Chicken boarders

[MrScruff]

Hi All

Apologies for not posting for a while...and now for the massive post. I will post some info regarding our ex-bat experience for new chicken owners over the next few weeks. Needless to say that I think they are such amazing pets, anyone reading this really shouldn't hesitate to get some!.

As the heading of this topic reads, I am after some help and advice regarding one of our girls. We lost one of our four girls over xmas following the really cold snap. We have had them since July and all four of them at some time have had problems with laying, soft eggs, big eggs, wrinkly eggs, thin shells et etc Will post my findings on feeds to try on a different post.

We noticed that she had been hunched up on and off for a day or two, but was still eating and wandering around the garden. She has had some major egg laying problems in the past and tended to lay some massive eggs, the build up to which used to wipe her out following a week or two break. So it wasn't the first time we had seen her hunched up (but not for this long). In between checking on her I noticed she had lost a lot of weight (hidden by all those feathers) and her neck seemed very bony (It sounds really silly, but my original thought was that she had broken her neck). I am not sure if it was just the way she had started to hold herself, but her wing carry was very low, she was plumped up and her head was held very much back into her body (hence the neck bones feeling out of place). Plenty of reading followed and we brought her indoors (thanks for the advice!) and gave her whatever feed she could eat. She still carried herself very odd, but was standing fine, walking round the dining room slowly and letting off the odd shout, but very chilled out (although more likely to tired or ill to move). When I went to the bottom of the garden to see the girls she followed, but was still quite weak. Next day the girls came up to see her and she went out and ate loads with them..then returned to this hunched position. I did check her all over and she did seem "normal", but did take her to the vets. He couldn't find anything wrong with her apart from the weight loss, but wanted to see her the next day. Unfortunately she didn't make it through the night. I think she went quite peacefully as none of her food and water bowls were knocked over.

This really unsettled the three girls and there was a lot of shouting over the next few days from them. Anyway, when Barbara had finished her moult I got three more hens. A light Sussex, a Bluebell and a Speckedly at point of Lay. Introduction now after two weeks is going well. The only thing I have noticed is that Barbara has started to hold herself a bit funny. Nowhere near as bad as Enid, but she was a bit withdrawn on the weekend, not eating as much. She seems to be the only one still bothered by the new ones, although she is not top dog. When I picked her up on the weekend I felt that protruding neck bone thing again and her crop wasn't that full. On the first day I put the new girls in...she squawked and squawked constantly till she made herself sick.

Have started on a course of Flubevent just in case, but was wondering if anyone else has had any similar problems as I want to get to the root of this just in case there is something they have picked up rather than the cold.

Best wishes

Ian

[Patricia W]

Sorry to hear of your tribulations. I think it may just be a coincidence that the second hen is hunched up. Mine do this if they are about to lay a soft egg. Once they've done that, they perk up and get on as usual. I'd just keep an eye on her

[sandyhas3chucks]

what are her poos like? if they are wet the simplest thing would be to send a sample for anaylisis .

Is her crop empty in the morning?

good luck

[oneyolktoanother]

sorry to hear about your hen i was alsi going to ask if her crop was empty in the morning too, as one of my hen had impacted crop and it started abit like this and would feel her crop but it would seem empty but by the the next morning when let her out her crop was like a hard small golfball. Now she is back to full health running round and scoffing i would also check if she has runny poops. let us know how you get on

[MrScruff]

Hi

Thanks for replies and apologies for not getting back sooner. Been pulling some late starts to keep an eye on my girls and then late nights to make up.

First thing is that she is getting back on the mend. I did think she was going the same route as Enid, but I think I managed to get in earlier and keep her interested in food, which kept her strength up. Her crop wasn't hard and almost seemed quite squishy/watery. She had been drinking a lot of water, similarly with Enid with identical symptoms and I tend to give a bowl of watery mash/pellet in the morning and she would just drink off the pools of water from the top. Mealworms, she would love, but anything more solid (corn etc) she would just walk away and leave. Anyway after a week of mealworm protein for brekkie (home bargains often do these quite cheaply) I saw her start to eat some pellet and mash and at night her crop was becoming more full and "lumpy"…ie she had been eating things that were more solid.

