Solving Omlet Smart Auto Door Timing Issues with Alexa Routines

[Nicola O]

Having read all the posts recently about peritonitis (there seems so much of it about at the moment) I thought I would pass on my Chicken Vet's comments.

 

A couple of months ago one of my oldies (who hadn't laid for some time) developed it, was drained, but it came back quickly and she sadly died.

 

BUT....during her treatment the vet said that if she made it through she would need to take a diuretic everyday to help her expell excess fluid from her body. He went on to say that as ANY chook no longer laying was at a much greater risk to develop it, that they could also benefit from a diuretic. So, Myrtle, my last remaining oldie who has also not laid for some time, who felt a little larger 'underneath' (though she doesn't feel fluidy so could just a bit of a chubber) has become my Guinea Pig.

 

I found a website that does homeopathic remedies for pets and bought a diuretic tincture. Myrtle has about 4 or 5 drops on an couple of teaspoons of sweetcorn every morning. Of course, it may not have any real benefit at all, but I did notice that in the first two weeks of having it she 'laid' half a dozen small lashes. I may just be a coincidence but as these are blips in the laying tackle I'm assuming thay thay are 'better out than in'.

 

If it hasn't any real benefit at least it's turned me into Myrtles best friend. As soon as I let them out into the garden she races me to the kitchen and jumps up and down with excitement as I prepare the sweetcorn, she'll even come in the house at times, wander round till she finds me and will just sit next to me to have a chat - and so far only three poops in the house .

 

Anyway, sorry for the long post, but I thought it might be helpful to pass this on.

 

Nicola.

[Egluntyne]

Fascinating stuff.

 

What was the diuretic tincture?

 

I've lost three to peritonitis in this last year and have another one simmering. I'd be interested in giving this a go.

[Nicola O]

Hi Egluntine

 

I phoned Galen Homeopathic - 01305 263996 - who are mentioned in the Poultry Health section 'Homeopathy Guide for Hens' sticky.

 

I googled first and came up with a website 'galensgarden.co.uk' but it turned out NOT to be the people above, it was someone else with the same name. But, I read her out the Duiretic Blend and she made it up for me and I got it in the post only a couple of days later.

 

For those interested the duiretic blend is :-

Diuretic Blend :- Cornsilk, Dandelion Leaf, Marshmallow Root, Plantain & Yarrow.

A blend of herbs which are naturally Diuretic and include potassium

 

I don't know of course how effective it would be if a chook had 'full blown' peritonitis - they might need a 'proper' drug then. But if all it's done is helped her expel the lashes then it's worth having it.

 

Nicola

[sandyhas3chucks]

please don't apologise...

thanks for sharing.

Also read with interest, my remaining 1 of my first 3 ex bats no longer lays, but does need to dash to the nest every day! she is not swollen or fluidy, but am keeping an eye on her (and her crop is checked daily too) I have a new one Relaesed Feb that is laying fine but IS fluidy. so please pop back with the info. I can see a larger scale test going on here!

[GeorgieB]

Hi Nicola, thanks for sharing that with us. I wish I had tried that on my hen. Good to know for future reference though. Good luck with Myrtle.

[Egluntyne]

....For those interested the duiretic blend is :-

Diuretic Blend :- Cornsilk, Dandelion Leaf, Marshmallow Root, Plantain & Yarrow.

A blend of herbs which are naturally Diuretic and include potassium

 

I don't know of course how effective it would be if a chook had 'full blown' peritonitis - they might need a 'proper' drug then. But if all it's done is helped her expel the lashes then it's worth having it.

 

Nicola

 

Thanks Nicola

[eggalp]

Can i ask - was the potion expensive? I am interested in trying this on my sick hen.

 

thanks

[Nicola O]

Can i ask - was the potion expensive? I am interested in trying this on my sick hen.

 

thanks

 

It's a 20ml bottle (i think) and was only about £7.00. The lady was really nice, it arrived in a couple of days and she just pops a bill in with it so you can send her a cheque back.

 

 

Good luck with Myrtle.

 

Just so you know, Myrtle isn't actually ill. Being a worn out ex-bat she could be more prone to get these egg laying tackle problems so I'm working on 'prevention is better than cure'. I've only used it for about three weeks or so and there is no actual difference in her, except for the half dozen lashes that she laid, she's still the same happy, lively, greedy, chicken she has always been .

 

I suppose the real test would be with a chook with peritonitis, to see if it made a difference then.

 

Nicola.

