Théo and the chickens des Sauches

[Perris]

I don't know why @Perris is laughing - I am serious!

because of your comment about being shouted at for making a very sensible suggestion! There are some real head cases on BYC (though not on this thread I think )

I'm a fan of old fashioned simple substances like soap and water, vinegar, bicarb, liquid paraffin, lemon juice, and even alcohol if I've a bottle of something that I don't really like

 

[RoyalChick]

I use soap, and I don't think it's questionable. It's what I've been told to use when I did first aid training and my brother told me it's what the paramedics are told to use as well. It's just that in this case a spray would have been more convenient, I didn't have enough clean towels to sponge with soap, rinse and dry.
I have 90 degrees alcohol to prepare brandy but I'm not sure it's pet safe !

Except it evaporates so fast they won't get to it.
When everything was out of stock here during Covid I used grain alcohol to make my own wipes.

 

[RoyalChick]

because of your comment about being shouted at for making a very sensible suggestion! There are some real head cases on BYC (though not on this thread I think )

I'm a fan of old fashioned simple substances like soap and water, vinegar, bicarb, liquid paraffin, lemon juice, and even alcohol if I've a bottle of something that I don't really like

Oh boy yes! And I admire your patience with some of them!

 

[BDutch]

Lilly is a big hen who does a lot of strong wing flapping, especially now she is half broody.

Are you sure she wasn’t on the nest because she felt ill?
Maybe she isn’t broody at all and will get back to normal when she recovers.

 

[Shadrach]

Another post about a distressing health issue .

I am going to do just what I said I wouldn't, and post in detail about some yucky scary chicken health problem that I encountered yesterday. I hope the outcome turns out to be not as bad as the fright it gave me ! I may be too squeamish for chickens but I was pretty shocked. I would be thankful for any advice.

I mentioned it on another thread : we noticed about two weeks ago that Lilly's foot,which we thought was healed, was swelling again. So we started tending her foot again.
Yesterday evening I knew my partner had to help a friend for some garden stuff after work and then he needed to check the fence for the boar's passages, so I did the foot care on my own. I usually avoid that because it's really easier being two and Lilly is a big hen who does a lot of strong wing flapping, especially now she is half broody. But I had just received the drawing salve I ordered ten days ago and I wanted to start applying it as soon as possible.
She began to struggle a bit on my knees while I was wrapping her foot, so I picked her up to put her back in place....and... her water broke . About the equivalent of a small glass of water fell from her belly on the floor. I was utterly panicked and my first thought was she had ascites and I had somehow punctured the skin through.
I wanted to have a look but I was very scared to squeeze her in case it would make things worse. I thought I could burrito wrap her in a towel. Bad idea. She freaked out and started flying all over the place. Jumped on the wood stove, which wasn't lit thanks to the great chicken, on to the oven and on the sink, and from there to the border of the salad bowl full of water rinsing a lettuce...so then I grabbed her and put her on the floor with a small plate of rice to try to keep her quiet just a bit. Then I saw something looking like a scab under her, on her bare abdomen (she has plucked all her feathers away) . I put a towel under her and touched it...and the thing I newer saw in all various bumblefoot that is supposed to happen came out : a huge plug and a core of solid pus.

Spoiler: Picture

View attachment 3829417

I was actually relieved to see that because at least I knew what it was - an abscess that I guess she may have made from sitting on the perch with her bare skin ? And I knew what to do - empty the pus and disinfect. But I just didn't know how without hurting her as she was freaking out and trying to escape me. After some unsuccessful attempts I just put her on my knee and heled her tight against me with one hand while pressing a gauze with betadine (iodine) on the hole. This seemed to soothe her and she began falling asleep, but whenever I released my grip, she got up in alert again.

I briefly phoned my partner to tell him to try to come as soon as he could, and waited 40 long minutes with the hen sleeping on my lap. Once he was there, it was really easy. We didn't even need to move her - he got on his knees on the floor and could see and tend to the abscess. He said the hole was the size of a middle finger tip, but it was clean. After another round of iodine we put a big very sticky dressing on it and sent her to bed.

