Nesting box modifications in Eglu Go Up

[angelavdavis]

One of my chooks has suddenly became lame (if that is the right term). She cannot pull herself up onto her feet and is sitting on her knees. I have brought her into the unheated conservatory to keep an eye on her and keep her away from the others who were either picking on her during the day or staying away from her at night. She is sleeping in a box and living in a large tray during the day.

 

She is eating and drinking OK, is offlay, but holding her head up and rearing her head should the cats pass her by as they walk through the conservatory! So still very spirited despite her predicament.

 

All the chooks are wormed and fed grit everyday, but have wondered if perhaps her calcium levels have got low and she has injured herself going down the ladder? When you place her in the tray, she stands on her feet but her legs are collapsed under her and she spends a while with her wings outstretched wobbling, steadying herself with her head until she can get herself upright.

 

I have ordered some limestone flour but we haven't had any postal deliveries for almost a week. We are snowed in, so little chance of us getting to a vet for the next few days.

 

Have any of you more experienced keepers got any ideas?

[Redwing]

She may have sprained something, we had a cockerel that did that and his legs were so weak and floppy he looked in an horrific state we thought that he wouldnt survive but he was fine after a week or so

 

Confine her so that her leg/s can heal, if she is on normal layers pellets or mash then she should have enough calcium so unless you suspect differently I wouldnt worry too much about that, some egg shells dried in the oven and crushed and fed to her will give her a bit extra calcium which certainly wouldnt do any harm

 

Keep an eye out for any other symptoms as it may be a sign of a more serious problem

[Carol U]

One of mine did exactly the same thing a couple of months ago - just couldn't seem to stand. Like you, I thought there was something wrong with her legs, although the vet couldn't find anything. She was very thin, which I hadn't realised as she hates to be handled. I brought her into the utility room in a box on her own and on the advice of Sean, at The Wernlas Collection, put a little apple cider vinegar in her water for three days to stimulate her appetite (he said not to give it for longer as she would get used to it and it would lose its effect). He said that they can become exhausted at the end of a laying season and just need building up. I hand-fed her with extra protein for a couple of days and she quite quickly perked up. I then carried her out to the garden with the others for increasing spells and the third night put her back with them to sleep. Within a week she was back to her old self. I'm now giving them all cod liver oil and extra treats to build them up before they start to lay again.

 

Hope this is helpful.

[Cranfield Kate]

check her weight - if she's lost a lot of weight she'll be doing that. which means she may be being bullied around the food.

 

be careful with the cider vinegar - it made mine sick as dogs and running with diarrhoea (but they loved it and kept drinking it like crazy until i put two and two together). so if you bring her in and give her that put down extra, extra paper.

[angelavdavis]

Thanks for your quick responses. I must say, she was a little thin when we first brought her into the conservatory - she seemed so weak I thought she wouldn't make it through the night!

 

Sounds like I am doing the right thing then (as they have been given cider vinegar in the water and as mentioned, she is eating well. I will just have to be patient. Thanks again

[Ain't Nobody Here]

I had a similar experience with a hen who suddenly couldn't weight bear on one leg. I brought her into the house and put her in a cardboard box with some bedding and food. She was fine the next day.

[sandyhas3chucks]

I had a similar thought, perhaps she was being bulliedx more than you realised, and she is simply weak from lack of food, and this cold weather has just "done her in" so to speak.

Hopefullya few days in the warm and getting lots of access to food and water will sort her.

Extra mealworms & sunflower hearts may help build her up.

I have read that growers or chick crumbs are good for building up.

good luck.

[Missus]

My chook is sagging, walking to the side with a wobbly gait and almost looks like she's grovelling. She's going through a full moult and looks terrible with most of her feathers gone. She is extremely sensitive to touch as I picked her up to check her at the beginning of the moult to look for "lodgers" I found nothing so assumed she was moulting and have been supporting her diet as she seems so sad. She was at the top of the pecking order but since she's gone bald she's had her bum pecked so I applied a squirt of purple spray. I've not seen the others picking on her though. I am supplementing her normal layers diet with a few chick crumbs, dried mealworms and the occasional bit of marmite on wholemeal toast. She has access to oyster shell grit. She also had broc and savoy cabbage this week. She is eating ok but is withdrawn. This added problem of the wobbly gait and saggy legs is really worrying me.

