Pro - Does anyone else's nest boxes get soaked in rain?

[Monty14]

Have a Lavender Araucana, Tilly, who is 18 mths old but never laid. She initially had lovely bright pink comb but this faded and she appeared lethargic. Upon checking we discovered a major lice infestation which we bathed her in flea shampoo and applied all diatom. Seemed to work for a short while but a couple of months later same thing. Removed all egg clusters by hand, bathed her (bless her she was so good!) and applied Spot On. She's also had flubenvet with the other hens. She does seem perkier, eats and drinks fine and loves her corn but her comb is dry, scaly and very pale and no sign on any laying. Ok may not get eggs, but she looks washed out. Had her checked 8 mths ago by Avian vet and he could find nothing physically wrong, but I'm beginning to worry she may be an internal layer and that is slowly poisoning her?

[Tweety]

As I'm sure you know, pure breeds stop laying during the winter months, so this may have something to do with her pale comb etc.

 

If she were mine, I would take her back to the vet to check that all is still ok, then give her a good tonic such as Lifeguard which really does help.

 

The fact that she is eating and drinking normally is good, and there would be some other physical signs eg a swollen abdomen if she had peritonitis.

[good_egg]

I second the lifeguard call!

 

As for internal laying, don't know much but do know that when my Viv was doing this her comb and face remained very bright red (like a normal chicken laying). Suspect if there is something wrong it isn't this.

 

Would consider feeding her something chickeny with iron in it (spinach perhaps) in case she is aneamic after all the wee biters - although lifeguard should help with this.

[Monty14]

Thanks! I had ordered some Lifeguard which arrived today - coincidence! I will put this in the water tomorrow. Feel a bit better re: internal laying. Perhaps she's just an extremely late starter....

[Monty14]

Lifeguard in the water but found her with eyes stuck shut on Saturday. Bathed them and found them to be bubbling up....poor girl seems to have Myco or eye infection so it's back to the vets. At least she was perkier when she could see what she was doing!

[good_egg]

Aww, poor thing. Hope vets sort her out.

[Monty14]

Been to vets and she's had Baytril and is anaemic so she'll be getting extra protein, pumpkin seeds and there is Lifeguard in the water. Otherwise no problem internally and likely to be, in vet's words, a chicken 'more susceptible to infestations than others, just like some humans get insect bites more than others'. Makes sense really. No reason why she hasn't laid yet, but he did tell me of one chicken owner who has a Black Araucana that laid its first egg just shy of 3 years old! Anyway I still love her as much as the layers