We went through a week of worming and changed feeds from Casle to Heygates…and now onto Garvo (which looks amazing btw and will post separately). Anyway, she seems a bit more with it and crops are all rammed full of food-her comb is still a bit dry and pale, but her feathers have much of a shine to them rather than looking dull and dirty.

I really think they had just had enough of the cold spell, and this one is just a bit stronger-I did read through numerous posts on the forum and there were so many other people posting with similar symptoms. I also think the feed I was giving them just wasn't good enough. Castle feeds, a mix of mash and pellet in dry and porridge form. The girls would eat around the ex-batt food to get at it, so I kept them on it, but have had no end of egg laying problems and wrinkly eggs. With the winter snap, I just don't think they were getting enough from the food.

Changed to Heygates pellets (the new girls were fed on this so I bought a bag to settle them in) and now Garvo and not a wrinkly egg in sight!. We have had a few of the wobbly thin shelled eggs, possibly from the new girls that are just POL, but the Garvo mash looks incredible…and they go crazy for it…pellets too, but not as much as the mash (the Castle feeds mash just looked like dust!)

Anyway, will post about the other things as I have been away from the forum for a while (sorry)

Thanks again for your concerns

Cheers

Ian

[oneyolktoanother]

Glad to hear she is picking up its great how the eggs have gone back to good condition, we have smallholders pellets i was thinking of changing them

[sandyhas3chucks]

love to hear good news and interesting too.

[MrScruff]

Thanks all

Well after posting yesterday she is still not 100%. Have been off today and yesterday and one of the girls left an enormous green and white watery poo by the back door.. and spotted her first thing this morning doing the same. Crop still had a small amount of food in it so I have gave it a bit of a massage this morning and fed her some mealworms with live yoghurt.

Just checked her now and she is feeding well, and had filled up on food again, but is still not as active and as mobile as the others. Had a good read and will pick up some Orego-stim later for starters. Am not sure if she is laying, but I think she is well past that stage-I don't mind..I just don't want her to be in any discomfort.

Anyway am not too worried at the moment, and it doesnt help with the other being so damn active. "Ooops, word censored!"ody told me hens with this crazy-they are just into everything!!

Cheers

Ian

 

ps-Seems like the only Garvo suppliers near me in Cardiff are neath feed supplies. Details on the garvo webpage, but they are pretty good. Ask for your order by text and then deliver about a week or two later

[sandyhas3chucks]

Am I right in thi king you have not sent of a sample for analysis?

It really IS the way to go, see what she has and get the appropriate treatment. It will cost £23 -£28 for the tests and maybe approx £10 for CORRECT meds for what ever she has.

[MrScruff]

Hi sandy

Yes, I think I might send a sample away as the poo this morning was very bright green and white.

I did have a look around yesterday on the forum, but just wanted to check about sending a sample away (how, where, how much, do I need to get in touch first etc)

Any advice would be great

Cheers

Ian

[sandyhas3chucks]

Re: Sending a sample to Retfords

http://www.thepoultrysite.com/directory/1/uk-and-ireland/41/veterinary-practices-and-consultants/1577/retford-poultry-partnership approx £28 including a worm count. Meds??? approx £14 for 8 girls depending on what is required. Guaranteed next day delivery £4--£5 Some anti b's from your own vet may f...

by sandyhas3chucks

Tue Nov 30, 2010 8:34 pm

 

Forum: Chicken Clinic

Topic: Sending a sample to Retfords *Sad Update*

Replies: 11

Views: 277

[MrScruff]

Thank you!!

Will tell you how I get on. She perked up over the weekend, still eating ok, green poo has stopped, but she is still not 100%

Did add some Orego-stim to their water, so I will report back to see how they get on with that too

Thanks all so much

Cheers

Ian

[Cazjohn]

Hi There,

 

Just a thought on the food, I found with my ex-batts that once I changed their food to the ex-batts mix they seemed to be generally healthier,

 

This is only my opinion but I feel that Layers Mash or Pellets encourages them to lay, possibly then leading to problems with peritonitis, since I changed their feed I haven't had a single case of peritonitis - nothing scientific here could just be coincidence!

 

Caroline

[sandyhas3chucks]

the ex bats mix is still a layers mix!

So sadly will not stop them laying. , it has apparently MORE of the essentials that they need to lay regrow feathers etc.

the only thing that stops them laying is an implant or a Delvosterone injection!