Wanted Please - Harrogate / York / Leeds area

[Rosey Supposey]

Hi,

 

I'm at my wits end how to help more poor little hen and I'd be hugely grateful for any advice.

 

In the last few days one of my ex-bats, Fluff, has gone from perky, bouncy hen to completely off colour as follows:

 

• She barely eats and won't drink
  She stands (or sits) in corners in the garden, facing away from everything, and only moves a few feet during the day to go into another corner.
  She keeps her eyes shut most of the time
  Her tail is droopy and she's hunched up
  Her feathers are pretty much constantly fluffed out
  

 

(She hasn't laid since September 2009)

 

I've checked her crop (as best I can) early in the morning and I can't feel any obvious lumps or hard parts.

 

She seems to be constantly pecking at the top of her breast area, but I've checked her all over and there's no sign of feather removal, peck marks or mites - but there is a nasty, nasty scabby thing a couple of inches above her vent. She's definately not pecking at it (i cleaned it up and purple sprayed it), and I'm thinking it's probably irrelevent to her current state, but here's a link to the photo.

 

 

Fluff's been out of the battery farm for 10 months. She hates being handled, so if she's naturally on her way out I don't want to put her through a trip to the vet. But if anyone has idea idea how I can help her, or that the vet is really the way forward, I'd be really, really grateful.

 

Thank for you for taking the time to read this. x

[legend21]

Hello Rosey, that looks nasty right enough, dont know what to tell you but one of the experts will, mine behave like that when they are laying softees, they stand on there own with the eyes closed but if she has not laid since September I dont know what to say, I can understand how stressful it will be to go to the vet but if she does not pick up soon I think she would need to go, saying that I dont know that I would want to take her if it is going to be stressful. Maybe the scab is what is bringing her down and she needs antibiotics.

 

Best of luck

 

Jackie

[Egluntyne]

Have you wormed her and checked her over for external parasites?

[Rosey Supposey]

Have you wormed her and checked her over for external parasites?

 

Hi, thanks for posting up. She's regularly wormed and I've been all over her looking for nasties (especially the area where she keeps pecking), but I can't see anything there whatsoever, not even marks from where she was pecking! I've checked the other hens as well, and been over every crevice of the Eglu and I can't find anything at all!

[sandyhas3chucks]

looks a bit horrid to me maybe the vet can shine some light on it.

Maybe there's an absess under there, it must be irritating her and making her uncomfortable if she is pecking at it. Poor lass

[chelsea]

Poor poppet, that does look sore.

 

I know you don't want to take her to the vet, but it looks inflammed/infected to me from the picture so some antibiotics could help aid her recovery

 

Hope it's healed soon.

[Tutti Frutti]

Ouch that looks really uncomfortable What wormer do you use? I only ask because my vet told me that Verm-X is for prevention and to use Flubenvet for cure.

 

Good luck, poor little lady, hope she picks up soon she's lucky to have you watching out for her. I agree, I think a vet trip is needed - once they become ill like this, they can go downhill very, very rapidly

[Rosey Supposey]

Really, really grateful to everyone for commenting.

 

I took Fluff to the vet Tuesday. Have to say the vet was fantastic, it took me a few phone calls to find one willing to treat a chicken (apparently they're classed as exotic pets!), but the one who took her was wonderful.

 

Turns out Fluff has a respiratory infection and is having a lot of trouble breathing. She's also got a lot of snot. The nasty scabby thing could be a tumour, and there's a lot of swelling behind it. On the plus side she's mite free, but that doesn't explain why she's taken to pecking at her upper belly.

 

Vet has given her Tylan for the respiratory infection, with a view to getting that sorted first, then addressing the belly pecking. Vet warned me that it may be the infection isn't Fluff's problem, she may just happen to have the infection but it's the scabby thing that's actually causing the listlessness etc.

 

So Fluff's been on the Tylan since Tuesday, and there’s no improvement yet. She still just sits in one place, puffed up and refusing to eat or drink. (As pictured here ) The Tylan is made up in water and we’re syringing it into her beak but she REALLY doesn’t want it and spits most of it out. If anyone has any advice how I can get her to swallow the stuff it would really help.

 

Thank you all so much

[pipistrelle]

Oh poor thing, she does look sorry for herself.

Fingers crossed the AB's kick in soon and she perks up.

 

P x

[chelsea]

I would give the Tylan a few days to kick in as already mentioned and keep a close eye on her as I am sure you are already doing Respiratory infections can be tricky....now that you have found a good vet - if you don't see an improvement by the beginning of next week I would ask for something stronger like Baytril. I have used tylan in the past for infections but have found Baytril really is the one to shift things.

 

Good luck and I hope she perks up soon.

[Egluntyne]

She does look poorly. Am glad that you took her to the vet. Perhaps you could apply some soothing cream to the sore area, such as Johnsons' Tea Tree and Lavender.

[Tutti Frutti]

Oh poor girl I hope she perks up soon.

[abwsco]

We've had poorly exbatts and have had them in a box in the house. I got them to eat and drink by mixing up a very, very sloppy porridge, putting it in an egg cup and sitting with them gently pushing their beak into it. Once they started to eat more I also found putting cut up corn or raisins in water went down well. Hope she starts to perk up soon.

[Rosey Supposey]

Thank you all so much for your comments and suggestions, I've really, really appreciated it.

Last night I made a vet's appointment for Monday, but sadly Fluff passed away this morning.

 

She was just sitting, refusing all food and drink, and appearing to be dozing, but her head seemed like it was hanging down and her beak was a little open. I rang the vet who agreed to see her immediately, but in the few minutes it took me to grab a coat and the car keys Fluff died.

 

On the plus side she died naturally, peacefully, in a warm spot in the conservatory (not in a box on the backseat of the car). But it's my first hen death and she'd only been out of the battery farm 10 months - which just doesn't doesn't seem enough.

 

Thank you all again for your help and kindness.

[Tutti Frutti]

Oh what a shock, I'm so sorry

 

You couldn't have done any more... she went peacefully and in the comfort of her own home, where she lived more of a life with you in those 10 short months than she had ever known before, all thanks to you.

 

Another little lady who will be sorely missed.

[legend21]

Hello Rosey, sorry about your girl but 10 months of freedom she would never have know, well done for taking her our of a battery life and letting her enjoy her time. Mine have been out the same amount of time and they really become part of your life. You gave her a great life

 

Jackie