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

[house-elf]

Hi,

 

my matilda is poorly. My husband noticed she was off yesterday evening, and this morning she was really not well. She hadnt roosted overnight by the looks of it, her feathers on top appear to have been broken off mid shaft, her feathers below her vent are alittle dirty, she is v v quiet and depressed and she is stumbling when she walks.

 

She was broody 2 weeks ago and i managed to snap her out of it in a week, but she still hasnt laid. Her appetitte is reduced and there are alot of feather about, so I thought maybe she was now moulting.

 

I took her to the vets this morning as she looked very much like how Betty was before she died and the vet isn't sure whats wrong. He gave her an internal and he can feel an egg high up but he said it isn't formed properly yet and is not stuck so he doesnt think this is the problem. She is free from external parasites and although she is due to be wormed he doesn't think she has worms. He gave her an injection of Baytril and she is due for a check up tomorrow. If it works she will have more Baytril, but if not, it good bye Matilda.

 

He wants me to encourage her to eat, so I have put out tomatoes, apple, tuna and carrot which she normally likes, but can I give her anything else ? Can I syringe feed her say porridge ?

 

I would also like to know ( as I am fairly sure that if she doesn't die before tomorrow, she will be euthanased ), how my other hen will do. She will be the only one left. How long does it take to introduce a new flock ? How long should I wait ? (My vet said to have an extensive post mortem to determine what is wrong as it could be a chicken to chicken illness, and my other hen only died weeks earlier although the vet said it was egg peritionitis, but all my girls are sisters ), and if I don't introduce any will she die from loneliness ?

 

I know this might seem abit drastic, but I am going on holiday in 2 weeks and want to know what I might be dealing with...

 

Please help, any advice will be massively appreciated...

Edited September 16, 2009 by Guest

[Jools]

First of all, I'm really sorry that you're going through this, it isn't nice. Chickens are pretty good at disguising what's wrong with them until it's too late, and sometimes there's no apparant reason for their decline and demise. It's rotten.

 

If you do decide to syringe some porridge into her, be very careful and put a drop at a time onto her tongue so she can swallow it herself.

 

If she does make it, maybe ask your vet if she can have a steroid and/or vitamin injection. The former will boost her appetite and the latter will help her recover.

 

If she's too poorly to pull through, a pm is a good idea, but even then it may reveal nothing. Be aware though that they prefer to take the bird live so that everything is fresh.

 

It's not a good idea to keep one chicken on her own, but equally I wouldn't introduce new stock until you know what's causing the problem in case it's contagious.

 

And then there are the difficulties of introducing new pen mates, which are well documented here!

 

Dare I say hope you have a good holiday........

[Olly]

I'm really sorry to hear about Matilda - glad you've had some veterinary advice, she is in good hands. I hope she perks up.

 

If the worst happens - yes, your remaining girl will be lonely, however she won't pine away overnight and if you're going on holiday in two weeks, I would wait until you get back. That way there'll be a chance to find out what the problem was, in case it's something contagious. I don't know how old your hens are, but is it possible that it's just old age catching up with them at once?

 

Introductions can be tricky but if you follow the guidelines on here it can be done without too much trauma, I would definitely wait until after your holiday though. I hope there's some better news of Matilda.

[house-elf]

well, matilda seems to have perked up since her trip to the vets. Her tail has come back up and she looks alot perkier, and she has been flying about in the garden and bug hunting ! Hard to say how much she has eaten, but she had alittle tuna and a bit of apple and has been eating grass - hopefully its some sort of infection and more antibiotics will sort her out !

 

Thanks for all your messages x

[Egluntyne]

Encouraging news.

[Kit]

Great news...wishing her a speedy recovery x

[Chickendoodle]

Great news but can I make a suggestion. At some stage you will be faced with only having one chicken. Have you thought about getting another 2 or 3 so that you have a selection of ages?

 

We did this recently and have 4 18mth old girls and 3 newbies. Our intention is to replace them perhaps in twos when the inevitable happens so that we are not left with lonely chooks (or no eggs for that matter)

 

I see you have a so you have plenty of space for another couple of girls! Ours have taken a couple of months but now they are pretty much fully integrated into one flock.

[Plum]

Sorry to hear you are having such a rough time. How's she doing?

[Jools]

Any news on her? Fingers crossed.

[house-elf]

Thanks for all your replies and crossed fingers !

 

I'm glad to say that Matilda seems to making a full recovery !

 

The day I took her to the vets, she seemed to perk up in the afternoon, though still not really eating much despite treats galore ! Then after I had picked up my son from nursery, one of them had laid an egg - I assume it was matilda - and they were quite happily eating it ! I found abit of the shell and it seemed quite fragile. I took her back for a check up the next day and the vet said she could feel an egg quite high up. Anyway she gave me a course of antibiotics and said to just keep an eye on her. She has been doing very well, and yesterday another egg was laid, I think again it was Matilda. I can usually tell their eggs apart but this was a different colour but more like matilda's usual coloured egg. The egg seems sound and looks normal so I think maybe the soft shelled egg was maybe giving her problems. And both of the girls appettites have picked up and they are eating their pellets very well !

 

I can now breathe a sigh of relief....thanks again all !