[GeorgieB]

£7.00 isn't a bad price if a hen only needs a couple of drops a day. Sorry to sound dumb but what are lashes?

[tooties]

I'm going to order some tomorrow - I'll let you know how we get on!!

 

thanks for the info, its worth a try, and it can't do them any harm....

[Hen Watch]

Thanks for this Nicola, I'm going to order some today to try as well. Like you say, it's worth a go.

 

I have 2 affected hens.

 

Stella, had it 2 months ago. Baytril cleared it up, then 4 weeks later it came back. Vet gave her diuretics (Frusemide Tablets and Meloxidyl syringed via beak) which seem to have worked for her....... so far........

 

BUT..... Henny got same problem 4 weeks ago. Baytril helped reduce swelling but didn't really get rid of it. So she had same diuretic drugs at same time as Stella, which worked well, swelling went, but now 1 week later I think it is coming back again...... So I intend to try the tincture on both of them.

 

I assume as the diuretic tincture is herbal there won't be any egg withdrawal????

 

I'll let you know how it goes.

[sandyhas3chucks]

may I ask what the vets have said re the swellings. I took mine and whilst she IS puffy, she is fine, well it would seem. is defo laying fine, just has thia little hot swollen botty?

Have they diagnosed any one thing in particular?

ALSO anyone ....

how do diurectics work on a chook as they don't pee so to speak.?

[Nicola O]

Sorry to sound dumb but what are lashes?

Some one correct me if I'm wrong - but as I understand it LASHES are formed when there is a problem with the egg formation so their body puts layers of 'stuff' over it to kind of lock it away. Some times they do pass and get 'laid' by the chicken and they look very much like little chunks of cooked chicken meat !! and can have a rather rubberized texture.

 

To my knowledge, Myrtle had never laid any before and suddenly laid half a dozen (all small - about the size of a large marble) within a couple of weeks of having the diuretic.

 

I assume as the diuretic tincture is herbal there won't be any egg withdrawal????

I did e-mail the people from the website but as they mainly deal with remedies for small furry things they couldn't say, but I would assume it's completely safe as it is just a herbal mixture. Though Myrtle isn't laying anymore so I didn't really have to worry about that.

 

ALSO anyone ....how do diurectics work on a chook as they don't pee so to speak.?

I hadn't thought of that , perhaps, as the white part of the poo is kind of solidified wee, perhaps they'll just do more of it .

 

HEN WATCH and SANDY - good luck with you girlies, hope they are better soon and it will be interesting to see if this stuff does make a difference on chooks with swollen botties. I give Myrtle 2 - 4 drops a day, so affected girls might need a little more - BUT - it's made with alcohol as well so no drunken chooks staggering about the garden

 

Nicola

[tooties]

Hi Nicola, I've just given Galen Homeopathic a call on 01305 263996 and spoke to a man who told me they would not be able to make up the diuretic blend as thats herbal and they only do homeopathic!

 

Did you speak to a particular person there??

[Hen Watch]

may I ask what the vets have said re the swellings. I took mine and whilst she IS puffy, she is fine, well it would seem. is defo laying fine, just has thia little hot swollen botty?

Have they diagnosed any one thing in particular?

 

My vet is not a chicken expert but she does see other peoples chickens. So no, I don't have an exact diagnosis. Vet examined them both and there were no eggs stuck. So could be peritonitis, or some other underlying cause entirely.

 

My two girls were so swollen their underbellies looked like balloons and you could see pink flesh through the feathers. My girls are not laying. One had very laboured breathing. Their legs were really wide apart due to the swelling and they waddled when walking. One of them would sit on the grass and rock..... but that was Stella and, touch wood, she seems to be OK at the minute. But as she has had it twice in 2 months, I'm not sure it will ever go away??

 

You mention your chooks is puffy but otherwise ok, so maybe she doesn't have the same as my girls????

 

In case this helps others here are some pictures I took when they were swollen.

 

Henny's swollen abdomen.

http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/bb63/Hen_Watch/004-3.jpg

 

Legs wide apart due to swollen abdomen.

http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/bb63/Hen_Watch/005-1.jpg

 

Comparison photo of my healthy hen's normal leg stance, no where near as wide.

http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/bb63/Hen_Watch/006-2.jpg

[Hen Watch]

I did e-mail the people from the website but as they mainly deal with remedies for small furry things they couldn't say, but I would assume it's completely safe as it is just a herbal mixture. Though Myrtle isn't laying anymore so I didn't really have to worry about that

 

Thanks for that Nicola. My girls aren't laying either as far as I'm aware but the drugs they have from the vet aren't licenced for poultry (for dogs actually) so as I can't be 100% sure who lays which egg, I'm throwing them away anyway. I'm definately up for giving this stuff a go as there's nothing to loose and if it's herbal I will take the chance and eat the eggs.