Today she has been acting normally (for a broody, that is). My partner gave her some metacam for pain once she was out of the nest, toward 11 am. I've wrapped her roost with a gym mat and tonight when we take off the dressing, we will see what it looks like and send pictures to the vet.

In retrospect I'm glad it happened at this moment because outside we would have missed it, and if my partner wasn't heading home, I don't know what I would have done. I haven't cleaned out the pet carrier and the crate that we used for Blanche so I didn't have anything easily accessible to contain her, and I just couldn't leave her in the room for more than a minute seeing how freaked out she was and jumping around everywhere.
I'm also realising I need to find some surface disinfectant. We haven't used any for a long time because of the cats, but right then I would have needed something to spray on the floor.

A few every day life chicken pictures from the past few days to make up for another awful post .

Lilly today.
View attachment 3829425
Kara
View attachment 3829428View attachment 3829430View attachment 3829431
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I'll miss reading about Blanche.
How interesting about the core coming out like that.

 

[Molpet]

I was actually relieved to see that because at least I knew what it was - an abscess that I guess she may have made from sitting on the perch with her bare skin ?

I have had similar on my meat mutts. I also figured resting on perch

 

[ManueB]

The post about Blanche, the little ex-batt with nine lives.

She was the first hen we named for a simple reason : when the ex-batt's arrived as pullets, she was the only one we could tell apart because she was whiter than all except Cannelle, and smaller. But she turned out to be the last to learn her name. It took the time for her to discover her passion in life : eating ! Blanche's brain was in her belly. Once she understood we brought her treats, she would run as fast as she could when we called "Blaaaaannnnche" right from across the yard, and that would last most of her life.

March 2020, Blanche on the right and Cannelle on the left.

She was a small thing with a strong temper. At roost time she was determined to be on the higher bar of the ladder where they roosted. For months Cannelle, Vanille and her quarreled for that place above and often they would squeeze in the three of them- they didn't understand that they could use the roost and not just the ladder, to sleep !

I'm not sure when we realised that she was going to have health issues. We quickly saw that even though she kept stuffing herself, she was smaller, always hungry and her crop was never full, but she was so lively and active this didn't seem to be a problem.

She was the craziest of the ex-batt's and we felt sometimes that she was a bit..silly. Rain, snow or hail, nothing could keep her from staying outside and more than once she got soaked wet when her friends thought better.

The first problem she encountered was in early 2021 when she started missing feathers on her back, until she had a huge bare patch. This was when we first noticed because she was wet.

No treatment seemed to help and she wasn't being picked on. She stayed for months without feathers and since she didn't molt like all of my ex-batts their first two winter, they didn't grow back- until one day they did, a long time later.
The next problem was a lot more serious. Like Vanille, she began having trouble to lay her daily egg. She would be egg-bound for one day, and lay two eggs the next. This happened every day for two months. We gave her calcium and began supplementing her with scrambled egg and sardine but it didn't seem to help. It really looked like she would die. She only had about an hour of respite after laying the second egg and then she would act unwell again. But somehow she pulled out of it and started laying normally again. It was then we realised that in spite of being a bit mad,she had grit and she really wanted to live.

We really thought she would be one of our first ex-batt's to die with Vanille but she proved us wrong every time. And each time, as soon as she felt better, she went back to her crazy happy chicken ways.

Just before Christmas 2022, there was a hawk attack under the laurel tree and she was struggling during about a minute before we heard and chased the hawk away. All we saw was a slight superficial peck on her head and she was blinking and closing one eye. It didn't look serious, the year before Brune had been attacked in the same circumstances she had had a far deeper peck and kept her eye totally closed for two days, and she healed in a week. But it turned out differently for Blanche. It was obvious her eye hurt her, although we didn't see anything wrong with it, and she spent her mornings lying down inside the coop. After some time we realised she was loosing sight in her eye. Her personality underwent a major shift as well. Before that she had been totally unafraid and unconscious of any dangers. After the attack she became a lot more timid. Even when she was well we could see she stayed close to the coop because she wanted to be able to come back to hide. She was also afraid of the roosters and both Gaston and Théo took advantage of that, although both could be kind to her in some ways.

