[Vi]

the hot chocolate was lovely   Goose isn't fairing too well. She's not interested in water at all so hasn't been getting any of the wormer or the antibiotics.  As i don't actually think worms are the culprit i've focused on the antibiotics for her.  I've tried to make her take some of her medicated water with an eye dropper but she wouldn't have it and i couldn't figure out how to hold her,the eye dropper and open her beak so I did what Mum did and hid the medication in a treat.  Put the antibiotics on a small bit of bread and dampened it to make it stick to the bread. She ate it all but still not interested in the water.  Or her grain. she just pushes the grain around (layer mash) but she has been picking at the grass a bit.    she looks so sad.  her wings are beginning to droop now too and her tail is so low. She's sitting in their dust bath at the moment not doing much.
Her comb and wattle are definately much paler than they were.

I know i have to be paitent but how long until we see if the antibiotics are going to work?   She's been ill since last Sunday for sure though only noticably in retrospect. I first noticed odd behaviour on monday. her last egg layed was either friday or saturday (can't remember).  If the antibiotics don't work, how long (roughly) can I expect her to last before we have to do the humane thing or we find her passed away in the morning?

Thank you
Vi

[dizzylizzie]

ive been reading your post, i cat offer any advice because im new to chickens myself, but i just wanted to send big hugs to you, its horribal when they are not well. hope she picks up for you soon x

[Vi]

thank you DizzyLizzie,

She doesn't seem to be getting better but I could just be impatient for the antibiotics to work.  She has moments of sort of perkiness but is mostly sulking, I can't get her to drink water. 

Any suggestsions of how to forcefeed water without drowning the poor bird? Or is it a bit like leading horses to water?

[Foxy]

I use a 1ml syringe, but I usually use a/b in a suspension form unless treating a large number of birds.

[Vi]

How do you get the syringe into her beak?  She doesn't like being held so this takes one arm the other hand holds the syringe and well, i've only got two hands.

Do you think the antibiotics on the bread was a bad idea?

[too many girls]

if you want to syringe feed water or medication and have only 2 hands (and a bump in your case) sit on a chair with the bird on your lap facing away from you, (keep your syringe within easy reach) use your arms to hold the birds wings close to her body, left hand under her head and with the thumb and first finger prize open her beak gently, with your right hand grab your syringe and bob's your uncle, she may end up with her beak somewhere under your ear, she may wriggle a bit but with a lot of squirming it should work.
regarding oncoming little person, don't worry babies are a lot less stressful than chickens unlike chickens they tell you when somethings wrong as soon as it's wrong ie screaming their little heads off, and sometimes they scream their little heads off just for fun good luck with both chicken and baby.

[Vi]

Thank you for the tip, I'll give it a go. Luckily hubby is here today so I had an extra set of hands, we coudn't manage to get her beak open but we did manage to get her to drink from the syringe about 4ml this morning of the antibiotic solution and again another 3 or 4 ml a couple hours later.  We'll do this throughout the day and hope and pray it works for her.  Tried to give her some tuna,she wasn't interested at all. Tried a peanut which she usually goes nuts for but no go.    Have left the little dish of food next to where she's resting. 

She's not even passing poos anymore, just mucus clear with a tiny bit of white streaks. 

Does anyone have any idea of where the point of no return is?  I've got to get her to eat something before she shrivels up.  How long can they go without food?

crikey!  chickens.... oi....

keeping hopes up
Vi

[lina]

Hi Vi

The symptoms sound identical to the problem I had with Nesta last week. After some advice from peeps on this site, I ended up taking her to the vet. The vet was really good (she kept chickens herself) and she gave Nest a whopping antibiotic, a hormone injection (to release the egg) and a multivitamin all for £30!

Last weekend Nest looked like she was about to leave this world - but she is now back to her normal self (if a lot skinnier!). I tend to use medical intervention as a last resort - but in this case it really did seem to work.

I hope Goose gets better - where did you get such a name?

Lx

[Vi]

Hi there,

Have managed to get more fluid into Goose using the syringe (and hubbies help)  She appears to be picking at grass today and moving a bit more. though the red skin near her  eyes is white and her ear flapps are white.  She's still not out of the woods yet. 

