Pro - Does anyone else's nest boxes get soaked in rain?

[LittleOwl]

I have read the threads here as best I can but am still a bit confused so please bear with me if I'm asking any obviousl questions.

 

Elizabeth has been a bit quiet for a couple of days - nothing too much but we said we's keep an eye. This morning she is not eating, tried to wander round with the others, but laid flat. Have managed to catch her at last (thisis something we will have to practice more of but that's a different story). Felt her crop - it's our first "crop" problem so we are novices. We assume an impacted will be sort of rock hard, like a solid thing? This feels sort of squishy, we can feel little gritty bits in there - are we right in assuming that makes it sour crop?

 

I tried to massage her crop with her head pointing down to make it come out as I have read here and in my chicken book, but nothing happened. I've come back and re-read here and I think maybe I have been massaging when I should in fact be putting a pressure on it, sort of pushing it upwards - is that right? Going to have a coffee and try again. Meanwhile she is in a puppy crate in our outbuilding.

 

What else do I do? I read somewhere that I can dissolve some epsom salts in water and give her a little, before feeding her probiotic yoghurt - I have epsom salts, does anything else work?

 

I really would appreciate some step by step advice if you don't mind. We already have Sybil poorly with the sbnuffles and on antibiotics so I'm starting to feel like I'm not doing good by these chooks

 

Thank you.

Edited April 25, 2010 by Guest

[LittleOwl]

OK, after much reading OH and I don't think it's impacted crop as we can feel no solid lumps. Not sure about sour crop either - what we feel doesn't seem large, and we can feel grit in there. When we tipped her upside down and nothing came out - most thread son here it seems that the fluid just cames out - but we did massage her too when she was upside down.

 

She is agitated in her isolation crate, and hasn't sat still since she went in it an hour ago, No poos in there yet either, nor has she drunk water, but she may have been too distracted by [anic. Just popped a small spoonful of yogurt with a chopped up grape (their favourite) and she won't touch it. OH popped two small bits of corn in as an experiment and she ate it staright away.

 

I don't know what to do, Keep her isolated? Starve her? What? I have no idea.

 

**Edited to add: Been to see her and she was distressed in there, and feisty, not lying down anymore, so we have taken the decision to let her back in with the others and observe her some more. We think that massaging her crop may have made it go down a bit, but not certain. We scattered a little corn, and she is rooting around with the rest of them. We'll see what happens.

[Plum]

Don't blame yourself they pick up problems quite commonly. Was the crop like that first thing in the morning. They can be off it and slow emptying the crop if they are having problems laying. Is she straining at all, it makes them quite flat.

 

It may be she's getting snuffles like your other girl so I would check her nostrils and listen to her chest by placing your ear against her back. I found it passed on quite quickly but went ok as well.

 

I would check her all over so look for lice and eggs at base of feathers especially around vent, look for dirty feathers or runny poo which could indicate worms or some infection. Look at colour of comb, face and wattles they go pale if you have redmite in the house and pick her up to check her weight.

 

Hope she picks up.

[LittleOwl]

Thanks so much Plum Yes, we think she was like that first thing, and maybe a little yesterday too, though as we are currently getting Sybil first thing to isolate her we probably didn't notice as much as we should have done. We have picked her up and she feels chunky, think she has a *tiny* catch in her breathing, but that could also be us being paraniod, it certainly isn't noticeable until we're close up. No lice we can see, and we can't worm them yet as Sybil is still on her Baytril. There has been citricidal in the water for 2 days and we'll continue that. Her poo she left in the crate was normal, with some dark green stuff attached, and a little rusty coloured mucus-type stuff? Anyway, she is laid down with all of them after running around for the first time today. I guess chickens also get odd things that happen that pass quickly, just like us people?

 

She did escape from the pen on Thursday and was outside for an hour or two, so could have stuffed herself with grass or something.

 

I do find this all worrying!

[Seagazer]

You're not the only one who worries so don't worry about that!!

 

I should just keep an eye on her for now and see what happens, they really do like to worry us. I feel like all I think about at the moment is chickens

[LittleOwl]

You're right Seagazer!! I just feel everything is chickens chickens chickens! She is lying down again now she is with the others, and they have all been pampering her, snuggling up, so maybe she just needs some down time! An if not, well I don't know what else to do so my feeling is that will she will be better off in there with the others till we know any better,

 

I'm so glad for this place, full of lovely loopy people just like me who understand!

[Plum]

You must have a nice bunch, they usually pick on poorly ones. Hope she picks up by morning.

[LittleOwl]

Plum , you're right. I honestly couldn't tell you who was top or bottom of the pecking order - OH and I had a conversation about this earlier. Even the newbies are slotted in there properly. I guess Rico the cockerel helps that, and although he has hindrances to us in that he attracts total loyalty from his girls and therefore they don't see us as anything too important, he does keep the girls in a pecking order and looks after them.

 

Elizabeth was being 80% busy as usual this evening so I have my fingers crossed that tomorrow she will have perked up.

[LittleOwl]

Ok, Elizabeth seemed her normal self last nightafter her forced isolation from the others. This morning I picked her out of the cube and her crop was empty, so I don't think it can be anything to do with that. She was feisty too, trying to flap so has some energy. However, she has already lying down on the grass and not doing anything, though now she is pottering about again. If she follows yesterday's pattern she will lie down frequently and stay there for a while, or sometimes stand in a corner. So far she has been laying as normal, one a day. Does anyone have any ideas please?