[judrop]

Hi I am fairly new to keeping these delightful creatures, we got 3 ex batt Warrens in July 09, and they have been very healthy and happy , until last thursday ,2nd Oct 09, when we noticed BB ( BIG BIRD) was looking droopy and was not eating , drinking a lot and had very watery poo, she stayed in the pen ( really unusual), this went on until Monday morning when she was overnight a lot better and although still weak she started doing "chook" type stuff again.
I had been covinced she had egg yolk peritinitus, ( as I am not at all sure she has laid much in all the time we have had her, but as they are almost totally free range its difficult to be sure )and was all set for the vet on Monday, I had treated her with live yoghurt olive oil and chicken crumbs mixed together, and a little live yoghurt on its own .
I am still alittle concerned as her poo is GREEN now, and she does still get very tired.
I had treated them with verm ex the week before, and always use cider vinegar, any ideas ? ( sorry for the long winded story )Thanks Ju 

[grumpydad]

i think green poo is a sign of cocci which needs to be treated by a vet asap.
if i am wrong i am sure someone more experienced will be along to let you know.
she needs an antibiotic to deaal with coccidiosis.

martyn

[Vember]

Bright green poops can sometimes be a sign of worms.
Personally I wouldn't use vermx as in my opinion it is more a preventative rather than cure and it also doesn't kill gape worm.

I think if she is looking down and not eating properly then a trip to the vets will be your best bet


Sarah

[Aunt Sally]

Not cocci in my opinion, battery birds are innoculated against the 12 most common strains.

Verm-x is not the best treatment as Vember said.  Get some flubenvet for them all !

Worms will cause green poo and so will not eating.

If you suspect egg peritonitis have a feel of her abdomen.  Thebit between her vent and breast bone.  If it is really puffed up and feels quite furm then it could be egg peritonitis.

Check their housing for red mite too.

[judrop]

Thank you ALL very much, as I said she is very much better , but still a little weak,she ran down the garden to the river bank with the others this morning, wings flapping, but came back to the pen very slowly.
I will certainly try the more relyable worming treatment, and obviously if no better the vet, I have felt her crop and tum but all SEEMS ok(bearing in mind I have little experience).
MANY thanks again
Ju
13/10/09
Hi just to up date, BB is much worse today, she hasnt moved out and her comb is very dark, also noticed she has lost a LOT of weight, I dont think she is in pain, but  I feel so miserable that I have not been able to really help her, I cant see she will last much longer as refuses food and water.
I feel helpless.
Thanks Ju

[judrop]

Hi every one,
Sadly , as seems to be in these cases, our poor BB died last night, she "faded away" quite quickly at the end, one or other of our other girls staying with her until she died.
I feel I let her down by my lack of knowledge, something I didnt ( and should have ) thought about before I got my chooks, I usually take my responsibility to my animals seriously and make sure I am able to do my best for them, I dont feel I did this for BB.I should have acted sooner rather than being fooled into thinking she would recover, having read similar posts on here, there seem to be quite a few hens who die with unknown causes, is it common historically, for this to happen?
Thank you all for kind advice.
Ju
P S do I replace her immediately, and do I try for more ex batts or buy in a couple of POL hens ? Any advice please ? Many thanks

[Sid]

Hi judrop, sorry that you lost your poor chook but well done you for taking on ex bat hens.
We did the same,when we moved back to cornwall from france last year,the first thing we did was reg for some EBH.
We only have 4 ,and they were fine for a while,then two went off their food and would roll their heads to one side,anyway after trawling books and internet,trying all sorts of remedies.It turned out to be sour crop,and what worked for them was olive oil mixed with a drop of cider vinegar.One of my girls still gets it from time to time,I massage her crop gently and it settles down.
But we have kept hens for a few years,and even the healthiest looking hen has suddenly died without any obvious signs of problems.
And I have felt bad about it,sounds like you did everthing you could for her,the most important thing is you gave her a chance to have some real freedom. 
Also replace quickly try POL whatever you get they have to be able to fit in the pecking order you now how aggressive hens can be when you introduce new hens.

[judrop]

Hiya Sid ,
Thanks for all your info, and I am beginning to realise, she did at least have a few months of sunshine and fun !
Most of all for understanding, feel a bit silly , but get SOOO attached.
MANY thanks
Ju