4m x 3m Omlet pen, cube, new auto door still boxed and coop light

[Ness3103]

she didn't want to come out of the eglu this morning and there was a softie in the tray. she has been standing all hunched up and her eyes closed. i checked her vent and that's ok but her crops emtpy, she's had a little bit of spinach but that's all. is there anything i can do to get her to eat she's normally very lively and hard to catch but not today although she did struggle to get down. her comb and wattles are bright red. i'm just a bit worried

[Olly]

Laying a softie can make them feel a bit off-colour, so she may perk up. If she won't eat much, try giving her something watery like cucumber or maybe some sloppy porridge, so she gets some liquid as well?

 

If she's still looking hunched and not active, then it might be wisest to book a visit to the vet - they can go downhill very rapidly and in this heat, if she's not drinking then she could dehydrate quickly.

[Ness3103]

she spent an hour and a half in the eglu but no egg she has been scratching about a bit more, i'll try her with some cucumber and see how that goes

[Olly]

She is quite young, so they often lay softies at this age while they're getting geared up for full egg production, so that in itself isn't too worrying. Do you know if it was she who laid the softie, or one of the others? you probably can't tell.

 

The best guide is whether she is active and busy - if she is joining in with the others, interested in treats etc then she's ok. If she's standing around, hunched, puffed up and not moving much, then she's feeling poorly.

[Ness3103]

i assumed it was her because of the way she was acting but it might not have been.

 

i've given her some cucumber and she perked up a bit, scratching around but i think she's too hot to be bothered, she's definitely not herself, but looking a bit better than this morning, hopefully once it starts cooling down she'll perk up a bit

[Ness3103]

a little update, she came out of the eglu this morning and had something to eat and drink and she's been scratching around with the others. her tail was up and she looked better but her tails now down again and she's a little bit subdued but still looks better than yesterday. i'm hoping she'll lay today, i'm expecting a softie then hopefully she'll feel better

[Ness3103]

took Tia to the vet this morning (after finally finding one that deals with chooks!) they thought she might be eggbound but can't feel any, so she's on antibiotics and had 3 injections, painkiller, calcium and antibiotic and he gave her fluids and food via a tube.

she was so good bless her so fingers crossed she'll start feeling better. got bit of a shock at the vet bill though

[Olly]

ouch! Well I hope they can sort her out, good thing you took her.

[Ness3103]

there's been a big improvement already, she came running this evening when i took the treats out to them. she went to bed early but looked so much better. so the huuuuge vet bill was worth every penny just a shame i've got to throw all her eggs away for a month also going to be difficult knowing which are hers unless i see her laying, so might have to throw all the eggs away

[Olly]

phew! what a relief - clearly some sort of infection then, glad she has perked up.

 

That's annoying about the eggs, isn't it! hope you can identify hers.

[Ness3103]

it's a huge relief she's much better, almost back to her noisy self, trying to catch her and give her the antibiotic was a nightmare