Arizona Chickens

[BlueBaby]

Is it raining over there in the Tucson area, yet? Will I need to get out my ☂ ?

 

[DesertChic]

I hope not, but she is showing a few of the symptoms (lack of egg laying being the main one). It's confusing though because only her crop is swollen, not any part of her body. She has been "off" for an entire week, but has not gotten worse. If anything she's acting more like herself (being dominant, dirt bathing, going for treats) compared to last Friday. Her main issues are constantly full crop, not eating much food, and watery number twos. If it is indeed EYP, how long do you think she would go on like this until succumbing to the infection? Thank you for your input, I am always trying to learn more about raising chickens.

I honestly don't know how long it would take, but eventually you would start noticing that she's getting thinner and probably panting more in the heat than the other birds. The White Rock I had with this condition would often go into the nesting box and even carry on as if she wanted to lay an egg, but nothing ever came out. She behaved "normally" for the most part, but panted more than the others and just seemed a bit more intolerant than she used to be. The egg 'tumor' I removed from her weighed over a pound. It had to have been positively miserable for her, and possibly downright painful.

 

[SonoranChick]

Is it raining over there in the Tucson area, yet? Will I need to get out my ☂ ?

Nothing at my house

 

[BlueBaby]

I honestly don't know how long it would take, but eventually you would start noticing that she's getting thinner and probably panting more in the heat than the other birds. The White Rock I had with this condition would often go into the nesting box and even carry on as if she wanted to lay an egg, but nothing ever came out. She behaved "normally" for the most part, but panted more than the others and just seemed a bit more intolerant than she used to be. The egg 'tumor' I removed from her weighed over a pound. It had to have been positively miserable for her, and possibly downright painful.

It is amazing what some animals still do when they have been hurt or in pain. They just go on, just like those 3 legged dog's. They can't express their pain like human's do.

 

[SonoranChick]

I honestly don't know how long it would take, but eventually you would start noticing that she's getting thinner and probably panting more in the heat than the other birds. The White Rock I had with this condition would often go into the nesting box and even carry on as if she wanted to lay an egg, but nothing ever came out. She behaved "normally" for the most part, but panted more than the others and just seemed a bit more intolerant than she used to be. The egg 'tumor' I removed from her weighed over a pound. It had to have been positively miserable for her, and possibly downright painful.

Oh my goodness that poor baby. I can't imagine how uncomfortable that would have been. It's made more difficult because they are so good at hiding their ailments...what I see as her acting normal doesn't necessarily mean she isn't in pain. I will keep a very close eye on her, especially with the approaching heat wave, and keep you all posted on her condition.

 

[13lue]

Good evening from central AZ!
We have been tinkering with chickens since February with our first flock. Started with 6 Reds and 3 EE then 10 Amerucauna or which ever spelling you want for the ear muffed ones... from a breeder. Found out the hard way that my old husky is able to sneak up on chickens, at 13 yo you would think the chickens would get away but she got 5 and that showed the younger dog that they were fun and could be eaten. So we picked up 5 more chicks from Tractor Supply lost one on their first day outside. (larger chickens drank the water stand dry and the chicks couldn't reach the big water peckers yet) we were given a chicken from a friend down the road after her flock was destroyed by a predator that made its way into the coup. She went about a month not laying then started back up at almost an egg a day until today, when I got home from work she was dead in the coup. No wounds no damage to her that I can find and there was still food/water/shade my chickens have the full yard to run so it wasn't that she was stuck. She had laid and egg this morning and I had just cleaned out the roosting area of the coup 3 days ago. So I have no clue what she died from. Anyways Hi !

 

[DesertChic]

It is amazing what some animals still do when they have been hurt or in pain. They just go on, just like those 3 legged dog's. They can't express their pain like human's do.

Yep! Animals don't know what "disabled" means. They just keep on living, keep on surviving. I admire that.

 

[SonoranChick]

@13lue Hi and welcome! Make yourself right at home here! Sounds like you have a good mix of various breeds. Yes, sometimes even the best behaved dogs cannot control their instincts around chickens...sorry to hear your hen passed away today. I wonder if it had something to do with the heat, even though she had access to shade & water. Some are just less tolerant of our extreme weather.

 

[BlueBaby]

Good evening from central AZ!
We have been tinkering with chickens since February with our first flock. Started with 6 Reds and 3 EE then 10 Amerucauna or which ever spelling you want for the ear muffed ones... from a breeder. Found out the hard way that my old husky is able to sneak up on chickens, at 13 yo you would think the chickens would get away but she got 5 and that showed the younger dog that they were fun and could be eaten. So we picked up 5 more chicks from Tractor Supply lost one on their first day outside. (larger chickens drank the water stand dry and the chicks couldn't reach the big water peckers yet) we were given a chicken from a friend down the road after her flock was destroyed by a predator that made its way into the coup. She went about a month not laying then started back up at almost an egg a day until today, when I got home from work she was dead in the coup. No wounds no damage to her that I can find and there was still food/water/shade my chickens have the full yard to run so it wasn't that she was stuck. She had laid and egg this morning and I had just cleaned out the roosting area of the coup 3 days ago. So I have no clue what she died from. Anyways Hi !

Hello, and welcome to BYC! The hen that died might have been an older hen that had a hard time with our heat. Some breed's do better than other do out here. What part of Az. are you in?

 

[DesertChic]

Oh my goodness that poor baby. I can't imagine how uncomfortable that would have been. It's made more difficult because they are so good at hiding their ailments...what I see as her acting normal doesn't necessarily mean she isn't in pain. I will keep a very close eye on her, especially with the approaching heat wave, and keep you all posted on her condition.

If she doesn't mind being handled, I'd recommend monitoring her breast meat along the keel first and foremost, and then her thighs second, but just once per week. If you check her too frequently you may not notice subtle differences, but from one week to the next you can detect the changes. Also note her posture. If she starts to stand more upright with her tail tilted down then she probably has a growth weighing down her bum.

You can also feel her bum, below the anus. When a hen puts on too much fat you can DEFINITELY detect it in their bums, and also fluid accumulation if they have ascites (aka water belly) and sometimes growths or lodged eggs. The girls don't much enjoy having their butts groped, but you can learn a lot from...um... copping a feel.