Ziggy Posted June 24, 2008 Share Posted June 24, 2008 (edited) Hi all, I'm worried about our Nicky... the ex-batts got integrated with the Omlets a while ago, and I've been keeping an eye on things all the way, and things have been fine... five active chooks, the occasional peck, but everybody eventually getting to eat and drink and dustbathe in peace... I have been in and out of the house a lot today, but somehow since early morning, noticed there were only four active pacing energetic chooks in the run... went to check and Nicky was in the nesting box, so I left her alone, thinking she was laying, and left the house. Problem is, it went on like that... I found her in the woodchips earlier, ruffled up and not moving much... another chook was also resting so still I thought maybe, as I'd been out a lot, I just caught sight of her at quiet times... So tonight when I and the girls were all home, we let them all out immediately to free range so I could observe Nicky, and there is definitely something wrong... while the others bok bok around, scratching, digging, walking, playing and so on, she takes a few steps then stops. She was keen to come out of the run, but then just stood there on one leg with her eyes closed... it's been a hot day here so I gave her a big bowl of water, worrying that somehow she didn't get water from the glug, and she drank some, but still remained inactive and sleepy... I checked her over... she feels a little thin and bony, so worried more about dehydration, but there are no obvious signs of problem or infestation of any kind... She is now in the nesting box, ruffled and lethargic... she has drank some water so I know she's had some liquid, and picked very reluctantly at some corn given to her... Looking at how down she feels, I can't help fear the worst... any idea what could be happening?? I'll check on her first thing in the morning, and call our vet. Do most vets treat pet chooks? To make it even worse, my DD2 who owns the chooks just said 'but mummy, Nicky is my favourite, she always runs into our feet and comes to peck our toes'... she has been very human oriented from the start, and the underdog in the coop, but she did get to eat and drink... no wounds or serious battles... even today when ruffled up and lethargic, she was right by one of the feeding grubs... Any thought or advice more than welcome... Edited July 8, 2008 by Guest Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gamebird Posted June 24, 2008 Share Posted June 24, 2008 You have obviously checked for lice but has she been wormed recently? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted June 24, 2008 Share Posted June 24, 2008 Could she be egg bound? Can you feel the area between her pelvic bones? Does there seem to be anything stuck there? Can you see an egg if you look at her vent? If yes, why not try greasing around the vent with some vaseline or similar and sitting her in some warm water or holding her carefully over steam to relax the muscles and it might help the egg out. It isn't a good idea to tinker about inside the chicken in case the egg gets broken. I would also try sitting her in a box with a hot water bottle, to help relax her. Could she be working up to laying a soft egg? That can make them very poorly. A bit of extra calcium will help form better shells and will strengthen the contractions required to push the egg out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phosphorus Posted June 24, 2008 Share Posted June 24, 2008 Alice was like that over the last few days - I think it was a softie in her case - although I only found remnants of what I believe to be one in the run She hadn't laid for a few days, laid a softie in the run, didn't lay again for a few days and looked positively off colour, exactly as you describe: lethargic, standing around and sleeping, not really her normal quick self, hunched and plump looking (Alice is a muscular looking white star ). Anyway today she was getting back to her normal self and laid a normal egg. Hopefully this will be your reason as well, if there are no other obvious problems - she should be getting back to normal quite quickly - if not then maybe a trip to the vet if she doesn't pick up Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 24, 2008 Share Posted June 24, 2008 I was thinking the same as egluntine too. What are her poos like, do they seem runny? Try her with some probiotic yoghurt to settle her tum, can't do any harm. I mix mine with soaked granary bread into a sort of sloppy porridge, to make it easier for them to eat. Who knows what damage has already been done to them before you got them, you can only do your best. Fingers x'd for you xxxx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alih Posted June 25, 2008 Share Posted June 25, 2008 it sounds like a soft shell - I thought Ruby was dying when she laid her first softie - she was behaving exactly as yours is and couldn't walk but within an hour of laying her softie was back to normal. let us know how she goes? