What makes a chicken coop easy to live with?

[the bradley bunch]

hi,

 

my littlest girl Boo is having some problems this afternoon and neither me or hubby know what's wrong with her

 

we've been sitting in the garden with the girls whilst they FR this afternoon, and about an hour ago i noticed something white hanging from Boo's bottom. i got some tissue & went over to give it a wipe (she occassionally gets clear runnys), and realised it was actually a soft solid form. not knowing what it was i was unsure whether to leave her to push it out on her own (frightened if i pulled it i might make it worse), or whether to just help it out. at first we didn't think it was bothering her so hubby convinced me we'd be better to leave her and see if she was able to pass it naturally, but upon watching her we could see that she was distressed by the problem...she kept squatting as she walked and was unable to poo properly. so not having a chicken vet in the area we decided to take the risk & help her get the thing out rather than leave her distressed and uncomfortable.

i held her still whilst hubby gently pulled and what came out was a soft (undeveloped?) egg shell or maybe an egg shell membrane? after removing it i was able to get a good look at her vent area (she's still got a bald rump from the battery farm) and i could see some dried on egg yolk around her bottom.

 

does anybody know what has happened here? should i take her to the vet? or just clean her up and leave her to it?

she seems ok now and is just walking around pecking at the grass...but i really would like to clean the yolk from around her vent. only problem is she hates being handled (it seems to hurt her and we suspect she has brittle bones which is apparently common in ex-bats). so i am really at a loss what to do and i'd also feel much more at ease if i knew the cause of her symptoms...

 

any help/advice will be greatly appreciated x

Edited August 31, 2010 by Guest

[Egluntyne]

It is just a soft egg from the sound of it. I wouldn't bother with the vet at this stage, as it is probably just a blip and not uncommon.

 

Might be worth giving her a calcium supplement.

[the bradley bunch]

thank u so much for the reassurance egluntyne, what type of calcium supplement would i give her? is it something i might have in the kitchen cupboards or something specific to poultry? sorry if that's a really dumb question i'm just still learning at the mo

also, what do you recommend i do about her yolky bum? should i just leave her to tend to it herself, or should i try maybe giving her bottom a warm bath? her wings are still very feather bare & she's extremely fragile, and because she gets so distressed at being handled i'm very frightened about damaging her - if the bathing is needed do you think holding her using a soft tea towel to protect her wings & minimise her struggling is a good idea?

 

sorry for all the questions, this is the first real problem i've encountered so think i'm still a bit nervous

[Plum]

Bit late now but in the morning I would give her a wash. If you stand her in warm water she'll relax (Should) and then you won't need to restrain her. You can put some mild shampoo or detergent on feathers to clean them. Work it in a bit and rinse loads then a gentle rub with a towel and blow dry which they seem to love. She'll be putty in your hands after all that . The trouble leaving them dirty is they can get fly strike - flies laying eggs on them, not nice.

 

Calcium can be given as crushed baked egg shells, limestone flour (from horsey shop) or liquid calcium from pet shop which usually has some vit D in as well that helps absorb the Calcium. I give a splash of cod liver oil instead for the vitD. I would just use it for a while until eggs firm up and I would make sure they always have access to mixed poultry grit which has oyster shell in it.

[Egluntyne]

As Plum says, give her a bit of a wash in the morning. Calcium supplement - you could try limestone flour available at equestrian shops. Add codliver oil to the pellets to coat them (the vit D3 contained in it will assist with the absorption) and then stir in the LSF to coat.

 

Or you could try a soluble supplement which you add to the drinking water, eg ZolcalD.

[CluckyBucks]

Hi there,

 

I had this trouble with one of my girls a few weeks back. I eased it out as she was unable to do it by herself and she perked up a little while after. I cleaned her vent with a warm, wet kitchen towel until it was clean and then kept my eye on her. Rogina is famous for undeveloped eggs I hope your girl is alright now and that it doesnt happen again.

 

 

xx xx

[the bradley bunch]

thanks for all the replies & words of reassurance...i'm happy to tell you all that after a couple of worrying days for both us & poor Boo who didn't seem to know what to do with herself...and 2 hours of clucking in the nest box yesterday morning, she laid a beautiful perfectly formed egg and she seemed as proud of herself as we were of her

Lulubelle bless her heart also proved to be a great sister, staying by Boo's side the whole time she was in the nest box, leaving her side only to bring her extra bedding and giving her lots of 'beak kisses' to comfort her along the way

[gongladosh]

nice to see things are getting back to normal.

 

I reckon extra cuddles always go down well - one of my hens (Kiki) can sometimes act a bit depressed and quiet when she's got a softie on the way, but once it's laid she's back to normal.

[the bradley bunch]

thanks gong, i took your advice of extra cuddles & Boo (who normally gets distressed at being handled), enjoyed my new approach of being wrapped in a nice cosy blanket when i pick her up & yesterday afternoon fell alseep in my arms as we lay in the garden hammock together i'm so happy i've finally found a way to bond physically with her and it was such a lovely feeling having her relaxed & clearly feeling safe in my arms.

i think i'm going to make a post about the experience because i'm so happy i've finally found a way to 'seal' the closeness of our relationship, and maybe the blanket approach will help other omletters who have hens with brittle bones or trouble handling because of their terrible past.

 

ps. hope kiki is continuing to get on well with her new sisters