1 out of 6 hens left. (Venting)

[prplehailstorm]

I posted some months ago about a hen that had become sick and eventually passed after two vet visits and weeks of me trying everything to save her. Well, we had another chicken become ill. I had thought she was getting bullied so I would separate her so she could eat and drink. I was able to keep her going for about a month but a couple of days ago we found her weak and unable to move. She looked the same as the last hen and instead of torturing myself for a week, we decided to let her go. We have a very small flock and love our girls so my bf took her to a necropsy lab near us to be euthanized. We couldn’t bring ourselves to do it. I’m just so broken about it. Im upset that we didn’t do it instead of sending her to a scary place alone. I’m upset that we started with 6 girls and only have 1 left. Im upset at the thought maybe it would have been able to save her if I tried harder. Im upset that I’m so upset over a chicken. A lot of chickens die each day but she was my girl. She had her own personality and was my most trusting hen. I don’t really have a question or anything I just wanted to vent. I will post the results once we receive them in case anyone is curious. RIP Elsa. I’m sure Ana will miss her sister

 

[Eggcessive]

Sorry that you lost her and several others in your flock. It is good that you got a necropsy, since they can test for certain diseases if they suspect anything. They look at the organs, and for any common problems, such as salpingitis or egg yolk peritonitis, tumors, crop disorders, worms, and respiratory diseases. When I have a sick hen, I look them over for lice and mites, check their droppings, feel of their crop, look at the breast muscle for weight loss, and see that their face and beak are clean, and have a normal odor. Hot weather or molting, as well as extreme cold weather can be times that symptoms may occur. Let us know about the necropsy report since that is how we all learn.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

No matter how hard you try, you usually can't save them if you don't know what is wrong.
Treatment is based on the cause of the malady, not guesses.
What was the result of the necropsy?

 

[Xouie]

So very sorry for your loss. Of course you’re upset — she wasn’t just a chicken, she was a loved pet. She was a part of your life and we understand your grief.

I hope the necropsy can bring you answers to help prevent more loss.

 

[prplehailstorm]

No matter how hard you try, you usually can't save them if you don't know what is wrong.
What was the result of the necropsy?

We haven’t received it back yet. I’ll make an update when we do.

 

[Apatch]

I’m really sorry for your loss. I understand how you are feeling. You did your best. I know it’s hard to believe you did, but you did. Please keep us updated.

 

[Allsfairinloveandbugs]

I posted some months ago about a hen that had become sick and eventually passed after two vet visits and weeks of me trying everything to save her. Well, we had another chicken become ill. I had thought she was getting bullied so I would separate her so she could eat and drink. I was able to keep her going for about a month but a couple of days ago we found her weak and unable to move. She looked the same as the last hen and instead of torturing myself for a week, we decided to let her go. We have a very small flock and love our girls so my bf took her to a necropsy lab near us to be euthanized. We couldn’t bring ourselves to do it. I’m just so broken about it. Im upset that we didn’t do it instead of sending her to a scary place alone. I’m upset that we started with 6 girls and only have 1 left. Im upset at the thought maybe it would have been able to save her if I tried harder. Im upset that I’m so upset over a chicken. A lot of chickens die each day but she was my girl. She had her own personality and was my most trusting hen. I don’t really have a question or anything I just wanted to vent. I will post the results once we receive them in case anyone is curious. RIP Elsa. I’m sure Ana will miss her sister

Have you gotten necropsy results yet? Im sorry you've had so many losses. It sounds like you did everything you knew to try and heal them.

Re your words "I'm upset that im so upset about a chicken. A lot of chickens die each day, but she was my girl. She had her own personality..."

A lot of dogs, cats, horses, rabbits, etc, etc, etc die each day too, but no one considers it "silly" to mourn the deaths of those species. Yes you are right, chickens have individual personalities, they return our affection, they are smart and funny, they provide us endless entertainment and enjoyment and they serve us breakfast too.

I hope you can find peace and comfort in knowing you did the best you knew how, & that your hen knew you adored her. And please dont give up on keeping chickens. The perception "they are only chickens" is sadly much too common. Chickens need people like you to show that like other animals, chickens are worthy of love and respect too.

 

[prplehailstorm]

Heys guys, so I got the necropsy back. It turns out she had an infection. I believe the acronym was sps? Which we were told was common in backyard hens. It was apparently treatable with antibiotics if caught early. So, I’m pretty sad that there was something I could do about it. That leads me to the question, how do I go about getting antibiotics for my hens? I’ve taken our last sick hen to two different vets all to be told “we don’t know what’s wrong” and sent home empty handed. Is there some kind of over the counter antibiotics I can find to treat my girls if they start showing the same symptoms? Now that I know what to look out for I’m at a loss for how to go about getting treatment for it

 

[ChickenCanoe]

So was the infection a bacteria or virus?
Sps really means nothing. The only thing sps means regarding bacteria is something from contact with coral reefs.
The necropsy report should have the specific infection so you know how to proceed.
If it was a bacteria, the vet should have been able to at least prescribe an antibiotic if not provide it for you.
It is rare for a vet to be an avian veterinarian and even rarer for them to have poultry experience. You are much better off at your state poultry lab where most have an avian pathologist on staff.
Most of the time a veterinarian will send the specimen to the state lab for the necropsy and they will charge a fee on top of what the lab charges. You are better off if possible to work directly with the lab. It saves time and money.
What state are you in?

 

[prplehailstorm]

So was the infection a bacteria or virus?
Sps really means nothing. The only thing sps means regarding bacteria is something from contact with coral reefs.
The necropsy report should have the specific infection so you know how to proceed.
If it was a bacteria, the vet should have been able to at least prescribe an antibiotic if not provide it for you.
It is rare for a vet to be an avian veterinarian and even rarer for them to have poultry experience. You are much better off at your state poultry lab where most have an avian pathologist on staff.
Most of the time a veterinarian will send the specimen to the state lab for the necropsy and they will charge a fee on top of what the lab charges. You are better off if possible to work directly with the lab. It saves time and money.
What state are you in?

It was a bacterial infection. I haven’t found a vet in my area that actually has much experience with chickens. Both vets I took the last chicken to really didn’t seem to know anything about them even though they agreed to do the exam. The chicken in this post was taken to a lab for euthanasia and a necropsy. We are very close to the lab at the university of Davis in California so we dropped her off there. She was never taken to a vet as she had the same symptoms of the last one and the vets weren’t and help.