Chicken Memorials

[Mrs Potts]

Hello, everyone.

Any advice you can give/experience you can offer on the following greatly appreciated.

1. Hetty, lovely ex batt, sneezed twice on Wednesday and her breathing was just about audible - nasal on Thursday morning. Late working last night so didn't see them Thursday night but shut them in the Eglu house after dark. Let them out this morning and Hetty's breathing very audible. Her body was heaving like a bellows.

Took her to the vet at once, who gave her a shot of antibiotic and has give me two prefilled syringes of Baytril to use on Saturday and Sunday. She had a temperature of 104 but is still chatting to me and she hasn't stopped eating. The vet said it could go either way and the others might/might not catch whatever it is.

Baytril tastes awful, apparently and the vet wished me luck. What is the best way that you have found to administer it?

 

2. In the eglu, the bottom tray is lined with newspaper and I put Cosy Coop in the nesting part. I don't usually put anything else in the house. The run is on grass, with moving to fresh part of the lawn each month. I have only recently taken to shutting them in the house at night because they get really impatient if I don't let them out at daybreak. Because of all the recent rain, I have covered the run in corrugated clear plastic and a waterproof groundsheet. They don't have a perch yet, though, so I am worried about being on damp ground. So:

- do you think I need to put something else in the house to help keep them warm at night?

- how essential is a perch to chicken health?

 

If you can think of anything else that might help or think I am doing something wrong, let me know.

 

Thanks.

[Olly]

hello, and welcome to the forum. I can't answer the Baytril question, I've never had to administer it, but the answer to your second question is no, your chickens won't mind the cold. They find it much more difficult to cope with being too hot - as long as there isn't a draught at night, and there won't be in the Eglu, then they will be fine.

 

They enjoy perching on things, but I don't think it's essential to chicken health - they rarely stand still, as you'll have noticed, and they don't seem to mind the ground being damp as long as they're not actually standing in puddles or getting rained on.

 

Good luck with the Baytril, someone else on here has doubtless got experience of administering it and will be able to advise.

[Gamebird]

Hi Mrs Pottts

 

I recently had to give one of my girls a course of Baytrill over 7 days. I was advised by my vet to mix it 50/50 with Ribena to make it more palatable. It did seem to do the trick and made my job that much easier.

[Egluntyne]

Yep. I've used the Ribena trick and it really does help the medicine go down.

 

Re Eglus and warmth, have a read of all the blurb on the main website re the double insulation,for reassurance.

 

Even in the depths of last winter's snow my hens were plenty warm enough, with the doors left open at all times.

[sandyhas3chucks]

If she has a temperature the last thing she will want or need is to be made warmer.

I see you have only had about 6/8 weeks many exbats never roost/perch, to begin with their legs are often too weak though this is not an issue with the Eglus , though their preference for their own comfort sometimes is. I had all 3 trying to sleep on the nest causing some right ole arguments. this was sorted by removing the rear roosting bars and giving them their own washing up bowl, although now I just put the bedding on the floor.

I leave the front bars in and any one can perch their or on the side of the best as the sometimes do anyway.

However if i find they are perchers I put something else back in for them.

I also have 2 "posh" birds come for holidays and neither of them have ever perched!!!

I would stick something low for them to sit on in the run, as you don't want them sitting around on the damp ground, with no options. I have also put a plastic underbed storage box in the run with very dry soil for a dust bath.

You could also try a piece of wood fed through the sides, side to side it needn't be too high depending on their strength, maybe lowest till they understand what it is good for you can then higher it as they get the hang of it.

[Mrs Potts]

Hello, to you all.

 

Thank you very much for all the advice.

 

I managed to get the Baytril down with the aid of Ribena - excellent tip. It took a little while to figure out the least stressful method, so I ended up doing it a bit at a time (holding her gently for Baytril, then ten minutes free ranging, then more Baytril). By the end of day two she wasn't exactly drinking it happily, but she took it quite well and none of it came back up. And she's still talking to me.

 

As to the cold, they have a giant garden saucer with dry soil in it under the corrugated part for rolling about in but it never occurred to me to take out roosting bars! So, I have taken out the front set and sprinkled it with Cosy Coop. I know that three end up on the set at the back and one of them sleeps in the egg compartment filled with Cosycoop anyway. And I've gone back to not locking them in - they made such a racket and they start pecking, so open door it is.

 

Fingers crossed that the Baytril works and no-one else starts wheezing.

[staceychristie]

They'll learn where to go to be cozy. We use Hemp in the run, but turn it every couple of days to avoid damp/poo problems. We used to site on grass, but ran out as they are real diggers. We then created an area of slabbed garden, and added the hemp bedding ontop.

In the house, 2 girls ALWAYS sleep in the nest box (GRR) and one perches on the entry to the nest box

I agree the house is warm in the winter, but I'd suggest that you shut the door if it's windy as they'll huddle and fight to get the warmest spot. Also beware of mice/rats who may possibly visit the nestbox at night.

Baytril best given in private (girls will want to know whats going on). WE use an old towel to cover the patient (stops feathers poking our eyes out if she flaps)

 

Good luck

 

Stacey

[MarkBevBen]

Hiya Mrs Potts and everyone, I've just read this thread with interest as one of our girls has been prescribed Baytril. Thanks for the Ribena tip, will try that as well.

 

Hope your Hetty is feeling a bit better MrsP

[MarkBevBen]

Hiya, just thought I'd add another tiip from the very helpful Barbara from Omlet, for getting the medications down.

 

She suggested swaddling Lottie in an old towel and I've found that this, combined with the splash of Ribena has worked a treat. Got her medicine down with no problem this morning

[Mrs Potts]

Hello again.

 

Yes, I do wrap her in a towel - those wings are just so flipping flappy! I can tell when she has had a slurp of Baytril because even though it is with Ribena, she reverses at 100 miles an hour.

 

The Baytril did something but it hasn't fixed the problem. Vet said wait a few days so I gave it three days to work. She isn't worse, but she isn't better and her breathing is still audible and her voice a bit sore, so I picked up another three syringes of Baytril from the vet yesterday, then one new bottle of Ribena and a new bucket of mealworms.

 

Hetty is still up and about, still eating, drinking and trying to escape into the garden so part of me thinks she can't be too bad? False hope? They have poultry spice and some seaweed tonic, fresh water every day and ... well, I don't know what else to do.

 

Thank you for all the help and messages!

[Cheryl]

Oh dear no-one told me that Baytril was so awful tasting ,, my three birds had it neat for a week twice a day !