[TonyW]

I have 6 chickens at the moment 2 of which are ex batts.

Have had the ex batts for a few months now and they have settled in really well. I have been getting normally around 5 eggs a day so I know one of the ex batts is laying but over the last few days I have noticed one of them has been getting her body really close to the ground. Its not something she has been doing all the time so im pretty sure something isnt right.

I have gone outside to clear them out today and I noticed her neck is sort of pushed back into her body and she was standing very still unlike the others. She had her eyes closed and I also noticed that her behind is very dirty.
I gave them all some corn and she nearly took my hand off when I gave her some so I know she is eating and drinking.

Please can anyone offer me some advice and help me because I lost one of my chooks in November and I really dont want to lose another one.


Thanks in advance

Tony

[Casey76]

Hi there, I'm sorry one of your exbats isn't well.  It could be a multitude of things at the moment, and we need a little more information.

First: rule out egg binding.  Pick your hen up and gently examine her abdomen and vent.  Carefully feel to see if you can feel an egg stuck.  If it has passed the shell gland it should be easy to feel in the vent region.  If it does feel like there is an egg stuck, bring her inside, and sit her in a warm bath (past vent height) for about 30-40 mins.  The warmth will help her muscles relax, and she may even lay the egg in the water.  If she doesn't you can put her in a warm dark place for up to 24 hours.  If she hasn't passed the egg in 24 hours it will require a vet.

Second: whilst palpating the abdomen, think about how it feels - compare to another (well) hen.  If the abdomen feels full/squidgy/oedematous then the hen may be laying internally.  this is quite a common problem with aged exbats, and unfortunately has quite a poor prognosis.

Third: having a dirty or pasty vent may be an indication of internal infection.  Again this is usually a vet job, and again can have a poor prognosis.

Forth: hens often hunch up if they are sick with myco.  Does she have any symptoms such as sneezing, runny nose, bubbly eyes, rattle breathing?  Also look for this in the rest of the flock.

Good luck!

[themagicaltoad1]

I'm sorry I can't help with what's wrong with your girl, but watch out that the others don't attack her. Hens can be pretty vicious with one that's not well and you may need to separate her from the others.

[TonyW]

Thank you for the replies.

I put her in the bath in some warm water but that didn't seem to help so kept her in the warm over the weekend and took her to vet first thing on Monday morning.

The vet said he could feel something inside her which he suspected was a tumour and the best thing was to put her to sleep.

[westview]

Hi Tony, I'm so sorry to hear your news. I have exbatts and lost one a few months ago to something similar..... So know how u feel. I do hope it doesn't put you off the exbatt ladies - just think of the lovely time you gave her that otherwise she would never of known 

[Aidy]

Hi Tony, I'm so sorry to hear your news. I have exbatts and lost one a few months ago to something similar..... So know how u feel. I do hope it doesn't put you off the exbatt ladies - just think of the lovely time you gave her that otherwise she would never of known 

2nd that.
They are great chooks but are fragile and have a tough old life.

[swedishchicken]

Hi,
Sad to hear about your ex batt.
I had 4 ex batts, and 1 of those is doing well now, but I had to take her to my vet who put in an implant, which is stopping her from laying eggs.
I had taken the other 3 previously, for implants, but unfortunately not in time to save them. They all had to be euthanized by my vet. Very sad.... but the last one I got the implant just in time, and she is now 21 months out of the battery cage hell and doing really well.
The implant completely stops them from laying eggs for about a year, and the difference in her is huge. Definitely worth it!

Will keep my fingers crossed for you and your little chook

[Lindeggs]

Wow, I've never heard of implants before!  Is it some kind of slow-release contraceptive?  Is the idea to stop the hen laying just for a year to let her health recover, or is it a permanent thing?

Given the prevalence of ex-batts having serious disorders of the reproductive system it sounds like a brilliant idea.  I've just never come across it.

(Sorry if this is going way off-topic...  swedishchicken perhaps you would like to start a new thread about it?)

[hillfooter]

This is just a general comment not directed at TonyW but more for any novice reading this thread so they understand what they could be letting themselves in for if they are thinking about ex batts.  If things go well it's tremendously satsfying to nurse a bird back to a normal life.  However laying problems are common with ex batts after their first season.  Anyone who gets ex batt rescue hens should be prepared for this eventuality.  Rescuing hens is an act of compassion and no one should undertake this without being prepared to fork out on vet bills and possibly have to nurse unhealthy and unproductive chx.  If you are thinking of exbatts as a cheap source of lots of free eggs you are not getting them for the right reasons. 

Personally I never recommend ex batts to novices unless they are prepared for having to deal with issues they have no experience with and so being reliant on a good poultry vet, not a common commodity.

Anyway best of luck with your sick bird.
HF

[Kathie]

Just a quick note to wish you well with your exbatt. 

I agree with Hillfooter though, as a novice we started off with exbatts two years ago, OH was a little more experienced than me but I found some days so heartbreaking that I said I would never have ex batts again.  I may change my mind but the experience had many highs and just as many lows

[Aidy]

Hows are things going TW? Its been a good few days now and was wondering if there had been any improvement?

HF hits the nail on the head about ex bats, I think people get them without knowing whats involved, which I kind of blame certain persons and web sites in promoting them as an option but then don't explain all.

I have three and they are all fantastic and would always have a couple of them in the flock, they might not produce many eggs, but they dont half help with the compost!