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

[Heidi-Hi]

Hi,

 

Just came back from the vet. Two of my girls have got Frounce. She has given me medicine, and said 'see how it goes, and come back in a week so we can see if it has worked'.

 

I've done a bit of researching, and its 50/50. Some say treat, some say cull, as it is very infectious and a carrier decease.

 

I don't know what to do for the best They are very poorly, very thin, not eating and I just want to do what is best. Has anyone had this?

Edited May 15, 2011 by Guest

[Egluntyne]

Not heard the term before. Googling suggests it is trichomonas.

 

I'd give them a chance and review at the end of the week.

[Chucky Mama]

Don't know much about it to be honest. I would certainly isolate them and I suppose now that you have paid for the consultation and treatment you might as well give it a go. Will you be able ever to mix this stock with new stock though without them being infected? If not that might be your deciding factor.

[Heidi-Hi]

The upsetness is actually only hitting me now. They are in a seperate cage/small run, within the free range area. The other chickens can still move around them. Is that enough to keep them seperate, or should I move them totally away? Actually, thinking about it, I should do that anyway. I will treat them, but if they are not showing much improvement over a few days, I think I should just do what is best for them and let them go

[gongladosh]

I'd isolate where possible then treat.

 

I'd only have a girl PTS if her quality of life was bad or if she's in pain, I'd agree with Egluntyne, give her a week of treatment and have another look at it then.

 

I wouldn't worry too much about the bird being a carrier if the disease has been treated - if a bird gets mycoplasma, it remains a carrier for life even if the disease is treated; two of mine had myco and were successfully treated - they're fine now.

 

Good luck!

[Heidi-Hi]

Well, this morning one of them certainly looks a lot better. The other one (she has got it worse) is still not eating. I've made them rice (nice and mushy), mixed with chopped boiled egg, yogurt, dried mealworms and garvo all mixed in. The better one is stuffing her face, bless her, she is so hungry. (Vet says Frounce affects mouth, throat etc, so they can't eat 'cause it hurts).

 

VERY worried about the other one though... If she doesn't eat today I don't know, because she is basically starving to death

[gongladosh]

you could always try syringing some liquid food directly into her mouth - it's not without risk, but might help keep her strength up.

[Egluntyne]

I agree I'd make a smooth 'soup' with no bits in it. It might slide down more easily.

[Chucky Mama]

.

 

VERY worried about the other one though... If she doesn't eat today I don't know, because she is basically starving to death

 

You need to get something down her otherwise she will fade quickly. You could try some baby food (fruit or veg based) which is thin enough to get down a syringe. Giving something of this texture tends to be less easily inhaled than pure liquid. Keep her closely confined to reduce the amount of energy she uses up and make sure that she is kept in an environment where she doesn't need to use us valuable energy keeping warm. Little and often is the key with the food. Good luck but you may have to make a difficult decision if she can't eat as as you quite rightly say, she will starve to death

[Heidi-Hi]

I have just given them their medicine, and I also liquidised the mixture I made earlier - minus the mealworms and garvo. I chucked in a raw egg to make it runnier. I syringed that down her throat. I had to stroke her throat to get her to swallow. She really struggled, but managed to keep it down. I feel so much better knowing she has something in her tummy now. I did see her drinking, so thats good too. I hope she is on the mend Thank you for all your advice xx

[Heidi-Hi]

I had to make the very sad decision to let Cherry go this afternoon. I was trying to give her her medicine, and she just threw it all up violently, and she was gasping for air. My husband came over, he could see something was up. I was just sitting on the grass with her on my lap, and I just looked at him and he said it was time

 

The other one seems to be doing fine, I think I caught the Frounce early enough in her. What a day, I don't ever want to do that again...

[Chucky Mama]

Sorry to hear that, how sad for you but it sounds like she had got it pretty badly. Well done for doing the right thing and ending her suffering. It is not easy to do, it takes some guts.

[gongladosh]

Really sorry to hear it. You did your best for her, RIP Cherry.

[Egluntyne]

Sorry to hear it, but you have done the right thing.

 

Here's hoping that your other hen continues to improve.

[The Dogmother]

I'm sorry to hear that, if you can get them past the first 36 hours with meds then they stand a real chance.

[Heidi-Hi]

Thank you for your kind words. I know it was the right thing to do, but try and explain it to a 7 year old... Anyway, Strawberry seems ever better today, even gave me an egg! She hasn't got any of that yukky yellow cheesy stuff in her mouth, so I really think I got her just in time to catch it good and proper with the Septrin. I will put her back with the others tomorrow.

[The Dogmother]

Just make sure that you are bolstering her gut after all the antibs - feed her natural live yoghurt with Bokashi bran in it and pop some ACV in the water too.

[Patricia W]

So sorry, Heidi. I'd never heard of Frounce before. I hope the others recover.

[Jools]

Trichomoniasis in birds is canker I think. We had an outbreak in our wild finch population a few years ago and were advised by our vet to be fastidious with hygiene as it's highly contagious. We used some Virkon S to disinfect all feeders (and fences and areas below feeders) - you can buy it in small sachets now.

 

Sorry to hear about your loss

[Heidi-Hi]

Just make sure that you are bolstering her gut after all the antibs - feed her natural live yoghurt with Bokashi bran in it and pop some ACV in the water too.

 

Thanks Claret, good idea. We do it for ourselves after antibs, so why not for them? I don't know what I would do without this forum

[cathybc]

sorry to see the update x

[Heidi-Hi]

She is doing so well Gave me another egg today (not using them though for a while). She is running round tail up, eating well and just being her again. I am really pleased