[OpiumEater]

I've found out how high foxes can jump, and it's cost me one hen this morning  While my other two are still here, one obviously put up a dam good fight and needed stitches from the vet. I took the other one along just to make sure she was fine.

Now I sold my husband on the idea of chickens by promising if bills were greater than the cost of a new chicken, then it would be quick clean dispatch and a new one to replace it.

Well that went out of the window and I've just spent £80 at the vets today, and one of them has a further check up tomorrow (another £16).

I only hope they come through it, though I bet they never lay again (one didn't anyway), and the other had only just started again.

Well, just wanted to say goodbye Dorcus, you were my best layer and a little beauty. Will be putting a welded mesh roof on that compound now, and try to explain to husband the cost of more fencing and mesh will save us a fortune in vet bills. But do I bother to mention the cost of this visit when he comes home on Friday??? Probably not.

[bantam novice]

So sorry to hear about Dorcus 
You certainly need the weld mesh to stop those foxes.  I hope your other two recover from the shock.   Good luck and keep us posted.

[OpiumEater]

So sorry to hear about Dorcus 

Thanks, it sounds silly, but just needed to tell someone. First one I've lost 

[Honeysuckle]

So sorry about Dorcas 

I lost 2 hens and a cockerel to a fox earlier this year, we also had one hen that couldn't stand and a guinea fowl with a bite on her back.  After about 6 weeks tlc, both were absolutely fine!  Both are laying eggs now; guinea fowl has a limp though but it doesn't stop her darting around! 

Fingers crossed yours will be as resilient 

[OpiumEater]

Thanks Honeysuckly, they've just had some honeydew melon, and a bit of corn and happily eating and scratching, so I'm hopeful.

Just looked at my profile picture and Dorcus is in the middle  Think I'll leave it as it is though.

[leddenton]

Hi
I had the same concerns when my girls became ill and had to have Doris put down and then a vet bill for one of the others only to have the other 2 put down a year later when they became ill. Hubby is always bringing up the subject of very expensive eggs! Hoping to get some more soon he has told me not to name them as they are not pets. I don't think that will happen!

[jinty1911]

What vet bill?   

[compostqueen]

If you have animals then invariably there are vets bills, so there's nothing to explain 

[Swing Swang]

The problem is that you have different relationships with your animals. Unless you can get your husband to have the same relationship with your poultry as you do then the vet's bill will never be appreciated/understood/accepted. It's subterfuge, a charm offensive on your husband, or the roasting pan as promised.

[Swing Swang]

PS I'm pretty susceptable to a charm offensive from the OH!

[NormandyMary]

If your husband is anything like mine, he will just be pleased that the chooks were looked after and wouldnt have wanted them to suffer. My OH comes over as brash and sometimes a bit hard, but its all bravado to cover a really soft side. Now as soon as any of the animals is under par, he's on at me to get an appointment.

[OpiumEater]

I sent him a picture of Alice's wounds and he said she was a fighter and definatly deserved another chance!  so vet bill OK there (though I am going to be vague about the amount  ) I thought Bernadette's visit had slipped by with all the fuss about Alice, but he asked if I was getting a therapist in for her  He's not as hard as he makes out though, he's already missing Dorcus. I think the girls have been on the charm offensive themselves.  :happy:

[Carla]

I had the same issue last night when we took Jenny to the vet. The bill was only £40, but the OH looked at me as if to say 'but Carla, it's only a chicken'. Before he even dared open him mouth, I said 'playstation, car, new phone, all the 'apps' you have to have on your phone, weekend beer and anything else we spend money on purely for your enjoyment comes to over £40 a week, every week, so just dont you dare'   
He made the right desicion and kept quiet haha 

[Plottered]

Ive been toying with the idea of having chickens in the garden for about 2 years now and the main thing putting me off is vets bills as my OH'S wages are the only source of income. Do any of you have pet insurance for chooks or dont they cover them because of the higher risk?

[Carla]

I havent been able to find anywhere that does insurance for chickens. I'm in the same boat as you....money is an issue when it comes to pet care. THis is the 1st time I've paid out for them in nearly a year thankfully. Some see chickens as pets (like me), others will  dispatch an ill chicken and replace it with another, it's personal choice.
I have 3 grown chooks and 2 - 10 week old girlies. Between them they cost me about £10 a week for layers pellets, oyster shell, grit and few greens, bedding, cleaning stuffs and various supliments. The initial outlay is the killer, but one you have a stock of stuff, you only have to pay out once in a blue moon.
Thankfully, chickens dont have THAT much to go wrong with, average vet visit for anti-biotics is about £40 and if one of mine did get that ill that they needed £££'s to put right, I'd just have them put down. Sounds harsh I know, but I reckon the majority of chicken keepers would have the same opinion.
I've saved a fortune in eggs too