- Sep 11, 2014
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Hello, Everyone!
I am new to the group - so this not only a really long note about my sick chicken, it is also a New Member Intro
!
In April of this past year we picked up 6 young White Leghorn laying hens for our small acreage here in southern Alberta. The girls have been doing very well, and consistently laying 6 eggs 95% of the time - the odd time they lay only 5.
About 2 1/2 weeks ago I found one of the largest eggs I've ever seen in a chicken coup!! I actually went looking for the goose that may have laid it! Kidding, as we only have a few dogs and no other domestic animals on the place. All the girls seemed fine since.
Then, this past Tuesday, one of the girls looked to have a dark butt, and upon closer inspection and watching her, the other hens were actually picking at her butt and she was raw and bleeding back there - it was a real mess! Our neighbour's (sorry, Canadian spelling!!) are old-time chicken farmers, and told us that she was most likely the hen that laid the huge egg, ruptured a vessel, and the bleeding finally attracted the other birds so they started pecking and thus the mess.
We separated her immediately and after 2 days the bleeding stopped and she seemed to be doing much better.
However, by yesterday morning, the REAL mess began. She was looking really good for a day, eating well, nesting well in her straw bed in a dog crate in her own yard, laying an egg each and every day - never did miss a day - was alert and active. When I looked at her backside yesterday morning, there were long thick strings of white slime throughout her lower feathers. The mess still continues today, and I have attached pictures.
When we first separated her, I found the Back Yard Chickens site and looked up what I could, and discovered the delightful Vent Gleet condition. At the time, I did not think that it was what this girl had, as it was a raw bleeding mess, not a smelly yeasty mess. I did, however, add some yogurt to her food just in case, and she really does like the yogurt! This new mess started the day after I started her on yogurt with her food.
She still does not smell, as far as I can tell, and when I had my head in the dog crate to change the straw out yesterday, no smell at all.
She's looking a little less active today, and we've had freezing rain with snow the last several days, but today is the first day without some sunshine. You can see the snow we've had in the pictures!
I went to our local feed store and picked up what they had for antibiotics, which they call Super Booster, and it includes penicillin. One of the joys of trying to use it is that you are supposed to dissolve the package (100 g) into 180 L of water! It's ONE chicken! I'm deciding if I can actually measure 1 gram of this stuff for 2 L of water! I have not attempted this feat as of yet.
So, I am seeking some helpful guidance on what to do with this girl. The real questions I have are:
Should I continue the yogurt or no?
If this is Vent Gleet, should I continue the yogurt, try the Super Booster, both, or neither?
Should we be eating the eggs she lays?
I know that if I give her the Super Booster NOT to eat her eggs. How long after quitting the Super Booster can we safely eat the eggs?
How can I be sure it is, or is not, Vent Gleet?
Any other advice would be so, so helpful!!
Thanks so much!
PS - We are away this weekend, back on Monday, so if I don't respond after this evening I don't mean to be rude - I'm just won't be online!!
I am new to the group - so this not only a really long note about my sick chicken, it is also a New Member Intro
!In April of this past year we picked up 6 young White Leghorn laying hens for our small acreage here in southern Alberta. The girls have been doing very well, and consistently laying 6 eggs 95% of the time - the odd time they lay only 5.
About 2 1/2 weeks ago I found one of the largest eggs I've ever seen in a chicken coup!! I actually went looking for the goose that may have laid it! Kidding, as we only have a few dogs and no other domestic animals on the place. All the girls seemed fine since.
Then, this past Tuesday, one of the girls looked to have a dark butt, and upon closer inspection and watching her, the other hens were actually picking at her butt and she was raw and bleeding back there - it was a real mess! Our neighbour's (sorry, Canadian spelling
!!) are old-time chicken farmers, and told us that she was most likely the hen that laid the huge egg, ruptured a vessel, and the bleeding finally attracted the other birds so they started pecking and thus the mess.We separated her immediately and after 2 days the bleeding stopped and she seemed to be doing much better.
However, by yesterday morning, the REAL mess began. She was looking really good for a day, eating well, nesting well in her straw bed in a dog crate in her own yard, laying an egg each and every day - never did miss a day - was alert and active. When I looked at her backside yesterday morning, there were long thick strings of white slime throughout her lower feathers. The mess still continues today, and I have attached pictures.
When we first separated her, I found the Back Yard Chickens site and looked up what I could, and discovered the delightful Vent Gleet condition. At the time, I did not think that it was what this girl had, as it was a raw bleeding mess, not a smelly yeasty mess. I did, however, add some yogurt to her food just in case, and she really does like the yogurt! This new mess started the day after I started her on yogurt with her food.
She still does not smell, as far as I can tell, and when I had my head in the dog crate to change the straw out yesterday, no smell at all.
She's looking a little less active today, and we've had freezing rain with snow the last several days, but today is the first day without some sunshine. You can see the snow we've had in the pictures!
I went to our local feed store and picked up what they had for antibiotics, which they call Super Booster, and it includes penicillin. One of the joys of trying to use it is that you are supposed to dissolve the package (100 g) into 180 L of water! It's ONE chicken! I'm deciding if I can actually measure 1 gram of this stuff for 2 L of water
! I have not attempted this feat as of yet. So, I am seeking some helpful guidance on what to do with this girl. The real questions I have are:
Should I continue the yogurt or no?
If this is Vent Gleet, should I continue the yogurt, try the Super Booster, both, or neither?
Should we be eating the eggs she lays?
I know that if I give her the Super Booster NOT to eat her eggs. How long after quitting the Super Booster can we safely eat the eggs?
How can I be sure it is, or is not, Vent Gleet?
Any other advice would be so, so helpful!!
Thanks so much!
PS - We are away this weekend, back on Monday, so if I don't respond after this evening I don't mean to be rude - I'm just won't be online
!!