Today she pooped a dark green poop with some white and some mucus. It was a forrest green. I haven't seen that in the poop post, does anyone know if this is a sign of recovery or a sign of deterioration?   We've concentrated the antibiotic solution to make sure she gets all of the medication and managed to make her have that using the syringe.  She wasn't too happy but i'm taking her fiesty-ness (albiet temporary) as a good sign.  She's still not interested in bread any more nor her grain, but did have a little pick at some strawberry tops and half hearted lunge at one of the young chickens who tried to take one from her. 

Two more days of antibiotics. 

Lina, we did take Goose to the vet a couple days ago, I don't think the vet knew much about chickens, she said the white on her ear flaps was normal and that any time the poops are 'different' they go for the worming treatment, then after the 14 day worming treatment if the chicken is still not well, they look at the next thing.  I reckon Goose would be dead if we waited that long. Poor girl.   

I wonder if a people multivitamin would be harmful to a chook.  If she doesn't eat more substatially i may have to try the vet again, a different one this time.

You asked about Goose's name.. When we got the three pol hens we watched them for ages to see what their personalities were like, and Goose was always stretching her neck to see around or over or investigate whatever, so Hubby named her Goose for the long neck.  We've got one named Duck because her beak was clipped too short by someone before we got her.  And the third is named RoadRunner because she's a scaredy cat. 

We've managed to name one of the little chicks we rescued, the white one (I reckon the white one is a boy because he's got a comb and wattles already at 9ish weeks and the other two only have very little combs)  we named him FogHorn after FogHorn Leghorn on the looney tunes.  Waiting for the others to 'name themselves'.

Any ideas for irrisistable treats for chickens that i might be able to temp Goose with?  She's got to eat something.  I've tried tuna and bread, she's not interested.  I might try an orange, she used to like those.

Kind regards everyone,
Vi

[dizzylizzie]

i may get told off for this because im a new chicken keeper and im working on the basis that if something is bad for them they wont eat it!...we have one that has a broken wing at the moment and she has been spoilt  bit we have been giving her layers mash, made with warm water and manuka hunny, with bits of chopped apple and dried cranberries in- she goes mad for it (and so do the rest of them) ...i dont know if you can get hold of spinach and dandelion leaves, they love them too! keep up the good work, and fingers crossed for you and goose xx

[Vi]

day four of antibiotics, she's still with us and beginning to act a little less poorly, slower still than before but not as droopy and sad looking most of the time.  Still having to force the meds on her but she's showing interest in her mash again.

DizzyLizzie, that mash mix sounds really yummy(if i were a chicken) I may try something similar.   Goose seems to be mostly interested in sources of protien right now.

In fact, she caught a small mouse today and although Duck took it away from her (i helped Goose get it back by stopping Duck from running off with it) she was hungry enough to fight for it. I think she ate the mouse whole after bashing it around a bit and softening it up.  A bit grim but at least it's a meal.  I figured, Duck is pretty plump and healthy, if Goose is interested in eating the mouse I'll help her keep it  

Lina, I forgot to thank you yesterday for the good news about your Nest, it's great to know that there has been success with these sort of symptoms.  I'm glad I had some antibiotics in the house for them.  She's really thin now though, but seems to be eating and drinking again, phew!  Fingers eyes and toes crossed that the improvements will continue.

How long was it from treatment that Nest began laying again?  I'm not in a hurry to get eggs from Goose but it's just a sign of her being healthy again that i'm looking out for.

Thank you everyone, Even with all the reading and preparation before getting chooks, without you lovely mob of chook keepers, we'd have lost our chooks long ago.

Vi

[kitkat]

Hello Vi, that sounds like good news, lets hope it continues, fingers crossed for Goose

[joyfull]

Sounds like she is on the mend Vi, so pleased 

[lina]

Hi Vi

I'm not sure that Nest has laid properly - she passed a tiny mutant egg after the hormone injection and a egg that looks like her super size ones appeared yesterday. Our 3 do everything together including bunking up in the same nest box - it makes it impossible to tell who lays what.

She's out on the grass killing plums at the moment - so she looks like she's made a full recovery - but it is difficult to tell what's going on inside them!

Hope Goose is on the mend

Lx

[Sue33]

hi Vi, have u tried your goose with cat food, fishy variety, i've read on her that's pretty good protein for them, best wishes x