Recent content by attilathehen

My husband and I pulled her out of her nest box just about every day. So it's not as though I let her sit in there non stop. But she'd either march back in or march to a different corner of the yard to lay an egg and continue brooding. Honestly, at one point, we separated her from the birds...

Thanks for the feedback. I moved her outside this morning, and she took a turn for the worse. If she were simply broody, I'd understand not wanting to keep her in a heated area. But this really isn't about the broodiness. It's what the broodiness has caused. I'm not optimistic that she will...

Thanks for the input. She still won't drink on her own, but is certainly pepping up. I'm beginning to suspect the issue may be that she grew too weak to access the food or water. (Our nest boxes are "upstairs" and the food is "downstairs.") It's the strangest thing. I keep trying to identify...

I've heard that first time brooders can sometimes brood themselves to death - by refusing water or food as they brood. I believe this is happening to one of my birds. She's been broody almost a month, beyond a normal broody period, and this is her first brood. She's under a year old, and we...

Thanks. I'm glad she's back to normal too. She isn't a particularly valuable bird, she's never won any prizes... but she certainly is a charismatic hen. And she's one of our original flock, so we are a little more attached to her. I think tube feeding is almost certainly an invasive procedure...

I thought I'd post an update in case anybody out there is having similar chicken issues. I'm happy to report that my bird, Rosie, is so far on the mend. She seems back to her old self, her tail is upright again, she is interacting with the other birds, and eating and drinking voluntarily. My...

Awesome. I didn't know that. I'll see if they have it at our feed store. I think they do...

Thanks for the suggestions. We don't really have vets that deal with poultry where I am. Maybe some ag-extension people? I do already have some amount of experience dealing with poultry health, and friends with much larger farming operations that can weigh in or lend a hand. Anyhow, I'll keep...

I have a three year old ameraucana hen that I suspect has a case of internal laying/ egg yolk peritonitis. She's about 4 years old? She's always been very healthy. She laid a mess of egg white/yolk without a shell yesterday, and has been acting sick ever since. (I'd say she laid a shell-less...

I've had three birds that I suspect have had some form of internal laying/egg yolk peritonitis. Never formally diagnosed, but suspicious. Case 1: A Polish hen, full sized, about 3 years old when the problems started. She came from a breeder. She was definitely egg bound at least once, which we...

Thanks! I feel a little bit silly pouring so much into a little silkie. But at this point, it's an interesting learning experience for me, and I'm curious to see if she can recover! It's probably not a very practical solution for a large chicken farm or anything, but I've accepted that this...

In case anybody stumbles upon this, and is curious, I'm posting the treatment that so far seems to be having good results. I spoke with a friend, who is an ornithologist, and works at a wildlife rehab center rehabing all kinds of birds, and she advised the treatment. She's not a vet, but she is...

I am currently nursing my silkie back from (what I think) is a mild case of wry neck. (She got it after a peck to the head/ear). After not knowing what was up with her for a few days, I decided she was exhibiting symptoms of wry neck. I talked to a friend, who works at a bird rehab center (she...

Sorry to hear your bird is still not improving too much. I thought I'd write again to let you know what I've been doing for my little silkie. I've decided that she was not attacked by a cat, but pecked on the head by our rooster. My husband saw the rooster bothering her earlier in the day, and...

Question... do you think that the silkie could have developed wry neck as a result of the attack? She still is acting a bit, well addled. She won't eat or drink, but appears okay otherwise. The no eating and drinking would be explained by the wry neck. I'm just really hesitant to tube her...