3.6m Omlet Chicken Run for sale, Brand New in Boxes, Milton Keynes (MK19)

[catherinedon]

just wondering who goes to the vets. I have guinea pigs and hamsters and have never been to the vets. One of my chickens has a sore eye and one is sneezing so it has been suggested that I go to the vets. I think I know where the nearest vet it but does it cost a lot. I can see my dh thinking I am nuts taking a chicken to the vets Im sure he will complain about the cost so Im not sure what to do

[Snoxy]

When Stella has been unwell a couple of times I have firstly tried Nutridrops and they have worked wonders on both occasions...she looked like she was going to pop her clogs bless her

 

Daphne had a sore eye and I bathed it in cold tea and it got better within a day

 

Now that I have found a vet that knows about hens I would take my girls if necessary

[Ain't Nobody Here]

I gave it a fortnight dosing with Citricidal when Beth was snotty and sneezy then decided it had to be the vets. £37 and antibiotics and she's pretty well cured now. He did offer poo and throat swab tests but at £150 I declined!

 

I have taken a poorly hamster to the vet too but sadly he died anyway .

[coco]

I have taken chickens to the vets. My light sussex Flora had Coccidiosis last summer and was really ill with it. I am sure I would have lost her if it had not been for the injection the vet was able to give her which got into her system quicker. I have also taken one of my hens to be PTS, she was dying slowly after being ill for a while [had been seen by a vet]. At least the vet could end her suffering. I do try and treat the girls myself but sometimes a trip to the vets is needed.

[catherinedon]

citricidal and nutridrops . I think nutri drops sound self explanatory but what is citricidal. Do you all think I should try these. chickens seem really well eating, perching etc so didnt really want to rush to the vet but may see if vets near me are any good with chickens. will pop in and ask. all advice welcome thanks

[Luvachicken]

My vet only charged a small animal fee for Evie when she was ill - so less than my dog but the medicine still costs - and hubby always asks if it is really neccessary . The thing is, I always say to him that we can help ourselves to asprins etc but the animals can't - but I must admit I'm terrible at making the decision about going to the vets.

[Gertie]

I do take mine to the vet. The vet near me does know something about hens so I'm lucky. I have a range of potions & lotions but if they don't work & hen doesn't improve within 24 hours I take em to the vet. I can't bear the thought of not trying to do everything I can to make them well! It can add up cost wise though!!

 

Citricidal is grapefruit seed extract, good for sniffles & general wellbeing. Nutridrops seem really good, I think they are vitamins, says to give energy & stimulate appetite in weak or poorly birds. I've been giving them to an ex batt I have just got & she seems improved & lively.

[Space Chick]

OH and I agreed no vets for the chickens...... That lasted until the first girl was ill

 

Now, I adopt the nutridrop or citracidal or other treatment approach, but if it doesn't work they go to the vets

[Clur]

Ditto Debs!

[Redwing]

I've been to the vets a couple of times but now often just call in, say what I think is wrong and the vet will prescribe meds for me but I've had to demonstrate some knowledge so he would trust my judgement

[Patricia W]

My vet is very good. He used to keep chickens himself and is always willing to trust my judgement and will let me just pick up Baytril (£8 per course) - but then I don't go often - maybe twice in the last year?

[Olly]

I've been lucky *touches wood* my chooks have never had infections - if they did I'd take them to the vet for antibiotics, but I'm not sure I would go any further, for example I wouldn't put them through an operation. I had to take one chicken to be PTS and the vet only charged a 'small animal' fee which was relatively cheap.

 

I made a policy decision before I got my hens that I wouldn't go to the same lengths either in cost or treatment as I have done for the cats - this is not about their intrinsic value but it's about the fact that they are relatively short-lived and they are not very robust; you could spend a lot of money on treatment and then have a hen die from the stress of it all. I wouldn't let them suffer a long illness though.

[beach chick]

I think I'm with Olly on this one. I have a poorly girl at the mo; should probably have taken her last week but we were snowed in, and I'm not prepared to do emergency vet at the w/e for a chook. having said that, I did have some baytril in the house, and did all the usual - bring her into the warm, feed tuna, syringe some water in etc.

so, we will go to the vet tomorrow or tues, depending which day he's in and see what he says - I'm lucky we have a good chicken vet within 5 miles. but if it comes to an op or something - then no, I'm afraid. for me they are pets with a purpose but they are not on the same scale as the cats or dogs. if they are suffering and unlikely to get better without vast expense, then a simple injection is the thing.

[Redwing]

lots of people dont take chooks to the vet but there is a difference between seeing how an illness progresses and ignoring a chook in pain and letting it suffer

[sparkysmum]

I take my ladies to the vets if need be. I have to say though they have all been remarkably healthy, touch wood, and I've only had to go on a couple of occassions

[beach chick]

I just wanted to add to my 'pets with a purpose' comment - if they are fit and well and want to live out their old age not laying anything, that's no problem at all! I'm just kind of anti too much veterinary intervention in a relatively short-lived and essentially wild animal. Medication for illness, yes - surgery, no. Dogs and cats can cope with medication/surgery, so can horses and even bunnies, but I think if a chicken cant be a chicken and do chickeny things then quality of life becomes the issue.