During all 2023,she kept alternating phases where she was really down and moments when she was much better. She kept her love for food, so when she wouldn't eat any of the things she loved, we knew she felt really bad. We also realised she had a problem with her digestive system. She kept vomiting water but her crop always felt empty.
We called her the demon hen, because she was so mean to all the new comers. We used to joke chasing and pecking other hens what was kept her going. This turned back on her when the bigger hens Kara and Lilly managed to take over her and began bullying her ; she was utterly terrified.

We also called her the hen with nine lives because it seemed incredible she was still there and fighting. I can't tell you the number of times I thought she would die. And each time, as soon as she felt a bit better, it seemed as if nothing had ever been wrong. She focused on the present.

I think her ending was relatively peaceful, once we found out she had a lice infestation and treated it and managed to ease her sour crop. She deliberately chose to spend those last weeks with us instead of with her kin, which felt very strange, both sad and endearing. I tried many times to put her back with the most tolerant hens, or to have her see them on the other side of the mesh. The last chickens she interacted with were Gaston and Nougat, but she just didn't want to. My guess is that either she felt too weak to keep up with them, or they were treating her like she was already dead whereas we were spoiling her and giving her a lot of attention.
She kept wanting to go in our house the first days we brought her a bit inside, then we had a routine of taking her out toward 9 or ten, and she would hang out in front of the house or in the woodshed until she was too tired and we put her to bed in the crate in the coop. The highlights of her days was when we brought her tiny portions of whatever food she liked to eat at that moment, she would try to run to us and make greedy sounds, and when we put her on our knees, either my partner or me, to nap. She became the first pet chicken we have ever had during her last month.

Her days shortened progressively until we knew it was the end, she just opened her eye when my partner said goodbye before leaving for work early in the morning, and then she did not wake up until she died.

August 2022

October 2022

January 2023 not long after the hawk attack. Staying in the coop with Nougat.

August 2023 with Nougat and Gaston

September 2023

October 2023

December 2023

2024
One of the few times she managed to go down the chicken yard with the other chickens.

Getting to the end and still longing for some yummy treats.

And finally crossing over. Goodbye, Blanchette, we will remain in awe of how you fought for life.

Spoiler

 

[Perris]

That's a beautiful tribute to a missed friend.

 

[Sequel]

That was a lovely bio Manue! You’ve given her a sort of immortality!

 

[Molpet]

The post about Blanche, the little ex-batt with nine lives.

She was the first hen we named for a simple reason : when the ex-batt's arrived as pullets, she was the only one we could tell apart because she was whiter than all except Cannelle, and smaller. But she turned out to be the last to learn her name. It took the time for her to discover her passion in life : eating ! Blanche's brain was in her belly. Once she understood we brought her treats, she would run as fast as she could when we called "Blaaaaannnnche" right from across the yard, and that would last most of her life.

March 2020, Blanche on the right and Cannelle on the left.
View attachment 3830151
She was a small thing with a strong temper. At roost time she was determined to be on the higher bar of the ladder where they roosted. For months Cannelle, Vanille and her quarreled for that place above and often they would squeeze in the three of them- they didn't understand that they could use the roost and not just the ladder, to sleep !

I'm not sure when we realised that she was going to have health issues. We quickly saw that even though she kept stuffing herself, she was smaller, always hungry and her crop was never full, but she was so lively and active this didn't seem to be a problem.
View attachment 3830153
View attachment 3830154
View attachment 3830156
View attachment 3830326
She was the craziest of the ex-batt's and we felt sometimes that she was a bit..silly. Rain, snow or hail, nothing could keep her from staying outside and more than once she got soaked wet when her friends thought better.
View attachment 3830214
The first problem she encountered was in early 2021 when she started missing feathers on her back, until she had a huge bare patch. This was when we first noticed because she was wet.
View attachment 3830152
No treatment seemed to help and she wasn't being picked on. She stayed for months without feathers and since she didn't molt like all of my ex-batts their first two winter, they didn't grow back- until one day they did, a long time later.
The next problem was a lot more serious. Like Vanille, she began having trouble to lay her daily egg. She would be egg-bound for one day, and lay two eggs the next. This happened every day for two months. We gave her calcium and began supplementing her with scrambled egg and sardine but it didn't seem to help. It really looked like she would die. She only had about an hour of respite after laying the second egg and then she would act unwell again. But somehow she pulled out of it and started laying normally again. It was then we realised that in spite of being a bit mad,she had grit and she really wanted to live.
View attachment 3830150
View attachment 3830156
View attachment 3830215
We really thought she would be one of our first ex-batt's to die with Vanille but she proved us wrong every time. And each time, as soon as she felt better, she went back to her crazy happy chicken ways.

