seemingly ok, but an 'ouch' response if they had to move the leg/hip parts above that. Velvet Sparrow fucked around with this message at 03:07 on May 25, 2024 |
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May 25, 2024 03:01
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Rest in piece Peanut Hamper 
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May 25, 2024 03:49
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BaronVonVaderham posted:Need some good vibes our way today. I went outside earlier to check on everyone again and found Peanut Hamper lying on the floor panting and otherwise unresponsive. Oh no, not Peanut Hamper! 
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May 25, 2024 04:08
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I'm so sorry to hear about Peanut Hamper. She made me smile and I shared her around to my friends a lot.
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May 25, 2024 05:05
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Roost in Peace Peanut Hamper. You were loved by all.
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May 25, 2024 05:17
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Oh no, so very sorry about Peanut Hamper. Such a blessing of a little bird.
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May 25, 2024 07:47
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Velvet Sparrow posted:NOOOO, NOT PEANUT HAMPER! Good questions. The pecking started after the impairment as she was middle of the order previously. No roosters and no notable behavior issues ever seen with our flock of 6 which are 3 buff orps, 1 silver wyandotte, 1 cream crested legbar and 1 black marans. You’ve got a good thought about this, but we at least haven’t observed any rough prior behavior that would be consistent with an injury, of course accidents will happen… Shes alert and eager to eat and drink. She perks up whenever we come by and makes lots of good noises and keeps trying to escape the large dog crate we have separated her away from the flock in. That said she still is completely in the penguin sort of stance so there seems to be some discomfort or distress there. it’s been a little over a week now so we are thinking of giving her through the weekend to see if she starts to straighten her posture a bit. if we don’t see any improvement at all by Tuesday I think we will assess if we should end things because she’s obviously in discomfort and I don’t want to keep her in that indeterminate state forever. Her alertness and presence have improved since separation but nothing else i guess is where we are at.
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May 25, 2024 12:53
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