[nerdle]

Last week - a listless and unhappy looking Chocky - a visible worm in her poo and moulting.  Flubenvet and to the vet for a vitamin jab. 

This week - standing on one leg - cleaned her foot and thought might be bumblefoot so back to the vet. Not bumblefoot - just a sprain or something so tiny daily dose of metacam for 5 days...  Still listless although eating grass and only her favourite foods.

A chicken specialist up the road will have a look but they want £90 up front to have the info tranferred from current vet!!!  I asked for a 2nd opinion before for my dog elsewhere- no fee.

Any suggestions?

[ghost61]

I do swear by a spa treatment for hens now and then when they look a bit low.  A nice warm bath and shampoo, and then a rinse and soak in Epsom salts solution, following by a blow dry and they seem to perk up no end.  But with her moulting she may not like you messing with her feathers too much - leave that to you to judge.

Some poultry tonic in their water and high protein treats to help her through the moulting may also help.

Let us know how you get on.

[nerdle]

Good point - I've been bad at keeping tonics etc.  Will shop for them tomorrow.

[New shoot]

The combination of worms, moulting and then a leg injury could be making her feel pretty fed up and it will take time for her to recover from that lot.  If you think you have a heavy worm infestation, it is well worth doing the follow-up worming to make sure you have got as many as possible. 

As Ghost says, a bit of TLC can go a long way.  It can also be worth having a really good check of the coop for red mite. 

Mine get garlic as a regular tonic and to help with worm control.  I use Flubenvet, so this is just an added bit of protection.

As for the vet, I would be interested to know what makes them a specialist worth £90.  Have they just treated a few more chickens, or are they a bird specialist?  Even so, a parrot specialist, for example,  does not really have that much insight into domestic laying hens.  Sorry to be suspicious, but it sounds like a rip-off to me.

Your existing vet will have checked the basics and that Chocky's crop and vent are fine.  If it is something really serious going on inside her, neither vet could do much, except help her on her way if it came to that.

Hopefully, it is nothing so drastic and the measures you are taking will have her back to full speed very soon 

 

[nerdle]

Thanks New Shoot - was really hoping you'd comment
A regular tonic regime sounds a good plan.

She's eating only her favourite food - sunflower seeds, bits of mackerel, watery porridge and she grazes etc. She has access to grit. Hope Im not upsetting her tummy.

Poorly myself today - what a week!

xx

[New shoot]

Hope you are both a bit better today Nerdle 

[nerdle]

Well - she's right as rain and I'm on the up!   

She still prefers to come in to the house to sleep - then I transfer her to the coop after dark.  She's not good at enduring pecks from the others right now (bottom of the pecking order)...

 

[New shoot]

Good news 

[danfinn1]

"She still prefers to come in to the house to sleep - then I transfer her to the coop after dark".

Well I thought I spoiled mine by letting them in the conservatory to dry out and/or have a nap in the afternoon, but I can see now that they are not really that  spoiled after all