Just before Christmas 2022, there was a hawk attack under the laurel tree and she was struggling during about a minute before we heard and chased the hawk away. All we saw was a slight superficial peck on her head and she was blinking and closing one eye. It didn't look serious, the year before Brune had been attacked in the same circumstances she had had a far deeper peck and kept her eye totally closed for two days, and she healed in a week. But it turned out differently for Blanche. It was obvious her eye hurt her, although we didn't see anything wrong with it, and she spent her mornings lying down inside the coop. After some time we realised she was loosing sight in her eye. Her personality underwent a major shift as well. Before that she had been totally unafraid and unconscious of any dangers. After the attack she became a lot more timid. Even when she was well we could see she stayed close to the coop because she wanted to be able to come back to hide. She was also afraid of the roosters and both Gaston and Théo took advantage of that, although both could be kind to her in some ways.
View attachment 3830218

During all 2023,she kept alternating phases where she was really down and moments when she was much better. She kept her love for food, so when she wouldn't eat any of the things she loved, we knew she felt really bad. We also realised she had a problem with her digestive system. She kept vomiting water but her crop always felt empty.
We called her the demon hen, because she was so mean to all the new comers. We used to joke chasing and pecking other hens what was kept her going. This turned back on her when the bigger hens Kara and Lilly managed to take over her and began bullying her ; she was utterly terrified.

We also called her the hen with nine lives because it seemed incredible she was still there and fighting. I can't tell you the number of times I thought she would die. And each time, as soon as she felt a bit better, it seemed as if nothing had ever been wrong. She focused on the present.

I think her ending was relatively peaceful, once we found out she had a lice infestation and treated it and managed to ease her sour crop. She deliberately chose to spend those last weeks with us instead of with her kin, which felt very strange, both sad and endearing. I tried many times to put her back with the most tolerant hens, or to have her see them on the other side of the mesh. The last chickens she interacted with were Gaston and Nougat, but she just didn't want to. My guess is that either she felt too weak to keep up with them, or they were treating her like she was already dead whereas we were spoiling her and giving her a lot of attention.
She kept wanting to go in our house the first days we brought her a bit inside, then we had a routine of taking her out toward 9 or ten, and she would hang out in front of the house or in the woodshed until she was too tired and we put her to bed in the crate in the coop. The highlights of her days was when we brought her tiny portions of whatever food she liked to eat at that moment, she would try to run to us and make greedy sounds, and when we put her on our knees, either my partner or me, to nap. She became the first pet chicken we have ever had during her last month.

Her days shortened progressively until we knew it was the end, she just opened her eye when my partner said goodbye before leaving for work early in the morning, and then she did not wake up until she died.

August 2022
View attachment 3830220
View attachment 3830221
October 2022
View attachment 3830217
January 2023 not long after the hawk attack. Staying in the coop with Nougat.
View attachment 3830216
View attachment 3830219
August 2023 with Nougat and Gaston
View attachment 3830335
September 2023
View attachment 3830334
View attachment 3830333
October 2023
View attachment 3830332
View attachment 3830331
December 2023
View attachment 3830330
2024
One of the few times she managed to go down the chicken yard with the other chickens.
View attachment 3830329
Getting to the end and still longing for some yummy treats.
View attachment 3830328
View attachment 3830327
And finally crossing over. Goodbye, Blanchette, we will remain in awe of how you fought for life.

Spoiler

View attachment 3830349