4m x 3m Omlet pen, cube, new auto door still boxed and coop light

[Guest]

...are blowing into the hens run this morning and they are diving on them and eating them - will these flowers do them any harm?

Edited May 16, 2011 by Guest

[The Dogmother]

No, don't think so. Hens usually leave any harmful stuff alone.

 

Slightly on topic (for a change) I was remarking yesterday that the rapeseed here seems to be the only crop that is thriving on the drought.. it's 6ft high in places hereabouts, whereas the wheat is only half as high as it ought to be.

[Guest]

Thanks Claret.

 

Am a bit worried about one of the RIRs this morning, she just seems 'different' if that makes sense, it is quite warm and she is lying down but even when walking around she's closing her eyes a lot - something she never does - it is also windy, so i gave her eyes a wipe incase it was grit in them - her breathing is normal, she has laid this morning - call it gut instinct - but she just doesnt look right to me. I'll take her to work this afternoon so i can keep an eye on her. I saw them eating the rape flowers and was worried that it was these making her look 'off'. She's eating fine and drinking. Odd.

[Lavenders_Blue]

Do keep an eye on her, but in the warmer weather, chooks do do an awful lot of sitting around and generally looking lazy.

I found Rosie this morning sitting in the dustbath, not actually dustbathing, just sitting. After she had been there for about half an hour I was starting to think there was something amiss and was just about to go out and give her a once over when she suddenly spotted that the other hens had found something interesting. She got up and ran over to them like a greyhound Clearly I was just being a worry wart!

[Guest]

Something is very wrong with Mrs McCluckskey the vet couldnt find anything apart from her lethargy - she got a jag of a/biotics to be on the safe side, but i'm gutted to say that i dont think she will be here in the morning. Her comb is now listing over to one side, she wants to lie all the time and her eyes keep closing.

 

I've made her a comfy bed separate from the others, i'm giving her droplets of water every so often and for now, she isnt suffering, she is just very lethargic and quiet.

 

Yesterday she was fine, charging around, acting normally.

 

Please send my beautiful girl some prayers tonight

[The Dogmother]

May just be her heart by the sounds of it Wendy.

 

Sorry to hear that, I hope that she has a peaceful passing if she goes, but fingers crossed that she rallies.

[majuka]

I'm so sorry to hear this. Everything crossed here for your special girl.

[gongladosh]

Really hope she recovers.

All the best to her.

[Olly]

So sorry to hear that, hope she recovers.

 

Just to clear up any doubt on the oil-seed rape flowers, I regularly hang gone-to-seed brassicas in the hen run, and they strip the leaves and eat the flowers - there's a huge purple-sprouting broccoli in there this morning. The flowers won't do them any harm at all.

[Guest]

An update on my poorly girl.

 

During the night she looked dreadful, i drip fed fluids into her throughout the night, she was floppy and her comb was hanging over - i fully expected her to have passed away when i checked this morning, but to my complete surprise, there she was sitting up clucking wanting let out - she immediately waddled to the gate and wanted back in with her friends. She is still slower than normal, however her comb is half back up again - she has eaten and drunk and also laid a normal shelled egg (i've disposed of the egg in the bin). Her poo is much whiter than normal and is watery, i've bathed her rear end and removed any feathers that were too badly gunked up.

 

The vet came and had a look at her - she couldnt find anything obvious wrong. She wasnt for having this stranger feeling her all over and struggled and raged - a good sign!

 

She's on Baytril and Metacam - but what's wrong with her is a mystery.

 

I did separate her from the others as she seems tired, but she just wants back with them all the time, no one is pecking or chasing her - so is it ok to leave them together.

 

I've made an extra bed with straw for her and she's dozing in it in the sun just now.

 

Any ideas what else i could try?

[The Dogmother]

The discharge and gunk form her vent makes me wonder if it's an oviduct problem, see what happens over the next 12 hours, but give her plenty of probiotics while she's getting antibs.

[Henergy]

How is she doing ?

[Guest]

Sorry for the delay in replying - have been away in Paris (husband left looking after all the animals!) - am delighted to say that after fairly intensive care that Mrs McCluckskey is still with us and fighting fit again - cant believe she pulled through!

[The Dogmother]

Glad to hear it Wendy, did you have a good time in Paris?

[suzannejoy]

Thats great news .

[Guest]

We had a wonderful time in Paris, my mum had ovarian cancer in 2000 and since then we go to Paris every year for a mini holiday - just the two of us. I love my mum to bits and it's lovely to spend that time with her.

 

Gordon did a great job with Mrs McCluckskey, she needed 24/7 care and looked very poorly for a while - she spent quite a time under a heat lamp - she was given probiotics, baytril and Metacam as well as porridge with added garlic, spinnach and other added goodies to encourage her to eat. After being syringe fed 'pulp' she began pecking the food by herself.

 

Tonight I watched her charging around the garden leaping around catching bugs and was so happy to see her looking so well.

 

Gordon said that her fellow RIR rarely left her side, when Mrs McC was away from the others under the heat lamp, Poppy stood clucking constantly by the gate. Today, Mrs McC was lying sunbathing and there was her pal Poppy cosier up right next to her. I didn't think hens were particularly close to another individual?

[The Dogmother]

That's lovely news Wendy, and well done to OH for the good nursing.

 

My girls definitely have best friends and others they aren't bothered with.

 

Do you think she will lay again? They often don't after a nasty infection.

[Guest]

She went on to make a full recovery and has been laying for the past couple of months...am amazed to be honest as she looked so ill.

[Henergy]

Thats fabulous news