Yet another ill chicken!!!

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Prod

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Yet another ill chicken!!!
« on: July 22, 2013, 19:51 »
Not sure if I am just having a run of bad luck or I am doing something wrong but I have another chicken that is ill.  I bought some day old legbars and 2 4 week old exchequer leghorns from a reputable breeder and they have been kept together since, the leghorns are now 14 weeks old and I found one in the pen last night when I went to lock up. She was listless and felt a bit cold so I put her in a box with some straw and gave her some water by syringe so she wouldn't dehydrate. I expected her to be dead this morning but she was still there. Today I gave her some liquid antibiotics and again water by syringe. There is no change other than her eyes were closed. Ive just been to check again and on examining her I noticed that her crop is absolutely full and you can feel the corn etc.   I hopeful she may survive as usually when they are ill chickens seem to go very quickly  but I don't know what is wrong or what else to do. (After the episode with Billie a trip to the vet is out of the ******** question, according to my partner)  Any suggestions???? ??? ???

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ANHBUC

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Re: Yet another ill chicken!!!
« Reply #1 on: July 22, 2013, 21:03 »
You are not having a good time of it Prod.  If they are only 14 weeks old I would only give them growers and not corn.  Do be careful with the syringe as the liquid can go on the lungs.

There is some information on impacted and sour crop on HERE  I hope it helps.
Ain't Nobody Here But Us Chickens!
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ehs284

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Re: Yet another ill chicken!!!
« Reply #2 on: July 23, 2013, 11:14 »
Try to get her to eat some white maggots from a fishing tackle shop. They eat away at the material in the crop. Worked for us. To get water into her I'd suggest using the syringe to trickle water down the side of her beak; if she wants it she'll take it in, otherwise it will drip safely away.

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Prod

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Re: Yet another ill chicken!!!
« Reply #3 on: July 23, 2013, 14:27 »
Hi  Aggie ( I called them Aggie & Kim  ::))  is still with us.  I gave her some olive oil this morning and then I have just checked on her, she is still very listless and her eyes are closed.  The 'lump' in her throat seems smaller, about the size of a walnut,  and I massaged it for a while  but it just felt as if it was going from side to side, it feels hardish not squishy.  Yesterday one of the legbars (in the same coop) was running round with a tiny mouse in it's beak, I don't know whether it was eaten or not, could it be something like that?  The only difference today is that she has the 'squits'    I  am not sure where th enearest fishing shop is, I ll have to do a google!!!

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joyfull

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Re: Yet another ill chicken!!!
« Reply #4 on: July 23, 2013, 14:38 »
Chickens are omnivores so will eat mice and frogs too, plus butterflies, beetles etc along with grains and plants. Eating a mouse shouldn't cause her any problems unless the mouse has been poisoned.
If the lump moves then she doesn't seem to have a blocked crop (impacted), if her crop isn't squishy and her breath doesn't smell sour then she hasn't got sour crop either.
In the morning feel another hens crop before it eats and drinks to see if her crop feels the same - if it does then you can assume she has eaten something that hasn't agreed with her or she may have another problem such as trying to lay a soft shelled egg - this can take it out of them and they can be very off for a couple of days.
Staffies are softer than you think.

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Prod

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Re: Yet another ill chicken!!!
« Reply #5 on: July 23, 2013, 19:41 »
Sadly Aggie died this afternoon. I really don't know what the problem was and for that I feel inadequate. I know it is a part of keeping chickens but I wish I knew more as I feel responsible for them especially if they are quite young when they are  ill or die..... hey ho..... :( :( :(

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New shoot

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Re: Yet another ill chicken!!!
« Reply #6 on: July 23, 2013, 21:07 »
Sorry to hear Aggie died  :(  It is all part of it unfortunately and they mask illness really well, so can be at deaths door by the time they let on.

Keep the youngsters on growers pellets as ANHBUC says.  Great tip from Joyfull as well about getting to know how the crop feels.  You learn so much by just picking birds up - changes stand out fast  :)

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Jackypam

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Re: Yet another ill chicken!!!
« Reply #7 on: July 23, 2013, 23:32 »
Sorry to hear about Aggie.  I'd love to keep chickens but I feel bad enough when the veggies die.  No sure I could cope with chickens doing it.  Think I'll stick with the veggie plot.

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compostqueen

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Re: Yet another ill chicken!!!
« Reply #8 on: July 23, 2013, 23:37 »
Corn is for a treat not to be fed routinely. Think of corn as buns! 

I'm sorry to hear your hen didn't make it. You can't win em all Prod  :(

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ANHBUC

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Re: Yet another ill chicken!!!
« Reply #9 on: July 24, 2013, 16:21 »
So sorry Prod.   :(

If the lump was still in her crop I would have opened her up to see if I could find out what it was and if it was the cause of her death.  I know this is not for everyone but you can learn a lot that way.  It may have been a growth and then you would know there was nothing you could have done.   :)



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