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ziggy Posted June 25, 2008 Author Share Posted June 25, 2008 Thanks everyone... She is still alive, which considering how lethargic she was yesterday evening, was a welcome surprise!! She is not better, but isn't worse... she's been walking around a bit, picking at food, and drinking... There doesn't seem to be an egg stuck... Keeping an eye on her for now, will take her to the vet tomorrow morning... I didn't actually know I should worm the chooks... does everyone else worm theirs and where do you buy your worming product from? I haven't seen it in the omlet shop? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clur Posted June 25, 2008 Share Posted June 25, 2008 ....does everyone else worm theirs and where do you buy your worming product from? I haven't seen it in the omlet shop? I've been using Verm-X which is available in the Omlet shop, but been advised this is more of a preventative measure and not so good if the chooks already have worms. I've ordered some flubenvet which a lot of people on the site recomment. You can buy it online (do a Google search), and I ordered some yesterday from here - www.petmeds.co.uk, as it seemed the most reasonable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 25, 2008 Share Posted June 25, 2008 we use flubenvet, this sticky might help http://club.omlet.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=4619 although ex batts haven't been exposed to an environment where they could pick up worms and it's highly improbable that they have them, it's not impossible that they may have them. try some pro biotic yoghurt, worked wonders for fatima who was exactly the same as your girl. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted June 25, 2008 Share Posted June 25, 2008 Ziggy has had the ex batts for over 2 months, so if the are free ranging, they could possibly have picked worms up by now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 25, 2008 Share Posted June 25, 2008 didn't realise it had been that long, time flies! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ziggy Posted June 25, 2008 Author Share Posted June 25, 2008 I will get some flubenvet too, can't do any harm having some around... Hey Poet, hadn't recognised you with the new pic!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peepie Posted June 25, 2008 Share Posted June 25, 2008 Just to say I'm thinking of you. I hope she's better soon. I'm at a loss to know what I can do for mine. I jsut want to cuddle her but that might bother her more than ever. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peepie Posted June 27, 2008 Share Posted June 27, 2008 Hi Ziggy, just wondered how you were getting on with Nicky. Our little poppet is still with us but I'm still very worried about her. Hope you've had better luck with yours. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ziggy Posted June 30, 2008 Author Share Posted June 30, 2008 Hi all, Time to ask for some more advice.... Nicky is okie, but still not right... tomorrow, it will be a whole week since she went lethargic... last Tuesday and Wednesday were very worrying, but she picked up a little bit after that... moves around the run from time to time, eats more, drinks fairly well it seems, but still spends a lot of time either standing on one leg, or dustbathing with her eyes closed... I checked her body a few times, and though I can't see obvious signs of any infestation of any kind, I thought we'd try everything just in case... she doesn't seem egg bound, and as it's a week now, not sure if it can still be a soft egg causing the issue. I have been giving them flubenvet since Friday (it's taking me a while getting all the bits and things to treat all potential issues), and have withdrawn treats in the meantime, so as to make sure they eat the pellets/mash with flubenvet in it... it seems she eats quite well... I had gradually moved the ex-batts onto pellets, but I'm now wondering if Nicky just really prefers the mash (I have been mixing pellets and mash for the last two or three days), and maybe got weak from hunger when I stopped giving mash?? She isn't as keen on treats as the others are... can there be such a thing as a chook that eats or enjoys mostly mash? I have put some citricidal stuff in their water, and am also waiting for some Diatomaceous Earth which I ordered and hoped to get last week but am still waiting for, hopefully will get it today or tomorrow... Hoping that this would solve any non-obvious infestation that I am failing to see... My question now is, should I take her to the vet? Our nearest avian vet is a long drive away (40 mins if traffic is good, not a problem for me, I can drive her there), but am trying to decide what's best for the chook... will it really stress her out to be taken on a car journey while she's not well... another worry is that she is at the bottom of the pecking order, and although she isn't bullied, I'm worried that taking her out and re-introducing her might get the others to pick on her again, as when they were establishing their pecking order... I wouldn't like to do all that if the vet will not know what could be wrong with her, it'd bring her stress and maybe mess up with her relationship with the other chooks... at the same time, I can't keep hoping and waiting if a vet could sort her out with anything I'm not thinking of that might be needed (antibiotics, or goodness knows what)... Pecky seems to have some issues too, with scale mites starting to affect her legs (which I started treating with vegetable oil) and her featherless spots on her body appearing red and sore, though not bleeding... treated that with diluted tea tree oil, and hoping that the diatomaceous earth will help too, if it's caused by any unwanted infestation in the run... I'll soon have a full supply of every chicken health product available!! What would anyone recommend about Nicky? any advice gratefully received. