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likeastar--x

I'm never getting chickens again.

By likeastar--x, in Chickens, Eggs and Hatching

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likeastar--x Frequent Layer

likeastar--x

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Bless my dad, he was so upset about the chickens he set out on christmas eve to straight away start to build them a new run to keep them safe. he worked even on christmas day and he just finished this morning, and now (we hope!) its fox proof. the 2 healthy girls were so happy to be outside again after being cooped indoors with florence, it was lovely to see :D ill post pictures of the new house/run soon!

 

i wish i had asked the vet more questions, im so confused about whats happening to florence. some of the green areas have gone down or dissapeared, but all the dead skin is coming loose (which i suppose is what we want) but now there are deep open pockets around the wound :S what do they plan to do? im not sure they thought this all the way through because they thought she would die!

 

a bit of her skin has gone orange and sort of flaky, i think thats a good thing though and its healing...though at the same time it could be infection :eh:

and then some of it has died and gone black. one of these areas are just over the crop, which the vet said was not good (if so much then why didnt he put her down???)

 

in herself florence is much happier - she will wobble a few steps and stand up now, and she goes for food and water with her usual gusto :) and she looks round when you go in the room and is generally a lot perkier. it would be a shame for her to die after all this upset and effort on ours and her part, but at least shes feeling better now :)

 

hope you all had a good christmas! (Bluebelle)

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sandyhas3chucks Feathery Fanatic

sandyhas3chucks

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ok, lots of questions LAS and as there appears to be no one else on just now I will do my best.

It is difficult without actually seeing but sounds like it is all going well.

Yes bits will flake of good that the greeny bits have gone, I expect you are bathing the bad bits off. My hen had a hole right through her neck, food & wayer leaked out I wasa horrified but the vet looked right in & said it was quite clean inside. It healled in about 2 weeks.

Not able to say about the black bits though it could be bruising coming out. Are you giving her Arnica? 1 Tab 3x daily, same stuff we use. it is good for bruising and can get it in mosdt chemists now onty a couple of £s.

It sounds very good to me that she is perky, eating & drinking. well done.

There may be more opinions later.

Sandy x

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Cyber Chook Frequent Layer

Cyber Chook

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I'm new to chicken keeping, but trying to help - as a rusty ex-veterinary nurse (and human nurse :D ), I'd say if Florence is up and looking perky, and above all is eating and drinking, it sounds hopeful that any infection is under control (can't remember if you said she's on antibiotics).

 

Wounds often look terrible, don't they, but once the dead tissue comes away the new healthy stuff can develop, and wings and chicken legs crossed, she will make a great recovery. It's really encouraging to read Sandy's hole-in-the-neck success story.

 

Keeping everything crossed, and hope a more experienced chicken person can give you some more encouragement soon.

 

Caroline

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Janty Golden Egg

Janty

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When one of ours had a bite wound, the vet told us to regularly pick the scab off as that would encourage growth of new tissue. I'm squemish so this was no easy task.

 

:vom:

 

However, my girl has healed completely and there is no sign of any wound now.

 

I'm sure that it's a good sign that the old, damaged tissue is coming off.

 

Fingers crossed for a full recovery.

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MedusA Chicken Addict

MedusA

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So sorry to hear of your problems with Mr. Fox. :(

 

Your Dad is a star to build them a safe run, especially giving up his Christmas to do so.

 

I am so glad you have founfd a kind, chicken-friendly vet. I do hope your surviving girls pull through and enjoy their lives in their new run.

 

I made a big walk-in run earlier this year after losing one of my girls to a fox. It has been a real success. I do let my girls come out and free-range still, but only when I am in the garden as Mr. Fox still visits very regularly to check if I've been negligent and left them exposed. I had to chase one out of my garden border only a few days ago in broad daylight!

 

All the best for you and your girls. *hugs*

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likeastar--x Frequent Layer

likeastar--x

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well, weve come to the end of this story.

 

we took florence to the vet this morning, and she was put to sleep. the dead tissue ran very deep and the vet said the chances were slim. i think she was trying to encoarage me to put her down to be kind.

 

she would have had to stay indoors for so long, and if she did go back shed have no feathers and likely would not lay again. i saw this coming a long time ago, but it was still very hard. I just WISH the vet had encoaraged us to do it straight away, instead of making the poor thing suffer through a week. she was improving exactly as she should have been, nothing had changed for the worse since last sunday, so why did they not think this through and just assume she would die?

 

it sounds mean but im now kind of relieved tahat i dont have to worry about her any more, it would have gone on and on for months. now im concentrating on maybe getting some friends for saffron and rory, now the run is done. and sorry but i didnt manage to get any pictures of florences injurys before she died.

 

thanks for your support and advice - at least we can learn from this experience!

 

(Bluebelle)PP(white chicken) RIP.

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Chook n Boo Mum Eggcentric Egluowner

Chook n Boo Mum

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I've just caught up with this sad tale & it sounds like you all tried your hardest, but poor little Florence just wasn't strong enough to fight the infection which had obviously spread further than anyone had really anticipated.

 

Don't blame the vet, he obviously felt that with your help she could have made it, but he's only human & can't see into the future. It's always hard saying goodbye to a family member - which she was, albeit an outdoor one.

 

Look to the future now, and enjoy the new run which Dad has built, maybe a couple of new "sisters" in the future would be good for you all.

 

Sha x

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A chickychickychick-ENN!! Chicken Addict

A chickychickychick-ENN!!

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That's so upsetting.

 

Please don't let it put you off keeping hens. Take more precautions next time. We have four foxes which keep our hens in sight most days, but we have a run with a roof, the sides and roof of which are made of sturdy wood and strong mesh (not chicken wire). We have put paving slabs round the entire base of the run so it can't be burrowed under and we have pegged the run down with long pegs under the slabs.

 

The foxes can't get in, the chickens are safe. Give it a go. Don't let the foxes win!

 

Anna x

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