 

Hi Nicola, I've just given Galen Homeopathic a call on 01305 263996 and spoke to a man who told me they would not be able to make up the diuretic blend as thats herbal and they only do homeopathic! Did you speak to a particular person there??

 

Tooties, I know it is probably more expensive as I had to pay p+p but I ordered some online at midnight last night from the online company.

HT VII Diuretic Blend 50ml - I paid £9.90 (inc postage).

http://www.galensgarden.co.uk/shop/products.php?cat=9

[Nicola O]

Hi Nicola, I've just given Galen Homeopathic a call on 01305 263996 and spoke to a man who told me they would not be able to make up the diuretic blend as thats herbal and they only do homeopathic!

 

Did you speak to a particular person there??

I spoke to a lady but I didn't get her name, sorry. I explained what I wanted, told her I'd seen this mixture on another site and she just asked what was in it and said she would make it up. To be honest, I didn't realise that there was a big difference between herbal and homeopathic I thought they were all pretty much of a muchness .

 

Tooties, I know it is probably more expensive as I had to pay p+p but I ordered some online at midnight last night from the online company.

HT VII Diuretic Blend 50ml - I paid £9.90 (inc postage).

http://www.galensgarden.co.uk/shop/products.php?cat=9

Hen watch, that's probably a better price as I don't think mine is a 50ml bottle.

 

Nicola

[sandyhas3chucks]

very helpful, thank you all will order tom.

[GeorgieB]

Thanks for explaining to me what lashes are Nicola, good to know!

 

Do you know how long the herbal remedy keeps? I was thinking of buying some now to have ready if I need it but won't if it has a short shelf life.

[tooties]

I got it online as suggested! thanks everyone

[Hen Watch]

Well....... it arrived in post really quickly, in just 2 days.

 

I've been giving it to my 2 chooks since Friday. So only 4 days in so far. No idea how much to give at all. Am trying 4-5 drops each at present. Smells lovely and also smells really strongly of alcohol, chickens love it

 

Will report how I get on soon.

[Hen Watch]

Well.....'tis now 15 June and just over a week on from giving the HT VII Diuretic Blend to Stella and Henny.

 

Stilll hit and miss on doseage. Have stuck to 4-5 drops as a preventative for Stella.

 

For swollen Henny, nothing seemed to happen for a whole week. So I doubled the dose I was giving Stella and now Henny's undercarriage is much less swollen and her legs are closer together when she walks. Not "cured" yet but I think it might be helping. No idea if the doseage is too much or not enough, but I will plough on and report back soon.

[sandyhas3chucks]

my girl refuses anything with it on.

Dose wise I think we should be looking at a cat dose + a little more.

can't say as she won't take it am trying to work out what will work with it in/on

[GeorgieB]

Thanks for the update Hen Watch. Glad to hear that Henny is showing signs of improving. Fingers crossed that the tincture will stop the fluid build up coming back again.

 

Unfortunately the vets said that once a hen develops Peritonitis then the infection keeps coming back sadly.

 

I had a hen that the vets (saw 3 different ones) thought had Peritonitis (swollen hot abdomen, very lethargic, hardly eating, runny poo, not egg bound either but also not laying).

 

Scampy (the hen) started struggling to breath after 7 days of being on Baytril and was drained of some fluid, which helped her breathing but filled up again 2 days later and I couldn't let her go on struggling to breath (Baytil and Metacam didn't make any difference but all 3 vets didn't mention anything about diuretics to me - very disappointed).

 

I didn't think it was fair to keep the hen going though due to the difficulty in breathing and being in pain. Even if I knew she would come through I would still have put her to sleep as the build of fluid alone is supposedly one of the most painful things a hen can suffer from and I didn't want her to keep going through that every few weeks.

 

I can tell you love your hens very much and I'm sorry I'm not being very positive, but if the fluid builds up again I think you need to ask yourself if it's not more kind to let Henny go than to keep putting her through the pain and breathing trouble over and over for what could be years.

 

Sandy - I would recommend trying cheese, if you haven't already. Mine love it!

[Nicola O]

HENWATCH - thanks for the progress report. As with your Stella, I'm using this as a preventative with Myrtle, but it's interesting to hear how a chook with a fluid build up is responding. I hope that Henny continues to improve.

 

Nicola.