sandyhas3chucks Posted November 25, 2009 Share Posted November 25, 2009 As someone who feels she is facing a fading elderly exbat, it pulls at my heart strings. I too have never had a problem reintroducing after a hen has recovered. I also feel it depends on what is wrong with the hen and to be honest if they HAVE an infection, and you have already been using alternatives like citricidal (a natural antibiotic) and oregano oil type product and the hen is not improving that the response to Baytril is nothing short of miraculous. This coming from someone that is against the use of them "per say". This having been said I am aware that they kill off good and bad bacteria and should not be given "just incase". My other concern with bringing a hen into what could potentially be a "colder situation" on her own with no friend to snuggle up with. My house is actually very cold in any unheated area. As most will know I have 2 that have slept indoors for getting on for a year, and when it was freezing out, the area they were in remained constant 7 -10 degrees. and I can tell you that 15 is pretty average in an Eglu outside with 2 or 3 hen in it at this time of year, and 22-25 underneath a hen soooooo it depends on what you have them sleeping in and where and the ambient room temperature, lets not forget if the chook IS feeling the cold, what the temperatures are for them all through the summer. AND if you have an exbat or ex barn released at this time of year, the type of conditions and temperatures that they have been accustomed to for ALL their lives. Sorry if a bit long.(and controversial) good luck Skye Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandyhas3chucks Posted November 26, 2009 Share Posted November 26, 2009 how is she today? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skye Posted November 26, 2009 Author Share Posted November 26, 2009 (edited) Hi Sandy Thanks for asking. She's no better so far. In fact her legs seem even weaker today, when she walks it's like they're buckling under her. Still, I've kept her inside and calm as the vet said. If she is still with us in the morning I'll go and get some Baytril from the vets as planned. She has eaten some of the food I've given her today, a bit of corn and pellets this morning, cornflakes and sweet corn this afternoon. Not interested in drinking though... I syringed her beak with water before she went to bed and hopefully the sweetcorn will give her system some liquid. I'm really going to have to get used to coping with poorly/dying hens without it really upsetting me. skye x Edited November 26, 2009 by Guest Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skye Posted November 26, 2009 Author Share Posted November 26, 2009 PS Sandy - did you say you have a fading ex-batt? How is she? skye x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandyhas3chucks Posted November 26, 2009 Share Posted November 26, 2009 I don't really think we can care and NOT get upset. Well I got in from walking dogs this morn and OH said one was sneezing all the time I took 1 look and rang Vet, then called back to say I didn't want to talk to him, but an apt. took her straight in. He examined carefully her temp is slightly up and breathing is harder than usual(she is always wheezy, due to air sac damage) He could find nothing obvious and he also x rayed her thee and then, which was quite amazing seeing the multiple breaks (old ones) and her reduced one sided lung! He did this as tom he is going to x ray the maybe fading girl, but actually last night she laid a small lash + 2 more wee ones. (hence her demeanour yesterday) that out and she was top form today attacking everyone and being bossy(she's head girl) She hadn't laid since last October ish until flippin June/July when she started these lashes. If they don't get expelled they start to go bad. He really has been fab. I don't know how long she will go on. thank you for asking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chook n Boo Mum Posted November 26, 2009 Share Posted November 26, 2009 As Sandy has said Skye, you can't fail to get upset when you nurse and possibly lose a chook.....it means that you care.....those little girls, healthy or batties/barnies, get under your skin and into your heart quicker than you think is possible .......I went out to collect my DD at dusk today & forgot to shut the new Black Rocks fox proof gate....when I remembered I was stuck in traffic half an hour later......fortunately they were all snuggled up in the nestbox when I got home & ran down the garden like a lunatic..........I've only had them since Tuesday and already they are mine and get the same attention & affection as the others. I hope that tomorrow brings a brighter day and happier chooks Sha x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skye Posted November 27, 2009 Author Share Posted November 27, 2009 Thanks Sandy and Sha for the very kind support. Our Pepperpot Yolko's legs seemed just as weak this morning, although generally she has seemed quite a lot perkier in herself. She's eating well but not drinking (we're having to syringe her beak with water and give her wet food ) I took her to the vet this morning who, surprise surprise (!) didn't know what was the matter with her. It didn't help that she had made a 'miraculous' recovery when we got her out of the box and was shouting and wriggling like mad, clucking and strutting about the vet's floor, pooing as she went