Derperella, the (weird) Faverolles, & Friends

[Suzierd]

I went ahead and called my vet to see if she does the Hormonal implant. Waiting to hear back.

 

[leelastarsky]

Oh, Nam, I hope Kua is ok! My ex-battery hens had similar issues. So sad!

 

[katbriar]

So sorry to hear of Kua's difficulties. She sure is lucky to have your care.

Keep us posted and know we're thinking about you!

 

[froggiesheins]

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO>>> poor sweet Kua, this sucks Nambroth....hopefully the deslorelin implant helps extend her life god willing.. {{{huggs to you}}}

 

[kitmarlowescot2]

Oh I am so sorry to hear about Kua and the possibility she probably has a ovarian tumor. I know they were designed to lay eggs and not have a long life. I know scientists will even study hen's ovaries because they get ovarian cancer so much. Here's hoping some of that research can help Kua.

 

[Nambroth]

Do they do the hormonal implants in the US now? I have a young hen laying nothing but rubber eggs for over a week now.

Yes, but it is important to talk with your vet and make sure your hen is a candidate. Not all reproductive problems will be solved with the implant. Ask for Deslorelin implants, most avian vets that are up to date on medicine will at least have some knowledge of them. My vet in Buffalo, NY, has used Deslorelin implants in suitable hens before. They can work, depending on what the problem is specifically.

 

[Nambroth]

Poor sweet Kua left us yesterday...
I am sorry I didn't post last night. The vet stayed with us very late, and after the two hour drive home, it was 11pm and I was too emotionally worn to post about it.
Kua was much more ill than we thought. My vet fortunately has a sonogram machine tuned for avians and we were able to get a clear look at what was going on inside Kua. She was absolutely full of solid mass tumors (not fluid or yolks as one might see in WYP or ascites). The tumors were ovarian that just simply took over her abdomen and were already all through her liver, intestines, etc. X-rays revealed that they were already pushing her internal organs up into her chest cavity. Because they were tumors and not internal laying or ascites, there was little that could be done. We discussed options at length and the vet told me that she had seen no less than three other red production hens in the last month with this exact issue, all between 2-3 years old. On two of them the owners opted to attempt surgery and the patient had to be euthanized on the surgery table because the extent of the tumors was beyond removal. Kua was already starting to be lethargic and was not interested in food-- for the first time in her life, because she was a piggy-- and we made a very, very hard decision. It was exceptionally difficult to decide to let her go, and I am crying thinking about it. I had very high hopes that she was 'simply' laying internally, that the mass could be removed and an implant put in place to extend her life.

My vet expressed that as she sees more and more chickens, that she has started to see this remarkably often in red production hens. It makes me sad to know that 'we' have bred this trait into them in our quest for the best production. I think that if someone just wants some production hens and then intends to make soup, there is nothing wrong with that. It just, frankly, sucks that production hens are so often marketed as good egg laying-pets to people that want a long lived bird. Research would prevent some of this, of course, but I know more and more people go through this and it's really heartbreaking. I know our birds live better than 90% of their sisters which end up in commercial egg farms, but it is no less sad when we lose a pet.

I will make a thread in the diseases/injuries/cures thread with images from Kua's sonogram and X-rays in case it can help someone, but I need to wait a few days because it's hard to write about it right now. I will link to it for those interested once I make the thread. I am waiting on the sonogram imagery from the vet (they were very busy yesterday and stayed very late for us at no extra cost, my thanks to them).

Kua, May 9th 2011 - July 14th 2014

 

[artsyrobin]

I AM SO SORRY!!!

 

[jfaith51]

I am so very sorry.

 

[scratch'n'peck]

I am so sorry about your dear Kua. It is frightening how quickly the ovarian tumors spread. Although it is fortunate that she did not suffer for long. Of course that is largely because you are so responsive to your chickens' needs. And your trusted vet makes such a hard situation at least more manageable.

Sweet Kua - her life was too short, but she was fortunate to be loved so much.