What makes a chicken coop easy to live with?

[brambles]

My gingernut ranger (2 1/2) has been quite sleepy for the last few days. She's still scratching around and her comb is red and upright but she is not as interested as the others and holding herself aside. She seems to have puffed her feathers out a bit and has watery poo. She seems a little thinner than usual, but not totally sure. She had food in her crop last night and is drinking.

 

I've started worming her again with flubenvet on grapes (as of yesterday). They were wormed with flubenvet in food a few weeks ago.

 

She seems just to pootle around quietly then stand/sit and go to sleep.

 

Should I take her to the vet or do you think it is worms?

Edited May 1, 2010 by Guest

[Snowy]

See how she responds to the wormer first - they usually respond quite quickly. If no joy it may be worth a vet visit. Unfortunately 2 1/2 seems to be the age limit for gingernuts. All 3 of mine faded at that age

[brambles]

That's really sad, snowy, I must admit I have that 'feeling' about it. She does seem a bit of an old lady, but she looks magnificent in all her spring feathering. She's happily pootling. No eggs for a couple of weeks now. I don't think my pepperpot is ever going to get started again!

 

How many days until the wormer kicks in? I was pleased when she made a dash for spare grapes but she's pottering again now.

[brambles]

Fingers crossed. It's day 3 of the wormer and although she's still not quite herself she is now pecking the newbies and showing some interest in chicken football.

 

I had noticed that she was not swallowing stuff as well - ie, eating a grape in small pecks rather than one gulp - could this have been gapeworm? She hasn't been 'gaping' which I thought was a symptom.

[Snowy]

Hm, doesn't sound like gapeworm. Sometimes just feeding them up a bit using tempting treats is possible, they just seem to lose their appetites. With mine it lasted a few days then they went downhill again. But that is just my experience - hopefully someone else may be along who has had a hen come throuh this

[staceychristie]

Hi Brambles

We've just been to the vet with one of ours similar style. Cream poo, and watery discharge. She was waddling like a duck, and her abdomen was quite hard. Vet poked her in her lady bits (she didn't care much for that) and said that there was a blockage. We'd had an egg every couple of days off 5!!

He gave her Parafin (NOT THE STUFF FROM B&Q) and a Baytril shot. We think that it's a Lash (badly formed egg and other bits)

Good luck , but I'd send her to the vets asap. Don't forget that they do hide all their illnesses very well, so act quickly.

 

Stacey

[brambles]

Well she recovered after worming and even laid some lovely eggs. She then relapsed and did a softy a couple of days ago. Today her crop was full and spongy, she was drinking loads and still had loose bowels.

She has been PTS by our vet, I don't want her to suffer.

I am so upset as she was my best, favourite hen. It was the kindest thing to do for her.

[brambles]

He thought that it might have been kidney failure as there were urates in the poo, which she did all over his table, bless her. He's going to do a PM to double check that there's nothing that will pass to the others.

 

It all happened so quickly that I'm worried that I've been too hasty in agreeing to euthanasia, although he assured me that she was a poorly girl.

[Plum]

So sorry she didn't pick up. After I lost Sparrow to tumours I spent ages arguing with myself if I was right to have her PTS and all the what ifs. In the end you don't want them to suffer and they do hide how bad they feel. Your girl was loosing weight which is a sign of underlying illness and I'm sure you have done the right thing for her.

[jill the potter]

sorry to hear about your chook. I think you did what was best.

[MedusA]

I agree that you did everything right for your little hen. *hugs*

 

I'm going through the same senario with my Gingernut Ranger at the moment. She's lost weight and not really eating, but is drinking well and seems alert. I took her to my chicken vet on Friday and she is on a course of antibiotics to see if she has an infection, but if that doesn't perk her up, I will have her PTS rather than let her suffer. She is over 3 1/2 so has had a good life. It will still be very sad though as she is the last of my first little Omlet girls.