Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat
Poultry and Pets => The Hen House => Topic started by: richyrich7 on July 07, 2008, 20:31
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One of my hens looked a bit off colour last night just before bedtime, when I let them out this morning she just sat on the perch looking about tail down. I've found her later in one corner looking a little listless and tail still well down, she got up to have a look at a few strawberries I tried to tempt her with but only half heartedly pecked at them, I noticed her straining her neck forward and opening up her mouth but she only did this once over a period o 5 or so minutes. And she has lost a little colour from her comb.
Any ideas would be appreciated please.
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Usual questions which I'm sure you've covered.
Crop full at opening time ??
Worms, lice, etc
Could it be a soft egg on its way ??
They do go very listless and stare into the distance. Stand in corners a lot and keep out of the way. Takes it out of them until it's laid then back to normal.
Hope you can get her back to her old self.
Rob :)
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Did wonder about worms but I flubenveted them about 4 weeks ago, she's deffo got an egg on the boil I can feel it, not sure about the crop I'll double check and see what its like now .
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Nothing or very little in her crop, she's up on the perch again nodding.
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One of ours is called noddy because she did that. Had a slightly inflated crop and we think something had got stuck and was causing discomfort. Haven't seen her do it for several weeks now.
But she was still eating ok and was alright in herself. Sounds like it could be the egg causing the problems.You've got the choice now of waiting to see what she's like in the morning or examine her for any egg probs now ! :roll:
Not sure what the right thing is. Had any experience of egg binding or anything similar ?
Rob :)
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Hi do you when she last laid?
Keep a close eye on her tommorrow -if you can feel an egg that she doesn't lay tommorrow she might need a little help.
Keep an eye on her breathing -you mentioned her "gaping" does she seem breathless? as this could point to an egg related problem particulary relevant if she does not lay tommorrow and you still feel there is something there -could be an egg or fluid build-up.
Hopefully she will be fine though lay an egg and wonder what all the fuss was about! :D
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Hope so. Will check in tomorrow Richy to see your full report ! :)
Rob 8)
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First of all, is it just her, or has it spread? If it is just her, then it is something she has done and is not infectious. It sound to me like a crop impaction: has she has long grass, celery, stringy cabbage, anything stringy which could wrap itself around the crop contents and cause a blockage?
Someone else said to look at her crop, if it is solid, then it will have to be masaged out. I'll tell you how to do it if crop impaction is confirmed
A lot can be told from her poo. Is is solid, runny, frothy, yellow, brown, none of the above?
Alison
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Hope its not gapeworm? But does flubenvet get rid of gape????
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I lost Henny Penny yesterday to a mite problem. I hadn't realised until it was too late and she was showing the same symptoms; tail down, not laying, comb off colour and flopped over, but not gaping.
I'd strongly recommend you check her for parasites - they literally sucked the life out of poor Penny. That's a hard lesson I'll never forget :cry:
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flubenvet is supposed to cover gape.
Where's Richy. Waiting for news !! :)
My money's on an egg problem but my experience is somewhat limited. :?
Hope she's better.
Rob :)
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Well she's still no better,Although her comb looks a little redder this morning.
I've had a good look over her I can see no mites or lice, her poo's more or less normal slight touch of green in it .
I've had a feel of her crop and it feels empty but then she's not eating a lot there's no bad smell from her breath, I've had a gentle feel of her abdomen and I can't feel anything hard or ball like.
My 3 other hens are fine, I can't think they have had anything stringy or hard
I try to be quite careful over what they eat.
I'm really stuck :? always been lucky and have had very little wrong with my hens over the years.
She's in the kitchen at the mo sitting in a crisp box I'll try getting some food into her and I suppose it will be a wait and see job.
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At least she's no worse which is a good sign.
Obviously not a crop problem.
You wormed them so unlikely to be that.
No lice.
Poo ok so not poinsoned herself.
