[beulah59]

Bobby is going through a moult ... it started slowly, but has accelerated for the past day or two ... not so very many feathers around, however, as the Rhode Rocks eat them all  :blink:

Anyway - I noticed today that she was bleeding from a bald patch - new quills in evidence, but no feathers yet. So I used a gentian violet spray to cover the red ... since when she has been dashing around the hen pen like a road runner  I can only assume the spray is stinging. I've brought her in and washed it down with some warm salt water, and powdered it with flour ... but she's still dashing around (or was, until she took refuge in the coop) and will soon be exhausted if it carries on ...

Any ideas/suggestions?!

[joyfull]

I wonder if the other hens are trying to eat the new feathers coming through (which may be the cause of the bleeding). Try leaving her alone in the coop so that she can rest for a bit then possibly put some savlon or germolene on the sore bits and then some wound powder or cornflour.

[beulah59]

Is there anything else I can do to stop the stinging?

[joyfull]

savlon will cool it down and germolene has a local anaesthetic in it so may help.

[madcat]

savlon will cool it down and germolene has a local anaesthetic in it so may help.

Ahhh...  another mystery solved!  I didn't know that. My nose gets really really sore when I have a cold (even with the softest hankies) and my mum always put germolene on it when I was a child.  Being the cynic I am I thought it worked because as a child you believe what your mum does works  (though the cough lictus was vile!) - but perhaps it really does make it hurt less!!  Well ....

[joyfull]

I think it says so on the tube 

[beulah59]

Thanks for the replies ... she didn't come down from the coop, and they're all in there with her now, so hopefully she'll be calmer. We'll see in the morning!

[beulah59]

Well, I'm worried again now ... she won't come out of the coop. She's not laying ... just on the perch and she won't budge. I've lifted her down to the feed/porridge but she went straight back up again.

This is our first serious moult ... is she going to be OK?

[ehs284]

You could try a warm bath to remove any remaining stinging material, then a blow dry with a hair-dryer followed up by the germoline. Once in the water they seem to become much quieter and relax. Use a bowl in which they can lean on the sides which helps confidence. Many times they won't try to get out and look annoyed when you lift them out. Once clean, warm and dry she is more likely to eat and drink. Dehydration could be a problem so use a syringe of water (perhaps with a little sugar) and trickle it into the side of her beak. She will get a little in and then will swallow more. No need to force beak open. Grapes will often tempt a bird which is not interested in dry food.HTH

[beulah59]

Thanks 

I was wondering if on top of everything else she had an impacted crop ... it was hard last night and is still full this morning (they've eaten a hot mash already but although she was in the coop she could have had some, I couldn't keep track of who was where!) so I've just given her some olive oil and massaged the crop which seems to be much softer now.

The gentian doesn't seem to be stinging her any more as far as I can tell.

[beulah59]

I've separated her and put her in the greenhouse with water and food and a cat carrier. Lots of mealworms on the food, but she's not eating ...

[Rubellite]

Oh dear, I hope she picks up 

[beulah59]

She's been perched in the greenhouse for a few hours now. I took some treats in and she had a few, and I've syringed (rather messily) some yoghurt and olive oil into her ... her crop is still full but not hard, more sort of squidgey. But she was desperate to get out of the greenhouse (it is rather sunny just now) so I put her back in the run and she went straight into the ark and onto the perch!

Now what do I do?!

[beulah59]

Just reporting back that after a week of being fed maggots twice a day, Bobby is now eating and drinking normally, and apart from her moult seems to be pretty much back to normal! I'm really pleased ... think I might just give them some maggots from time to time (cheaper than mealworms) to keep problems at bay!

[joyfull]

Yeh I love a happy ending