Unsecure chicken perches

[jellykelly]

I have two that have just shown no real improvement since having them.

One looks really skanky and smells. She's not really got many feathers and they've never grown since january - despite feeding additional protein, applying flowers of sulphur and generally giving her extra cuddles. I checked her skin the other day (completely bald underneath) and her skin is flaky - but it's the smell that comes from her. She hasn't got a mucky bum - she just stinks. She did also have an incident the other day with her crop - I didn't think she'd make it through the night.

 

The other one has had a pale floppy comb and pale face from day one and will take her self off, fluffed up and tail down and have a nap. She'll do this several times a day but once awake resumes normal chickeny behaviour.

 

Should I just leave them to it, as they're doing all the things that chickens should or are there other options I could try that I haven't thought of?

 

I am putting all other lotions and potions in their water - so it's not like I'm not trying.

BTW - when I spoke to the vet a while ago - he was all for despatching them - so not much help.

[Patricia W]

I'll bump this up for you - having just got some ex-bats I'm interested in the answer

 

Tricia

[Guest]

ours took ages to get their plumage back and they were smelly when we got them, it's the environment they've been kept in.

 

what do you mean she had an 'incident' with her crop? if she has sour crop then that coukd be where the smell is coming from but you need to tell us exactly what you mean by 'incident'.

 

are they laying?

 

'life guard poultry tonic' is excellent stuff and you could also try them with some avipro.

 

the one with flaky skin, are you sure she doesn't have mites? It might be an idea for a vet to examine some of the skin under a microscope, if she smells she could have a skin parasite or infection of some sort?

[jellykelly]

The smelly ex batt had impacted crop the other night. It was so large it was restricting her breathing. She was brought in the house and had the massage etc and was right as rain in the morning.

 

I have treated for every kind of lice/mite that you can imagine. The flowers of sulphur stuff I rub into her is meant to deal with any depluming mite there may be.

 

She's not got sour crop or anything obvious. The feathers she does have are just the fluffy white down that is under the thicker brown ones. She has the shafts of the feathers on her wings but no actual feather coming off of the shaft.

 

The other one (paley comb and face), the vet suggested that she may have had a respiritory illness in her past that she never actually recovered from properly.

 

I'm at a loss as to what more I can do to improve their condition. The other three, you are no longer able to tell that they were ever battery hens.

[Tutti Frutti]

Ooer they're a worry, aren't they? Is she bottom of the pecking order? Maybe the others are pulling out her new feathers? Any idea where the smell's coming from?

[jellykelly]

She's not the bottom - she's somewhere in the middle. The smell is just her! It's coming from her..... I dunno, pores maybe?

 

I hoping the brighter weather will encourage new feather growth.

[Guest]

try gently bathing her with warm water with a little citricidal in it- Citricidal is a natural anti-viral, anti-bacterial, anti-parasitic and anti-fungal derived from grapefruit seeds

 

you can also add a little citricidal to their water.

[jellykelly]

Got the citricidal and adding to the water. I will try bathing her again if warm tomorrow. I didn't thnk of using the citricidl for that. I use to wash down the coops occassionally.

I will let you know if it helps.

 

Thankyou

[Guest]

doesn't matter if she trys to drink her bath water either

[sandyhas3chucks]

I am frustrated by this new format, do long post and lose them

I have had girls not thrive as the others, that have turned out to have a low grade infection that they were srtuggling with. After a course of antibiotics they have all three blossomed(all different releases!

I think if yoy have had them a while it really is worth a trip to (a good) vet. IMO

[Falkor]

Maybe a trip to the vet is in order as Sandy says?

 

Have you thought about seperating the two that are not thriving from the rest of the flock? This could give them a chance to build themselves up without having to worry about holding their place in the pecking order and allow you to monitor them and their food consumption etc more closely. Obviosuly a controlled introduction back into the flock would be required here too.

 

Are they laying?

 

Regarding the smelliness - I have brought home chooks that are a little on the whiffy side but this has slowly passed when fed on a strict diet of pellets, bokashi, garlic powder and water (with 3 days pm ACV and one 1l lifeguard dosed water pw) and grit available. They had their own little detox.

 

I think that in the past I have been guilty of throwing all sorts of lotions and potions at the chooks and cats when in actual fact when left pretty much alone with a nutrional diet and fresh water they have corrected themselves. Obviously if in distress or no progress is made over period then I have popped them straight up the vet.

 

I hope your ladies are well soon.