I reckon a soft or misshaped egg will appear soon. I don't think ours eat when that's happened in the past.
Could try a bit of chopped up worm or something ? There's nothign like it in teh morning. :roll:
Rob :)
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You need to rule out egg problems Rich. I doesn't sound like a crop problem. They've been wormed so very unlikely to be that. If her breathing is OK then nothing respiratory. No symptoms of any paralysis.
Some antibiotics would be my next thought.
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She's eating chopped up grapes, how does an egg feel in side a hen ?
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I agree with Aunt Sally. I went off on the wrong track with crop impaction.
Antibiotics is a good next step.
Alison
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snoozi -so sorry about hennypenny, big hugs from here! Red mite are so difficult to spot!
(http://smileys.on-my-web.com/repository/MSN_Emoticons/MSN-Emoticon-sad-crying-025.gif)
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She's eating chopped up grapes, how does an egg feel in side a hen ?
It's not something that I've experienced Rob but I think you'd feel the hard egg by palpating her abdomen..
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She's eating chopped up grapes, how does an egg feel in side a hen ?
It's not something that I've experienced Rob but I think you'd feel the hard egg by palpating her abdomen..
...or Rich :wink:
The poor bloke's suffering enough without the stigma of bearing my name ! :shock:
Rob :)
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She's eating chopped up grapes, how does an egg feel in side a hen ?
It's not something that I've experienced Rob but I think you'd feel the hard egg by palpating her abdomen..
...or Rich :wink:
The poor bloke's suffering enough without the stigma of bearing my name ! :shock:
Rob :)
It's alright Rob, I'm getting used to it :roll: :lol:
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I'm sure there are times you'd be happy to change identity ! :)
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Yep :wink:
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I presume whatever was in her abdomen is still there? Calcium deficiency can cause problems with egg laying as well as actual eggs. I'd be trying yoghourt or cooked egg yolk by now as well as the usual pick me ups.
I'm afraid I'm not into antibiotics. If I thought a bird needed them, she'd be heading for the cookpot, before she could go toes up or give whatever to any of the others. :(
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I presume whatever was in her abdomen is still there? Calcium deficiency can cause problems with egg laying as well as actual eggs. I'd be trying yoghourt or cooked egg yolk by now as well as the usual pick me ups.
I'm afraid I'm not into antibiotics. If I thought a bird needed them, she'd be heading for the cookpot, before she could go toes up or give whatever to any of the others. :(
Yes I can still feel a small round lump in her abdomen about the size of a thumb.
Must admit I'm not into antibiotics either just not cost effective, I'll try the yoghurt or egg thing too, don't want to have to cull her but will if she gets no better. I've isolated her from the rest just as a precaution.
She has been moving about this afternoon not much tho'
Heres a picky of her poo that she squited out of her this afternoon might give some one a clue ?
(http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u111/richyrich66/DSC00001.jpg)
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Have you got any dandelion leaves? they are a rich source of calcium, try chopping the young leaves up with her favourite treat perhaps?
You could also dissolve one aspirin into one litre drinking water -may help as an anti inflammatory. I hear popping an egg bound hen into some warm water help relaxes things a bit. Just a few ideas which may avoid the vet! :shock:
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Poos look very mucousy Rich and as you said a bit green. I think she has a digestive problem but very difficult to say what without a vets opinion.
Could be worms but unlikely as you've recently wormed them so a bacterial infection possibly. Could be egg peritonitis too. Is her tummy bloated ?
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Thanks for the ideas Foxy
Her tummy does not seem bloated or distended.
I've checked her again a few mins ago and she's left more poo and it stinks real bad.
I'll try her with some yoghurt in the morning.
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Having seen the poo, I think she is a sick hen. I think it may be a liver thing and the lump you can feel could be a small tumour.
How old is she?
Alison
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I've checked her again a few mins ago and she's left more poo and it stinks real bad.