 

Could it be lack of calcium do you think, or something more sinister?

 

Her feathers are growing back. She has not laid for a few weeks.She is just two years old

 

Can't think of anything else that could be relevant

 

Can anyone think of anything. Thanks

[angelavdavis]

Well an update on my little chook. I really didn't think she was last the first night. But the next day she was really perky again.

 

She has been living in the conservatory all this time in her makeshift pen. She has got to the stage where she is standing taller most of the time (although does seem to lapse down to sitting when she gets tired) and is walking around the conservatory more than she was but is still a bit wobbly. Added to that, I also suspect she might be broody as she is making the usual broody squeaky noises, rather than a typical cluck. But, I can't deal with that at the moment and just need to concentrate on her getting healthier.

 

I had her free-ranging briefly last week with the others - but the boss hen just really had a go at her - even when I had picked her up to rescue her!

 

I am due a delivery of ex-batt rescues at the end of February, so once I have given them the all clear and they are out of quarantine, I will introduce her back onto the flock with the new ones provided she is 100%.

 

I have been feeding mine the usual grit/pellets plus some lettuce (which she loves) sprinkled with limestone flour to build up her bones.

 

It sounds like your one is in a similar state to how my chook was Missus, so I would recommend isolating her somehow, a bit more tlc and feeding her some limestone flour to build up her bones so she can fight back when she gets fitter and isn't so bullied.

[sandyhas3chucks]

i was going to suggest the same, bring her in in the warm, feed her up.

I would also suggest to you both that daily you bring a friend in to visit, depend on how many you haver but keep rotating, it keeps the friendship bonds going as they then don't forget,

Not the bully tho!!!

maybe 1st the lowest in the pecking order or the quietest nicest calmest. let thenm both have treats but try not to have them competing as I find that is when the strongre one has a pop.

You could also try some critical care formula. (on the web) it has all the essential nutrients, you could add it to some porridge.

Good luck

[Missus]

thanks for the tips. I've got some limestone flour being delivered tomorrow and have ordered some fast-acting Nutridrops to try and give her a fast boost. It has started snowing tonight so I think bringing her in could be on the cards.

[sandyhas3chucks]

nutri drops. great idea. give some cod liver oil with the limestone as you need vitamin D3 to absorb calcium, and CL O has it. I would def bring her in, while she is struggling no matter what the cause.

good luck

[Missus]

Well, I got the limestone flour but not the drops, which I hope will arrive tomorrow. She's not much better but she's alert and eating. I gave her some tinned sweetcorn with some limestone flour stirred in but she managed to eat the sweetcorn and leave the flour, so I tried again just now with a bit more sweetcorn (warm this time) and some good yogurt. She was straight into it, still on her knees and she was sort of trying to drink the yogurt. It's snowing like mad again but she'll be warm in the Eglu with her mates. She's also had a little bit of grated carrot and broc. She still seems very sensitive to touch so I didn't pick her up. Normally I can handle them but she is the most feisty of the three, normally

[Missus]

She seems much better this morning, and had some more limestone flour on her pellets. She's also had some rescue drops (Net-tex) so I hope she will continue to improve

 

She is alert and feisty as I had to pick her up to administer the drops. I failed miserably as she would not co-operate in the slightest and I ended up squirting the drops onto some sweetcorn I'd got handy in case Plan A failed. She ate the corn and slurped up the drops so I hope to see an improvement quickly

[Plum]

Hope it gets her back on her feet

[Missus]

Well, this morning she's had more drops (on some mealworms as she wouldn't let me near her beak) and she seems much better and her gait is normal. Phew

 

Oh, forgot to say, thanks to Barbara at Omlet for her help and advice