daj198 Posted May 14, 2012 Share Posted May 14, 2012 I was doing some maintenance on my bees today and they got very angry and started to attack me (I don't really care), and the chickens. One has died and the other that got stung is not looking great. Any advice? I've removed the stings and given her a very diluted solution of piriton. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olly Posted May 14, 2012 Share Posted May 14, 2012 goodness - I have not heard of this before, and I know quite a few people who keep bees and chickens together. I doubt if there is much you can do, removing the stings is the obvious step (although I should think they were hard to find amongst feathers) - the venom will be in her system by now. I'm so sorry to hear that one of your hens died. Do you know why your bees were so aggressive? I would not want to keep a colony that was that bad-tempered. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daphne Posted May 14, 2012 Share Posted May 14, 2012 No advice, but I hope your girl pulls through, I can see why you've administered piriton. Keep her calm, offer her anything she might want to eat/drink, but I expect she will be in deep shock and not very interested. If she is still with us tomorrow, try a bit harder, at least with the liquids and wet food. This is a new one on me, my bees have never gone anywhere near my birds. Speaking from personal experience, monitor your own reactions. If you have reacted in any way other than the usual localised swelling/pain be very careful next time and don't hesitate to get yourself to A&E if necessary. I am not joking and hopefully not scaremongering, having had to dash someone there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daj198 Posted May 14, 2012 Author Share Posted May 14, 2012 Thank you both for your kind words. She seems to be Improving. I'm going to keep her inside with a hot water bottle tonight. I'd just performed an artificial swarm on the bees so the old colony was left without a queen (just a queen cell). Can't think why that made them attack the crooks though. I've learnt my lesson though. In future, the cooks will be kept well away during inspections. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daj198 Posted May 15, 2012 Author Share Posted May 15, 2012 She's looking a bit better this morning. Very sleepy (not sure if that's the piriton though!). She's not keen on eating anything at the moment so I might have to give her some egg by a straw later- do you think that would do the trick? I'm told it's good for when they're I'll because it's so high in protein... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
superkitty Posted May 15, 2012 Share Posted May 15, 2012 Well done her, for getting through the night! Really sorry to hear about your other girl - what a horrid thing to happen to you all Have you got any nutridrops? They're supposed to work wonders perking them up if they're under the weather, and they're liquid in a dropper if she doesn't feel up to eating? Will be keeping my fingers crossed for her Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daphne Posted May 15, 2012 Share Posted May 15, 2012 Good to hear she is still with us. Nutridrops could be a way to go if you have any. Foodwise, try her with anything - all you need do with the egg is boil and mash it. Getting liquid into her is probably most vital - try wetting pellets so they are a sloppy mash, topped with a treat of choice, offered on your fingers or at least held up to her beak if necessary. I know this last bit makes me sound like an overprotective idiot but I have found sick birds respond well to this type of mollycoddling. They certainly don't get it at other times Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