Feisty little madam. When we got back from the vet's I thought she might like a bit of destress time with her friends in the garden as the sun was shining. So she had 20 mins or so outside, walking and mobility almost completely normal it seemed (?!) but was shivering like mad after that, so she's back inside now. She's got a week's course of Baytril and I'm going to continue to keep her inside until some of those new feathers come through. skye x Sandy - hope your hens are feeling better and not sneezing too much now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chook n Boo Mum Posted November 28, 2009 Share Posted November 28, 2009 How is she today Skye ? Like with children the anti-bs usually start to work quite quickly in a chook Sha x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skye Posted November 28, 2009 Author Share Posted November 28, 2009 Hi Wild Mum Thank you for asking. She's just the same today really I'm afraid, no change yet. Quite subdued and down in the mouth, a bit cranky and doesn't want anyone to go near her. Picky about her food and refusing to drink. We're just giving her as much 'wet' food as we can eg tuna/spaghetti/grapes. She won't touch her pellets but did have a bit of muesli and dry corn. My OH let her out for half an hour again with her friends and she seemed fine, but he brought her in when she was looking tired and hunched standing in one spot. Her friend was allowed to come in the kitchen and keep her company for an hour or so as well She's roosting in her temporary nest in the bathrooom. She looks so small and hunched when you've been outside with the others and return back to the house skye x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chook n Boo Mum Posted November 28, 2009 Share Posted November 28, 2009 Are you syringing fluids into her as well as the Baytril Skye? When I was dosing Buffy I was syringing water with Avipro in, which is a probiotic and vitamin supplement as well. Do you have any in your "medicine stash"? It's a shame you aren't nearer the Sussex side of Surrey, I'd happily have dropped some in to you whilst doing the school run tomorrow evening (near Gatwick) Sha x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandyhas3chucks Posted November 28, 2009 Share Posted November 28, 2009 skye in pets at home there is a high calorie paste recommened on some time ago. for dogs about £5 for the tube. you only need tiny amounts 3 =4 xb daily they seem to like it. It MAY just give her the energy to keep her going while sh fights whatever it is. Have you considered sending a poo sample to retfords? I send mine guranteed next fay delivery about £4. Also pigeon tonic (backhurst sell it) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skye Posted November 28, 2009 Author Share Posted November 28, 2009 Hi guys, thanks for the advice. Yes, we're trying to syringe water into Yolko's beak - one of us holding her while the other does the syringing - but I haven't worked out a way of holding her beak open to be able to get the full load of water into it. The best I've managed is to try and dribble a bit on the side of her beak to get her to open it and take a little bit of water in. Most times though she just keeps her beak clamped shut and then shakes her head violently when she feels the water on it! Hence the 'wet' food to try and compensate. Any effective syringing advice welcomed. I'm administering the Baytril by syringing it into a grape or two, which she gobbles up. Avipro sounds really good, thanks for the offer Wild Mum, we're probably just that little bit too far away but a really kind thought. As does the high-calorie paste Sandy. Tomorrow is another day eh skye x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chook n Boo Mum Posted November 29, 2009 Share Posted November 29, 2009 Skye, When I have to syringe my girls, I gently squeeze the back of the beak to get it to open almost involuntarily......and I've just found this from an earlier post...... to syringe water into her beak, be very careful and do it drip by drip so as to avoid getting water into her air sacs. They have a hole at the back of their tongue that goes to their windpipe and if water gets in it can be fatal. Just drip by drip very gently into the front of her beak............as I always have to do the syringing on my own, I kind of pour the fluid onto her tongue & so far it's never gone into her lungs I was advised to make a very sloppy mix of water, honey, egg yolk and a few pellets or bokashi to give her an energy boost......I like to think it helped my over enthusiastic mummy Buffie who fed her babies but starved herself ........she's still with us & that was back in August, so I must have done something right!!! I hope today is a better day Sha x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandyhas3chucks Posted November 29, 2009 Share Posted November 29, 2009 It's chook bedtime. Did you get the paste from pets at home? did she like it? how is she? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chook n Boo Mum Posted December 1, 2009 Share Posted December 1, 2009 Hi Skye, how is she............... Sha x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skye Posted December 1, 2009 Author Share Posted December 1, 2009 Hi guys Thanks for the messages and your concern. Really sorry I haven't been on, life has been crazy the past few days. The good news is that Yolko seems to be perking up a little. Day by day her walking has improved, although I would say she is still a little fragile and not quite as quick on her pins. She is still spending most of her time in the house because although her feathers are growing back, they can only grow so fast. Still, every day she is having time in the garden/run with her friends until she starts really shivering and I take her back in for a bit. She is sleeping perfectly well in her nest in an unheated room with three outside walls though. Her appetite is much better, although she is still picky about her pellets and her water! I'm managing to give her plenty of corn, bird seed, tuna, grapes, greens and sweetcorn though. And she stuffed her face with spaghetti the day before yesterday. Has just shared some porridge with poultry spice, corn and mealworms in it with her friends, but given the temperature, she was absolutely freezing so I've brought her in for a while to thaw out. Really hoping she will continue to make a gradual recovery. She does seem in odd moments to be doing the eyes shut and shrinking her head down into her neck as if she has a pain somewhere though? skye x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jools Posted December 1, 2009 Share Posted December 1, 2009 Fingers crossed here that she continues to improve. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chicken Shirl Posted December 1, 2009 Share Posted December 1, 2009 Fingers crossed here that she continues to improve. Same here Skye. Are you giving here live mealworms Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skye Posted December 1, 2009 Author Share Posted December 1, 2009 Thanks very much guys. Don't have any live mealworms unfortunately, just dried which I know aren't so proteinaceous. Yolko has been out a lot today, probably a total of about 2.5 hours with her friends. When I went up to bring her in earlier she was right in the thick of things in the run, digging, competing for corn and generally being her usual bossy self! If it is warmer tomorrow as predicted I will give her even longer outside provided she seems happy enough out there. skye x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chicken Shirl Posted December 1, 2009 Share Posted December 1, 2009 That is good news. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandyhas3chucks Posted December 1, 2009 Share Posted December 1, 2009 great news I am going to try and get some wax worms. I will let you know where and how much. I think wyvale may have them? Oh and Rokers??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skye Posted December 2, 2009 Author Share Posted December 2, 2009 What are wax worms Sandy? Are they the same as mealworms? Yolko has been in her run (with the clear glass tarp completely protecting them) with her homies all day she seems ok. Not sure if I should let her sleep in Poulet Towers with the others for the night if she seems ok at bedtime, or should I bring her in to sleep? The chicken house is sheltered and not draughty, and the room inside the house she's been sleeping in is unheated with outside walls skye x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandyhas3chucks Posted December 2, 2009 Share Posted December 2, 2009 http://www.reptiles.swelluk.com/reptile-supplies/reptile-livefood-933/waxworms-939/livefood-waxworms-15g-on-egg-pack--29819.html they have a higher fat content than mealworms which are high in protein. Rokers sell them but won't have any till Friday. My old girl needs a treat, and might help keep some weight on her BTH I don't think she has long to go with us. She lays a lash just about every night tho sometimes like last night 2 just a tad bigger than a large peanut. BUT it must not be nice for her a bit like a softee on the way. Anyway, I digress, if she is happy I would let her go to bed with the others, she may as you say be even warmer, is she in a nice cosy box indoors with straw or something? It isn't going to be freezing again I don't think. maybe change things and have her in to warm up a few times a day? I think the main thing is that she doesn't use all her energy up on keeping warm when she needs to get herself well. Well that's my opinion. I would think your gut instincts will be right, you know your chook best really glad she seems to be on the mend Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skye Posted December 2, 2009 Author Share Posted December 2, 2009 Hi Sandy Wax worms sound good, thanks for the info. Really hope your lash-laying little girl feels better soon. The worms might build her up a bit. Yolko has just been in her normal nest (a sort of plastic fruit box lined with newspaper and aubiose!) which we removed from the chicken house (there are normally two in there), but in a little cubby hole next to the washing machine under the worktop in the laundry/downstairs bathroom. I tried to add extra straw but she threw a wobbly and wouldn't get in... I think it was a bit scratchy when she was all bald and irritated anyway last week. I'll go up now and assess the situation. If she seems pretty settled I might let her stay up there. She has to get used to outdoors again sometime and it's just going to get colder again over the next few days. skye x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandyhas3chucks Posted December 2, 2009 Share Posted December 2, 2009 sounds cosy enough I have just ordered 1kg of live mealworms which will arrive Friday. £19.50 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