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clur Posted June 30, 2008 Share Posted June 30, 2008 Whereabouts in Oxfordshire are you? I've just got some diamateous earth through that I ordered, if you think that will help and make a difference, happy to send you some of mine to keep you going. If you're not too far away I could drop it over to you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ziggy Posted June 30, 2008 Author Share Posted June 30, 2008 Thank you so much for your kind offer Clur, I would have taken you up on this, but the postman just delivered mine ten minutes ago... Thanks again, that was very kind of you... Not quite used this before, just about to search on here to re-read what I found before, is it just a question of dusting it around the chooks' bedding, run, and on the chooks themselves? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted June 30, 2008 Share Posted June 30, 2008 Ziggy, if you've got scaly leg mite issues, I would recommend using Ivomec Eprinex drops (see various threads about this product). It's not licenced for use on poultry in the UK, but is very effective against lice, mites and most worms too. I hope that she picks up soon. Soem ex-batts are just worn out with all the egg laying and sadly don't make it If I weren't busy at work this week, I'd offer to pop down and have a look at her for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ziggy Posted July 8, 2008 Author Share Posted July 8, 2008 Well Nicky is still not better after the flubenvet and diatom, she no worse, but still lethargic... taking her to the vet today... we're going away in a couple of weeks for a holiday, just want to make sure we've tried everything we can before leaving... I can't help noticing that there seems to be quite a bit of this 'lethargic, standing there with one leg up and eyes closed' on the forum... (well, more than I've noticed before, anyway)... Been regularly feeling Nicky to see if I could find anything wrong with crop or stuck egg or anything, but I can't feel a thing... she was the lightest of our ex-batts, and is quite skinny, so am assuming anything in there would feel obvious... Time to get a vet's opinion... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peepie Posted July 8, 2008 Share Posted July 8, 2008 Hope all goes well. My visit to the vet was inconclusive but hopefully you will fare better. Just hope it's not some new bird disease..... Take care xx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phosphorus Posted July 8, 2008 Share Posted July 8, 2008 When I took Milly to the vet with her closed eye and general not quite right lethargicness - he said he had seen a lot of mycoplasmia going around which he said he doesn't normally see. Could be that? Let us know what the vet says. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ziggy Posted July 8, 2008 Author Share Posted July 8, 2008 AAAAAAHHHHH... we saw the vet and he couldn't find out what was wrong with Nicky, it seems nothing obvious to diagnose... We came home with some antibiotics, and with advice to syringe feed her for a while to see if we could help her regain some energy... but help... we gave her some sloppy porridge, just a few mouthfuls, thinking not to overwhelm her and build up depending on her reaction, and one dose of the antibiotics exactly as the vet recommended... now she is dying... she was lying in the run, just brought her in... she has been lethargic for 2 weeks, but even this morning still got out of the run by herself and just stood there... what have I done that is killing her?? she is totally collapsed and going... I hadn't wanted to take her to the vet, and now I feel bad that I did, like something in the trip, stress, or being fed her, has finished her DD2 is in floods of tears... is there anything I can still try, or should I let Nicky go?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ziggy Posted July 8, 2008 Author Share Posted July 8, 2008 She is dead.... I do not know what happened so quickly... is it something I've done?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phosphorus Posted July 8, 2008 Share Posted July 8, 2008 Oh Ziggy I am so so sorry. It sounds like she was ready to go, don't think that you shouldn't have taken her to the vet - you would have felt even worse if you hadn't (i.e. that there was something you should have done!). You did everything that you could have done, sometimes unfortunately it is their time and there is nothing we can do It had probably just got to the point where her body could not fight whatever it was anymore. At least you were there for her and you didn't just come down to find her in the morning. Really really sorry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phosphorus Posted July 8, 2008 Share Posted July 8, 2008 Just seen she was an ex-bat - so at least she had a lovely couple of months with you. I'm sure she loved every second. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