It's very likely to be a bacterial infection then Rich, and that would need antibiotics :(
Dandylion leves are a purgative and could help to clear the gut contents but if she won't eat them it's not much help. Let us know it the bio yogurt helps Rich :(
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Having seen the poo, I think she is a sick hen. I think it may be a liver thing and the lump you can feel could be a small tumour.
How old is she?
Alison
:shock: POL last October
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Having seen the poo, I think she is a sick hen. I think it may be a liver thing and the lump you can feel could be a small tumour.
You could be right there Alison - bile in the poo !
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Has she lost weght Rich ?
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No she feels fine Aunty,
can the liver be felt in the abdomen then I thought it was higher up under the rib cage ?
The lump is more towards her vent but low down if that makes any sense
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OK about a year old. The important thing is to keep her isolated and strict biosecurity.
I could well be wrong, but I think it will go downhill from here. Keep her comfortable and tempt her with favourite titbits. That's all there is to do really!
Big hug. Alison
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Yes Rich, liver is up front
(http://www.backyardpoultrymag.com/issues/2/2-6/Gail_Damerow-1.gif)
But I too think she will just get worse without any treatment :!:
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have you tried the old finger-up-the-bum trick ritchy?
It worked for me when HennyPenny was ill the first time and it perked her right up to get the egg out (I think my vasalined finger worked like an enema to her :shock: ) and yours is showing the same symptoms that mine did when it happened...
THIS (http://www.chat.allotment-garden.org/viewtopic.php?t=18117&highlight=egg+bound) is how it happened...
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The tumours can be more or less anywhere and are about the size of a thumb, as you described. It sounds as if the disease has only taken a hold recently, so she will not have lost a lot of weight yet. Obviously a lack of appetite will lead to weight loss soon. Keep her comfortable and wash thorougly everything that comes in contact with her. That bit of grass in the photo will need a very good wash down!!!
Alison
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have you tried the old finger-up-the-bum trick ritchy?
I'll give it a go Suzi
Thanks for everyone's advice and help I'll let you know how she is in the morning.
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Let us know how she is in the morning Rich :cry:
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Well she seems a bit more alert this morning eating and drinking, not moving around much tho'. She might when I try Suzi's idea later :lol:
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the green isnt bile .bile is a darker green and if it had been the bird would most probably be dead from its own poisoning .in my op its eaten a weed/ plant that hasnt agreed with it totally or over indulged . kids are great for grabbing weeds etc and chucking them to chooks not knowing that they could kill them ..have you been foraging for green stuff or given its any thing that could contain a weed that you missed .also to many grass clippings can cause this . ferget antibiotics this time the birds comb would feel very hot if its had fever . watch in springtime for chooks going poorly if you let them onto new grass .there is a magnesium problem that affects cows that can effect turkeys / chucks .or so i am informed :wink:
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Fingers crossed eh Munty. Keep us updated Rich :D
PS We need you here Munty, your advice and experience is second to NONE !!!!!!
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Well I'm pleased to say she's up and about eating well, poo's gone back to normal, she still looks a little off colour tails at 1/2 mast and her combs colouring back up. She has been standing next to the run door for an hour or so this afternoon so I let her back in with the rest, nows she's running about with the rest :D
I'm keeping my fingers crossed that she will be ok.
So big thanks to you all. :D
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Great news Rich, I hope she continues to improve. When you get a moment ask her what the problem was :wink:
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Good, so it was probably something digestive after all. Your care and attention paid off. Well done.
Alison
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well ty fer that saly :oops: i am here but believe me when im looking at the pc im still asleep or nearly asleep. :lol: :lol: :lol: i quickly flick through and just reply to those conundrum ones .most of the enlightened folks get the answers up before me :wink:
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Happy ending. Nice one Richy. Hope she lays you an egg as some compensation for worrying us all like that :shock: :D
Rob 8)
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Keep a good eye on her Rich !
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Yes I'm keeping a close eye on her, I've told her she can have a couple if days off laying :wink: :lol: