Australia - Six states..and that funny little island.

[Anniebee]

Metronidazole is what was referred to me on the disease forum which is why I'm trying to find fish-zole somewhere but doesn't look like we stock that here in Oz.

The canker's in her mouth. She's still able to eat atm but don't want to leave it too much longer untreated.

She gets fed mixed grain and standard mash. Is that ok?

I have to presume a lot here ... so mixed grain I guess is scratch mix - a whole heap of seeds of different kinds ? Standard mash - Not sure about that to be honest, as many people have different ways of describing foodstuffs ( I have noticed ).

I have just googled 'standard mash' and find that it is the fine powdery form of layer pellets, before being made into pellets. .... not knowing how old your chicken is, I cannot say if the 'mash' is correct or not. I use the fine powder left over in bottom of bag of layer pellets, mixed in with yoghurt or crumbled eggs etc. Also grind up washed and dried egg shells to give to them in my own recipe (!!) mash. My chickens do not get shell grit as there is plenty of calcium in the layer pellets and shell grit in scratch mix, and they peck around on the ground for dirt and tiny stones etc. - the normal kind of thing that chooks do for their crops.

There are sooo many things to give or not give chickens of all ages - and many others here would be able to help more than I can at this stage. I see that FancyChookLady has answered you with more knowledge than I could ever have.

I would think the mixed grain / scratch mix is probably ok - perhaps only a little bit ? - - - - as for the mash ? ( commercial ? ) ... I don't know. She may need, if she is older, crumbles or pellets - I could imagine that an older chicken might get coatings of powdery stuff inside the mouth, resulting in ulceration ? but not being a vet, that is only a wildish guess on my part. .... anyone with thoughts on that here ?

Fish-zole is most likely available in the U.S. .... and there are many threads on BYC, that are used mostly by American people with chickens. I dare not go down the ACV path - I tried that with I believe the correct proportions to water, and they all scoured for a couple of days - had me very worried. Have not used it since. I changed their water the next day, and they came back to normal poops a few days later.

I do stand by my thought of seeing a Vet for the appropriate prescribed and issued anti-biotic if you believe she may get worse and have blockage of the throat. .... Good luck with her.

Cheers ....

 

[appps]

Well the mystery of the thin shelled eggs continues. Just found a third one on the floor under their roost snd it was at the opposite end to where Carl sits. It was closer to where our youngest pullet that has been lying for a couple months sits.

She never stops eating so can't imagine her being deficient in anything. Is there anything other than not enough calcium can cause super thin shelled eggs?

 

[Fancychooklady]

I have to presume a lot here ... so mixed grain I guess is scratch mix - a whole heap of seeds of different kinds ?     Standard mash -  Not sure about that to be honest, as many people have different ways of describing foodstuffs ( I have noticed ).      

I have just googled 'standard mash' and find that it is the fine powdery form of layer pellets, before being made into pellets.  .... not knowing how old your chicken is, I cannot say if the 'mash' is correct or not.  I use the fine powder left over in bottom of bag of layer pellets, mixed in with yoghurt or crumbled eggs etc.  Also grind up washed and dried egg shells to give to them in my own recipe (!!)  mash. My chickens do not get shell grit as there is plenty of calcium in the layer pellets and shell grit in scratch mix, and they peck around on the ground for dirt and tiny stones etc. - the normal kind of thing that chooks do for their crops.  

There are sooo many things to give or not give chickens of all ages - and many others here would be able to help more than I can at this stage.   I see that FancyChookLady has answered you with more knowledge than I could ever have.   

I would think the mixed grain / scratch mix is probably ok - perhaps only a little bit ?  - - - -  as for the mash ? ( commercial ? ) ... I don't know.   She may need, if she is older, crumbles or pellets - I could imagine that an older chicken might get coatings of powdery stuff inside the mouth, resulting in ulceration ? but not being a vet, that is only a wildish guess on my part.  ....  anyone with thoughts on that here ?

Fish-zole is most likely available in the U.S. .... and there are many threads on BYC, that are  used mostly by American people with chickens.  I dare not go down the ACV path - I tried that with I believe the correct proportions to water, and they all scoured for a couple of days - had me very worried.  Have not used it since.   I changed their water the next day, and they came back to normal poops a few days later.    

I do stand by my thought of seeing a Vet for the appropriate prescribed and issued anti-biotic if you believe she may get worse and have blockage of the throat.   .... Good luck with her. 

Cheers .... 

Sometimes visiting a vet is the only way to get the drugs required. But not everyone has the resources to pay $130 to see an avian vet to get $ 15 worth of medicine.
Once you have seen canker there is little chance of mistaking it for anything else. Wet fowl pox has similar lesions , same outcome (suffocation ) only Flagyl would have little or no impact on it.
V1cky has done her homework and if the only other alternative is to euthanise the bird , then I say do your best to get the drugs.

 

[Fancychooklady]

Well the mystery of the thin shelled eggs continues. Just found a third one on the floor under their roost snd it was at the opposite end to where Carl sits. It was closer to where our youngest pullet that has been lying for a couple months sits.

She never stops eating so can't imagine her being deficient in anything. Is there anything other than not enough calcium can cause super thin shelled eggs?

Young POL hens take awhile to get it right. It's not unusual for them to lay soft even shelless eggs for the first month or so.
It's referred to as ' immature shell gland ' .

http://www.thepoultrysite.com/publi...dbook/16/thinshelled-eggs-and-shellless-eggs/

 

[Anniebee]

Sometimes visiting a vet is the only way to get the drugs required. But not everyone has the resources to pay $130 to see an avian vet to get $ 15 worth of medicine.
Once you have seen canker there is little chance of mistaking it for anything else. Wet fowl pox has similar lesions , same outcome (suffocation ) only Flagyl would have little or no impact on it.
V1cky has done her homework and if the only other alternative is to euthanise the bird , then I say do your best to get the drugs.

Fancychooklady .... I totally respect your advice ... and I agree - Avian vets charge like wounded bulls, an ordinary vet not so much ... and as you say - for $15 worth of meds ( or more - drugs are so expensive dispensed by a vet ). But - I completely take your points.

I have never seen canker in a chicken ( have in a young person - on the tongue ) ... and hope I never do. In respect of getting drugs ( I presume you mean online ) then I have to alter my original opinion which was never to buy on line ... however, if that were to give the chicken the remotest chance, then Vicky and anyone faced with this dilemma, should do all they can before euthanasing the bird, including buying on line - at this stage nothing would hurt, but might indeed help. .

Thank you - from me personally, you have again taught me a lot more with your post. ...

Cheers ---

Anniebee.

 

[Fancychooklady]

Fancychooklady .... I totally respect your advice ... and  I agree - Avian vets charge like wounded bulls, an ordinary vet not so much ... and as you say - for $15 worth of meds ( or more - drugs are so expensive dispensed by a vet ).  But - I completely take your points. 

I have never seen canker in a chicken ( have in a young person - on the tongue ) ... and hope I never do.   In respect of getting drugs ( I presume you mean online ) then I have to alter my original opinion which was never to buy on line ... however, if that were to give the chicken the remotest chance, then Vicky and anyone faced with this dilemma, should do all they can before euthanasing the bird, including buying on line - at this stage nothing would hurt, but might indeed help. .   

Thank you - from me personally, you have again taught me a lot more with your post.  ...   

Cheers ---

Anniebee.  

Your welcome Annie. I have a great respect for my vets, we have 3 , equine vet, normal vet and avian. I will never have the knowledge that they possess but I am sure to listen and learn when they are here.
I hate to see animals suffer and for some of the more minor ailments it really isn't necessary .

 

[cwrite]

I soak barley overnight in a big steamer pot inside a bucket. Then I pull the steamer pot up run the hose across the grain whilst loosening up with my fingers.
Lay in trays with drainage holes and water everyday. I move the barley around when I am watering to stop it stagnating. Never had a mould problem.

Those sprouts look professionally done Fancy! I asked about grains for sprouting at the produce store the last time I was there and they told me it was all heat treated so it wouldn't sprout. Do you get your barley from a supermarket or a produce store?

I also have my first illness to deal with and am hoping it doesn't have anything to do with me letting the lawn poop get out of control. I noticed that Stampy wasn't foraging with the others and found her still sitting on their roosting bar. I lured her outside with oats and she kept hunching her head onto her shoulders. Then I watched her nearly fall flat on her face when she jumped & didn't quite make it up onto the garden edging. I think it was lethargy that made her trip. I had her on my lap for a while & she got off & immediately pooped green poo with watery stuff so I'm fairly certain it's cocci going by BYC threads. She's still eating and drinking so I hope she will recover quickly. I'm using amprolium.

On a good note, we were working on tidying up after the chickens behind the run & I heard Hagrid talking to her egg before she laid it while she was sitting in the nest. It was the sweetest thing & I haven't seen her doing that before but then I don't often catch them in the nest box.

 

[Fancychooklady]

Those sprouts look professionally done Fancy!  I asked about grains for sprouting at the produce store the last time I was there and they told me it was all heat treated so it wouldn't sprout.  Do you get your barley from a supermarket or a produce store?

I also have my first illness to deal with and am hoping it doesn't have anything to do with me letting the lawn poop get out of control.  I noticed that Stampy wasn't foraging with the others and found her still sitting on their roosting bar.  I lured her outside with oats and she kept hunching her head onto her shoulders.  Then I watched her nearly fall flat on her face when she jumped & didn't quite make it up onto the garden edging.  I think it was lethargy that made her trip.  I had her on my lap for a while & she got off & immediately pooped green poo with watery stuff so I'm fairly certain it's cocci going by BYC threads.  She's still eating and drinking so I hope she will recover quickly.  I'm using amprolium. 

On a good note, we were working on tidying up after the chickens behind the run & I heard Hagrid talking to her egg before she laid it while she was sitting in the nest.  It was the sweetest thing & I haven't seen her doing that before but then I don't often catch them in the nest box. 

I find barley the best for sprouting, it's cheap and mixed grain sprouts at different times leaving it more inclined to rot. Feed stores should have full grain untreated barley, if not Newmarket horse dealers will. Wheat and triticale would be my next choice.

Adult birds aren't usually effected by cocci as they have usually built immunity with their age. Green poop usually means starvation. I would isolate her and monitor her feed intake.
The head hunching sounds more like trying to clear her crop. Examine her, look in her beak for any obstructions and smell her breath.
I should have asked, was there any traces of blood in that poop ?

 

[satay]

Hey V1cky .. I add ACV with Mother to every water change and have done for the two and half years I have had chickens. I have a 2.5 litre main water container and a 1.3 litre back up (just in case ). Water is refreshed morning and night in summer and just morning in the winter months. I add 14ml (two teaspoons) to the 2.5 litre and 7ml (one teaspoon) to the 1.3 litre. Again, this is just what I do and others have differing opinions which I respect and as mentioned, opinions regarding ACV differ greatly. As Fancy mentioned, most of my research has alluded to it being a preventative and definitely not a treatment. The conclusions I came to on my research were:
* It apparently maintains a good pH balance in their digestive system and makes it a little uncomfortable for worms to live in. So while not an actual wormer, it can be a deterrent.
* As I mentioned, it is reported that it can act as an antiseptic killing bacteria in their throat and is reported to keep bacteria out of their water.
* Some think it increases egg production but I can't comment on that because I only have bantams who spend more time broody than they do laying

I do the same Teila. I do about a cap full for 5 litre waterer. I buy acv in the 5 litre container so a cap full is prob about 1 tablespoon. I have 6 waterers in the main pen, two in the turkey pen, 3 in the marans pen and a 100 litre container in the sheep pen. I change them every day in summer and every 2 to 3 in winter.

 

[satay]

@Fancychooklady I just had a bit of a giggle. I was looking on weather zone at the temps for the week and I saw a side story headlines where Tassie misses the winter cold blast.. I though really. Isn't winter in Tassie one continual cold blast Todays max temp for us is 15C.. I'm not a fan of those types of day time temps Last night by them is our warmest over night temp for the week at 4c.