[LauraJ]

We pretty much have our own chair at the vets (one dog, one cat, four hens and a rabbit), and I'm pretty sure they charge us 'mates rates' now.... I have to say that I quite often come back from the vet thinking 'I probably knew that he/she didn't need to go' BUT I would never forgive myself if any of the animals turned out to have something wrong with them. I did look into chicken insurance a while ago but it seemed very expensive.. Has anyone else got hen insurance?

[Henhathnofury]

Interesting question. To be honest, it really depends how the chickens are regarded in your life - whether they are farm animals or pets. But whatever role they play - I would never let an animal suffer. Our chickens are very beloved pets - they have grown on us at such an astonishing rate. It was immediate love and I feel a great sense of nurturing passion for the daft little girls. We have found a sympathetic and empathetic avian vet who knows how we see them. They feel pain just like any other pet. I have a little more confidence in treating minor ailments now but I would recommend anyone having chickens to research the illness side before they get them. It can be a shock to people living the good life.

 

I don't smoke. I don't drink. I don't gamble. My name is henhathnofury and I am addicted to chickens. So yes, I will spend money on them and in return, they make me laugh, they make me happy.

[megalin]

I've had 1 girl who's had Mycoplasma pretty bad, sniffling sneezing alot, bubbly eyes and general fatigue

I took her to the vets after about 2 weeks of it not getting better.

I think trust your judgement.

Personally I got to the point where I was worrying about her all the time

and she just looked so miserable It broke my heart. I got a prescription for Baytril but It made very little difference. (Used for 10 days) A week after I stopped I bought some Herban and after a few days of it she was looking fab.

Don't know if it was just a delayed reaction from the antibiotics!?

Also I've given her loads of fruit and yoghurt esp' Blueberries. Nutri drops are good for when they're very low

and liquid tonic has helped too I think.

 

Must say it was funny going to the vets with a chicken in London though

[catherinedon]

citricidal is added to water but my chickens seem to drink very little does that matter?

[miller30]

I used to take mine to the vets but whatever is wrong with a chicken they will give you baytril and charge a min of £50 well mine do its even £50 to get one pts ive spent hundreds of pounds at the vets over the years and i just cant keep forking out i was going to the vets and telling them what was wrong with my birds so now i treat them myself and if i cant i have a friend who will put them out of their misery i had an old hybrid at the beginning of the year who had a prolaspe and was eating it i took her straight to my friends it is a horrible decision to make and i felt guilty for days but ive had so much bad luck since keeping chicken i have started to to become hard leanne.

[Bramble]

This is a great post. I've only had my chucks a few months and so far, so good, we haven't needed a vet (hope I don't regret typing this?) but I've thought long and hard about what I would do if I had a sick chuck.

Obviously I would NEVER leave one to suffer, absolutely no way, but like others on here, I really don't think I would put a chuck through an op (that Animal Madhouse prog that was on a couple of weeks ago reinforced that one). I don't think it's a question of cost (although of course that has to be a factor), but I don't think it's fair to put a chuck through the stress of an op etc when there seems to be a very small chance that they will benefit long term.

My chucks are pets, pure and simple, (just as well since it's months since I had any eggs!!!) and I just want them to be able to live out the rest of their retirement happily.

It's a very difficult question and I don't think there's a right and wrong answer. i think the main thing is to make sure they don't suffer and if that simply means having them put to sleep then maybe that's the best thing to do? All of this said, I haven't faced the problem yet, no doubt I will feel differently as and when?

[catherinedon]

Miller 30 I pretty much feel the same as you and have spoken to the lady at the hatchery where I bought them and discussed the whole issue. She is great and has advised me well but warned that she has seen people spend hundreds at the vet which I have no intension of doing. she is fab with treatment advice and obviously I would do all i could but she says if any of my chickens became terribly unwell they would put them to sleep for me. This is sad but equally great to know as I wont have to leave any to suffer but really hoping I dont have to think about this for a long long time

[Mercedes55]

We've only taken one of our girls to the vets and that was our ex batt Bella who saw the vet on Saturday. I really think if she hadn't gone to the vet she wouldn't have survived as she was diagnosed with peritonitis and the vet pulled a whole load of stuff out of her vent and it was obvious she was feeling unwell. For us it's a question of balance and we feel that our ex batts have had such a bad start to life that it's only right that we should do out utmost to give them a happy retirement. Of course we feel the same way about our new girls too, but having seen how terrible ex batts look when you first get them there is no doubt that you develop a strong bond with them as they start to feather up and begin to act like a normal hen should. However as some have already said I don't think we would go down the line of surgery for them, but who knows what we would decide if it ever came to that

[Griffin]

If I really really have to get treatment for a hen then I'll go to see a specialist avian vet, not my usual local vets who are rubbish with hens. I've built up a selection of bits and bobs at home to use on the girls but if needs be I despatch them myself because I know I can do it safely in seconds without the need for a potentially stressful and expensive trip to the vets.