[geordiechick]

Very sad news yesterday - Maureen one of my ex-batts had to be put to sleep.   

I thought I'd write on here as a warning to all.

We've had Maureen 6 months.  She stopped laying in September and then was very poorly through her moult but pulled through with lots of TLC.  She didn't start to lay again.  Which we put down to her being an ex-batt (was she all egged out?), the winter months, etc.  She regularly had runny poo.

She has always been a quiet chicken and happy to potter around alone and has never been big.  On Sunday she was very under the weather and I decided to take her to the vet yesterday.  Sadly she was diagnosed as being egg bound and having egg-peritonitis.  The vet could feel 3-4 eggs.

We feel terrible as we didn't suspect this at all.  She was not walking funny and as she hadn't laid for months presumed she had given up.  The beautiful feathers that she gained through her moult hid the fact that she was loosing condition.

We now have learnt (the hard way) to check the girls whenever we pick them up - just checking their breast bone isn't too sharp, there are no lumps in their abdomens and if they are off laying for a more than a couple of days I'm afraid the girls will have to suffer the indignity of a finger up their bum!

I just hope this message may serve as a warning to all - they don't always look "odd" when they are egg bound.

[helens-hens]

Hi Geordiechick. Sorry to hear your sad news about Maureen  . It is was good of you to put this up as a warning, we all learn by sharing our experiences, both good and bad.

Good on you for haven taken her on as an ex-batt and giving her a great 6 months.

[ANHBUC]

Sorry to hear your sad news geordiechick and well done in giving her a loving home.

I will take on board what you have said and check my 3 non laying girls tomorrow.  That is if I can catch them, they are not curtseying with them not laying so it should be fun. 

[4chooks]

Anyone who re-homes ex-batts after working on an batt farm for a number of years are LEGENDS to me, so well done for that.

Sorry to here about the loss, question is r u going to re-home more???

Users information is a valuable comodity so thanks again as stated for sharing
you info and experience.