Black Sex Link Walking Issues

[bamslp07]

Thank you. I was just looking up the peritonitis info tonight. She doesn't seem overly bloated at this point.....

Someone asked me if we had mushrooms in the yard and my son and I were just talking about a few we had seen. She said they may be toxic if the chicken happened to eat them. I have also seen a little mold where some of the feed has gotten on the ground and it rained quite a bit last week leading to that combination so I am not sure if that could be part of the problem ?!

We started the aeuromycin (sp?!) in the feed yesterday as someone suggested that to my husband but I do t think she got much of it in her today as she favored food other than feed (although I tried to mix some with yogurt). I will try to mash it tomorrow.

Here is a pic of her most recent poop I was able to get:

How long do you think it is safe for her to be in a dog kennel should I separate her from the others?

I did an Epsom salt bath yesterday and we have added extra grit in the run area. It has been almost a week since she has laid I think. We have 2 black sex links so I assume when we got 3 eggs instead of 4 it was her not laying but sometimes we only get 3 in general.

Thanks again

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Thank you. I was just looking up the peritonitis info tonight. She doesn't seem overly bloated at this point.....

Someone asked me if we had mushrooms in the yard and my son and I were just talking about a few we had seen. She said they may be toxic if the chicken happened to eat them. I have also seen a little mold where some of the feed has gotten on the ground and it rained quite a bit last week leading to that combination so I am not sure if that could be part of the problem ?!

We started the aeuromycin (sp?!) in the feed yesterday as someone suggested that to my husband but I do t think she got much of it in her today as she favored food other than feed (although I tried to mix some with yogurt). I will try to mash it tomorrow.

Here is a pic of her most recent poop I was able to get:

How long do you think it is safe for her to be in a dog kennel should I separate her from the others?

I did an Epsom salt bath yesterday and we have added extra grit in the run area. It has been almost a week since she has laid I think. We have 2 black sex links so I assume when we got 3 eggs instead of 4 it was her not laying but sometimes we only get 3 in general.

Thanks again

Hopefully adding the medicated feed will help.

As far as moldy feed on the ground, try to scrape that up with a shovel and get rid of it. Eating moldy feed, rotten matter (even maggots that feast on rotten matter) can cause Botulism or similar illness.

Since she hasn't laid an egg in a while she may still have some laying issues going on.

Setting up the kennel inside the run usually reduces any "separation anxiety".

I've only personally used this method for a hen that injured her leg, but she seemed content in the kennel. Her flock mates hung around the kennel and kept her company. This was to lessen her daily activity so she could rest and heal in "peace". I did let her out about 30mins before roosting time to start with so she could roam a little bit, then she roosted with the flock at night. This was over a period of about 2-3wks (sprains heal slowly), I decreased the amount of time she spent in the kennel (locked up) as the weeks went by - you sort of have to evaluate their condition daily.

 

[bamslp07]

Thank you. We have put a larger tote in the kennel that she starts out in by herself before the others come out to have time to eat/drink but she seems to enjoy perching on the side of it. Thankfully the other hens don't seem to bother her.

Going to work on scraping out the mold this morning! Hopefully I can assess her more when I pull her away to feed/water her directly......but I was glad to see her perching versus down in the dirt in the corner alone!

I can't believe how many variables exist with chickens! Doing research on everything is overwhelming....hard to know which antibiotics (if any), vitamins, if it's ok to mix them, etc. Thank you again for your time.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Thank you. We have put a larger tote in the kennel that she starts out in by herself before the others come out to have time to eat/drink but she seems to enjoy perching on the side of it. Thankfully the other hens don't seem to bother her.

Going to work on scraping out the mold this morning! Hopefully I can assess her more when I pull her away to feed/water her directly......but I was glad to see her perching versus down in the dirt in the corner alone!

I can't believe how many variables exist with chickens! Doing research on everything is overwhelming....hard to know which antibiotics (if any), vitamins, if it's ok to mix them, etc. Thank you again for your time.

I'm glad she is able to perch

It can be overwhelming when you start to research possible causes/illnesses. So many things can look "similar". Vitamins are never a bad idea. Most feed stores carry Poultry Nutri-Drench and Rooster Booster Poultry Cell both of these are pretty good. If you want to focus more on the B vitamins you can crush as human B-Complex vitamin and add it to her food.

Determining which antibiotic (if any) to use is a little harder. If the cause of her illness is internal laying/reproductive disorder (Peritonitis, Ascites, cancer, tumors, etc.) antibiotics usually are not that effective, but can give some supportive care/relief.

If she starts to decline dramatically, then giving antibiotics may be in order to see if there is any improvement. As far as "mixing" the antibiotic and vitamins - if the antibiotic you determine to use goes in the water, then make this her only source of water and just add the vitamins to her food.

 

[bamslp07]

Is something like B vitamins ok for all the chickens to have so I can just put it in the main water? She seems to want to drink out of that versus something individual.

I let them all out of the run this morning and I am surprised by how she is getting herself to a variety of places. She is eating quite a bit of grass/greens but doesn't seem as interested in the feed. I tried to mush it for her but she only wanted to take it on a little piece of bread.

I am trying to make sure she is getting enough water but that's kind tough too ....I tried to put her in a small area on the porch but she just stood by the gate and was much more active and happy in the yard.....

I guess any progress is good progress right?!

 

[bamslp07]

I am still wondering if maybe she injured her hip or something too?!

Oh and I got the mold out of the run today so I feel much better about that

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Yes, you can give the B vitamins (or Poultry Nutri-Drench/Poultry Cell) to all the girls. B vitamins are water soluble and any extra is excreted in the poop.

Glad you were able to get the mold up, it's can pose a problem if not addressed, sometimes it's hard to catch in it wet conditions.

It's possible it could be an injury, just keep an eye on her, if she will eat, drink and poop and is interested in what the others are doing, then play it by ear just evaluate her every day.

 

[bamslp07]

So my chicken is definitely walking better (I will attach a video below) and she has been eating a lot of greens when in the yard but her poop is still quite runny....she ate a little feed this morning and has definitely been drinking more. Can it take a little time when recovering for poops to get back on track (as she has obviously been stressed too). Even after she is up for a while, she is taking breaks to rest and still seems to be working up her confidence around the others.

Here was her poop this morning

 

[bamslp07]

Her walking this morning

 

[bamslp07]

Here was her most recent so at least it had a little more substance.....after eating a little this morning and grazing

She is also now getting up on the perch by herself but doesn't like the others in her "space"