2009 Omlet cube and run for sale

[Millie-Annie]

I have thought long and hard about posting this, as I know of couple of you have had girls P.T.S. recently, but you do what seems right at the time and believe me I got close to it. But I just thought it might give some of you hope.

 

Millicent is an ex-batt. We got her in August 2008. She has always been the healthy one, only been to the vets once for sour crop and got over that without antibiotics, cos she wouldn't take them.

 

In Feb she seemed to start going downhill, she wasn't eating much, she wasn't laying (hadn't for a long time), but she was still bright. Normally I rush mine to the vets but for some reason I decided to watch and wait. She just seemed to be fading, but she could still enjoy the sun on her back, she still pecked the seed heads off the plants. She didn't seem to be pooing much, but she wasn't eating much, she was all feather and bone when I picked her up.

 

It got to the point where she fell when she ran as she was so weak. She would still chase a grape, but fall when she got to it.

 

One morning she didn't get up, so I left her in bed, but she was still alive that night. Then she stopped being able to jump on the ramp to go to bed, so we built an extension.

 

I just had it in my head that she had some sort of tumour and the vet wouldn't be able to do anything, but hand on heart I didn't feel she was suffering. She was just like a weak old lady.

 

We decided to buy her some layers mash as that would be easier for her to eat, but they didn't have any, so my husband bought a bag of Battery hen layers pellets. He also bought a big bag of meal worms and some suet pellets.

 

We had changed their food from our usual brand, but didn't think that had anything to do with it, HOW WRONG WE WERE.

 

As soon as we threw all the old food away and put the battery hen layers pellets in, gave her the meal worms and some suet pellets, life was worth living again.

 

She gobbled everything up and looked for more. I honestly didn't think a chicken would decide 'I don't like that food, I'd rather die" but Millie chicken did.

 

Today she is well, fatter, she even tried laying again for a few days. Her comb is brilliant red and she is her old cheeky self. She has a new friend to boss around as sadly Annie her ex-batt pal died a couple of weeks ago.

 

So don't give up, they are hardier than we give them credit for sometimes

[Christian]

What a wonderful story Thanks for sharing it.

 

Glad that she is back to her old self!

[LittleOwl]

What a lovely story Thanks for sharing, and I'm so pleased for your girl!

[Space Chick]

Amazing

 

I have had a similar thing with Barbara one of my ex batts, I couldn't get ex batt pellets one week so I got some of the normal smallholders, and she seemed poorly and I thought her time was coming (as I'd lost another ex batts a few weeks before). I then managed to get some Garvo, and she went from bad to worse. However, all my girls seemed to not like Garvo so now they are back on ex batt pellets, and Barbara is back to her usual crazy cheeky self.

 

Apparently, if you are an ex batt, you have to see ex batt on the label it would seem

[Millie-Annie]

 

Though she does like Dodson and Horrell. Not sure what brand she didn't like, but it was a brown and pink bag and we won't be getting it again

[Tutti Frutti]

Fantastic story! I was running low on ex-batt pellets so topped up the gravity feeders with A.N.Other layers pellets and ALL the girls just flicked out the new stuff to get to the dregs of the ex-batt pellets at the bottom

 

You've given me an idea though - I might put out three feeders of layers pellets - one ex-batt, one A.N.Other and the third the new pellets I had to dash out and buy! Then I can see which one they eat, which one they ignore and which one they flick all over the floor, cheeky madams

[Plum]

Amazing it was something so simple, it could have been such a different ending. Long may she continue to nibble the seedheads.