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[HENthusiastic]

Hi can anybody help with some advice please. Anita chicken has suddenly gone very strange. I fed all my girls a bowl of cooked potato, swede and carrot. I gave it to them in the kitchen, which was a mistake because they all started charging about and skidding on the wooden floor.

Since just after this, Anita has gone really funny. Shes just standing still in a strange position. Her whole tail and top of her back is really high at a funny angle. When ever I go into the garden all the others charge over to see me, but she just stands there. She has moved a bit a few minutes ago and went into the coop, but she moved very slowly and seemed to struggle getting over the doorstep which is only about 5" high.

Could she have indigestion? Or could she have pulled a muscle falling in the kitchen? Or does it sound more serious? I'm so worried. Have I done something wrong? What can I do to help her, or do I just need to leave her and hope shes ok in the morning. Shes been lik

e this for about an hour and a half now. Hope somebody can help. http://i251.photobucket.com/albums/gg312/Henthusiastic/stephs055.jpg

[Christian]

She does look a little strange doesn't she?

 

My avian vet always recommends bringing them inside, putting them in a box with air holes and a warm water bottle wrapped in a towel. Somewhere quiet for the night.

 

I have done this countless times and touch wood, they have always been ok in the morning!

 

 

Hope she is back to normal tomorrow.

[HENthusiastic]

Hi Christian,

Thanks for your reply. I brought her in and put her in a cat box with ho"Ooops, word censored!"er bottle and towel. She started to look really hot though, beak wide open, standing up, wings out. In the end, I had her next to an open window, removed the hot water bottle, but she still looked hot and I started to think......... theres not much point in her being indoors if I'm then trying to get the temperature down to the same as outside! After a while I decided to pop her back in bed with her chums. Just hope shes ok in the morning. Its the first time Ive had a poorly chook and its just so worrying. Do they usually recover after seeming ill?

[Olly]

Sorry to hear that. How is she this morning?

 

Chickens are very difficult to diagnose ... they will conceal the fact that they are feeling ill, so sometimes by the time we notice, it has been going on for a while. They are also capable of looking very poorly and then perking up again in no time.

 

I hope she's looking more like her usual self. Is she eating and drinking ok?

[HENthusiastic]

Hi Olly and Christian.

Horay Anita Chicken (I usually have to give her, her full name, as we also know an 'anita person'!) is happy and healthy and well this morning!

I got up early to let her out and see how she was and she came out of the house fine, had some pellets and trundled off down the garden. Then about 7am she was making the most fearful racket......... I raced down the garden half expecting her to be in some sort of trouble. She had just laid the most ENORMOUS soft shelled egg and it was broken! It really did look like a whopper. Do you think this could have caused the problem? She just seemed to get bad so quickly, I assumed it had to be to do with either the veg I gave her, or skidding around the kitchen floor! There won't be any bits of broken shell still in her vent will there? Should I do anything?

thanks for your support, its good just to be able to write on here and not feel so alone.

[surferdog]

Hi, I'm sure it will have been the soft shelled egg that made her feel poorly. My Hyacinth looks exactly like that before she lays a softie which she does quite frequently. Luckily she always recovers immediately as I hear sometimes it can make them ill for a day or two. I guess she does it so often she's used to it.

 

I'm sure Anita will be fine now she's passed the egg but just keep an eye on her and take her to the vet if you are still worried.

[HENthusiastic]

Thanks so much for your reassurance. Its the first time any of my chooks have been poorly (except for a broken claw which bled) so I was really worried and upset. I will keep a good eye on her. I'm also going to speak to my local vet and ask them if they are any good with chooks and if not, try to track down a vet who is. Just so I'm ready in case of future illness. Might invest in a cat box too. As I had to borrow the neigbours.

[Egluntyne]

Good to hear that she has perked up.

 

Why not add some limestone flour to her pellets, it will help sort out the soft shell situation, and will also strengthen the muscular contractions required to push the egg along the laying tackle and out the other end.

[HENthusiastic]

Oh wow! I didnt know limestone flour strengthened contractions! I will give her some. I never know how much of all this stuff you should give them. I'm afraid of turning them into limestone poultryspice addicts! How much is too much? Should I be giving them some daily on treats? If so any idea how much for 6 chooks?

[The Dogmother]

I add 1 tablespoon per litre of pellets and mine have eggshells like bullets.

 

Glad to hear that she's OK - they do give a us a scare sometimes, don't they?

[HENthusiastic]

thanks Claret.

Doesn't the powder just fall / blow off the pellets though? Thats why I thought it might be better on treats.

[The Dogmother]

They do sometimes leave it at the bottom of the trough (along with other supplements they don't like ). I either tip that into a bowl, add some pellets and warm water to make porridge for them, or if you coat the pellets in a little olive oil, then the powder will stick.

[HENthusiastic]

Ok great I'll try that. Thanks very much for all the help and support.

[Guest]

glad to hear she's okay

 

too many/too much treats can cause soft shelled eggs. Maybe it would be a good idea to cut down or cut out treats for a few days to see how she goes?