What makes a chicken coop easy to live with?

[madchick]

Hi

 

I recently posted about my chicken Emerald as she had a bleeding vent. This then went on to diahorrea real bad for 2-3 weeks. The vet put her on 10 days Baytril and Pancur to worm her. Since before all this she hasn't laid a single egg. But noticed last week after the poo cleared up she was straining to the point of looking like she would poo but little or nothing came out. Now she is sitting on the nest all fluffed up and wont eat. She is straining as if she wants to pass an egg. We were away for 5 days and had someone feed the chooks who said they were all up and eating but I found significant amount of blood in the eglo this morning consistant with straining. Not seen any passed since but took her to the vets and he examined her and felt an egg and believed she is egg bound. He has given her a calcium injection and she is still straining. I have separated her from the others. Could all these problems be because she has a huge egg and cant pass it? she has lost loads of weight and is just skin and bone since she got ill. She wont eat today but has had water. Her comb is red and she has had good days where she appears normal and then goes down hill again. i'm worried that there are eggs backing up inside her and she will die if we can get this egg out.

Any advise very gratefully recieved.

[madchick]

Oh just wanted to add that up to about 6 weeks ago she was laying eggs pretty much daily but did try eating them. I have now made sure the chooks get supplements and oyster shell as the vet thought she might lack calcium. Emerald is about 2 1/2 year old ex batt.

 

Madchick

[Egluntyne]

She may have an obstruction interfering with the passage of eggs. These hybrids, which are bred to churn out eggs, often develop problems of this sort I'm afraid.

 

Might be worth taking her back to the vet.

[madchick]

Hi there

 

Interestingly I mentioned to the vet that the poo's she had passed were now normal consistancy but about as big round as my little finger not the usual big dollup that they do. Maybe she has a tumour. Anyhow discussed things with the vet today and we will make a decision at the end of the week on whether we carry on or let her go. She's had 12 months more than she would have and I want her to have a good life and if thats not possible I want her suffering to stop.

Thanks for your response.

[staceychristie]

Sorry to hear of her problems.

I think you are doing all you can for her.

Ours stands a bit bow legged, and had a tight rear end. Her poops were mainly white and fluidy. She's an exbatt, and the vet told us to use 2ml of liquid paraffin down the beak which helped her poop better (she's never laid a good egg, mainly shelless or shells like balloons after all the suppliments, grit etc etc).

I guess as long as she's happy and not in distress, then that's fine - but hen's very rarely let you know how bad things are till it's too far gone.

Good luck

 

Stacey