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

[cluckcluckluke]

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Still a few other things it could be. Need pic/ discription of poop. For the warm bath 20 minutes is about the minimum time you want. If you go again for 1/2 hours won't hurt and might help. Also does her vent look normal after you cleaned it up?

I'll see if we have any of that about. Can you buy it easily?

The poop that was attached to her feathers at the start seemed normal, solid and not overly smelly.
After the bath when she was sitting near the fire she did a few white runny poos.

 

[sjturner79]

Quote:

I'll see if we have any of that about. Can you buy it easily?

The poop that was attached to her feathers at the start seemed normal, solid and not overly smelly.
After the bath when she was sitting near the fire she did a few white runny poos.

The white runny poo tells us that the swelling is definitely blocking her digestive tract. The Epsom salts are still commonly sold at most supermarkets. Anthother thing to try - depending on how close the abdominal swelling is to the vent is:

Whilst chook is in warm bath, put on rubber gloves. Coat finger of glove with cooking oil. Insert into vent. Try to reach the site of swelling. If you are lucky this will allow you to dislodge it and let it be passed.

 

[Kooka]

Well I've worked out to make your chickens start laying again. Wait at least six weeks without eggs then re-worm because you don't think they drank it the first time, wait two days then the chickens will start lining up for the nesting box. Collect eggs then throw in bin for the next two weeks......sigh

Feed chilli flakes, works a treat even in winter.....or so I am informed......but be sure to feed it to the chooks!!

 

[Teila]

Good morning folks

Has anyone else seen this thread?
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/990599/destruction-and-disposal-orders-help/120#post_15411836

It is very emotional and both a warning and lesson for all of us with regards AI. As I mention on the thread, while AI is only a concern here and not an outbreak, I have made a decision that my little flock of 6 is in lockdown, nothing in or out. OK, this may be paranoia on my part but if you read John’s story and start thinking ‘what if that was my flock’ is makes perfect sense.

 

[Fancychooklady]

Quote:

I'll see if we have any of that about. Can you buy it easily?

The poop that was attached to her feathers at the start seemed normal, solid and not overly smelly.
After the bath when she was sitting near the fire she did a few white runny poos.

Epsom salts are available in the vitamin isle at woolies. White runny poop indicate high urates. Give her another long warm bath and massage in a downward direction towards the vent. Be sure to dry her with a hairdryer and keep her warm. First rule of nursing chickens of any age is ' keep them warm '. The swelling could be ascietes building as a result of peritonitis also. Watch her poops, they will give you a better indication of what's going on in the event that it isn't egg binding.

http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2012/02/whats-scoop-on-chicken-poop-digestive.html

 

[ChristieB]

I follow hencam.com she has a good article on how to give a hen what she calls the spa treatment, just an Epsom salt bath. She also has articles on egg bind and messy vents etc
http://hencam.com/faq/the-spa-treatment/

 

[Sidhe13]

Ok so we were a little naughty yesterday...i grabbed a biiiiiig bowl of scratch and went free ranging around the yard with the chooks. The poor things had a hard time understanding why I kept throwing the handfuls of scratch into the weeds and stones and leaves! It is much harder work digging and scratching for it there instead of on the nice compacted dirt patches!

It was great fun though and we found lots of earwigs and ant caviar. They don't like ants but loooove the eggs! There were lots of yummy weed leaves to eat and dead leaves and bark to scratch around in. Dirt baths were had and lots of sitting in the sun. A great day!

 

[cwrite]

Congrats on your successful flock integration Teila, and to your daughter for getting into the state team Fancy - something that doesn't happen without a huge amount of parental support I'm sure.
Great news about Carl, appps. : )
My flock is also due for worming & I have noticed how thirsty they get after

, so I'll be trying the 48 hour method with freshly treated water changes.
Interesting stuff about the garlic. As someone who used to love frozen berry smoothies

I'm just a tad fed up with finding out that food bought from a supermarket isn't fit for consumption.

Anyway, as soon as my exams finished I got hit by flu so am having to wait a bit longer before I attack my overgrown veggie patch. I did let my chooks in to do a bit of 'clearing' and spotted a few grasshoppers fleeing for their lives, its that overgrown.
I haven't watched TV in a couple of years now because there are just so many hours in a day. However, now that I've discovered it, if I'm scarce again, I'll be catching up on a few seasons of Aussie River Cottage.

 

[appps]

Good morning folks 

Has anyone else seen this thread?
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/990599/destruction-and-disposal-orders-help/120#post_15411836

It is very emotional and both a warning and lesson for all of us with regards AI.  As I mention on the thread, while AI is only a concern here and not an outbreak, I have made a decision that my little flock of 6 is in lockdown, nothing in or out.  OK, this may be paranoia on my part but if you read John’s story and start thinking ‘what if that was my flock’ is makes perfect sense.

Have we got any outbreaks here at the moment? Haven't heard much about it here since that egg supplier had its two farms of stock destroyed last year.

 

[Anniebee]

Hello everyone

The last few days I have had a less than happy chicken, she was eating and drinking well but not interacting with all the other chickens and didn't seem very happy when moving about so today I had time to check her out properly. I found that she has large abdomen swelling as well as a build up of feces around her vent so I took her up to the house, cleaned all the crap off her feathers and trimmed around the vent area. I then placed her in warm water and massaged the swelling as this is what all the egg bound threads said to do. However I couldn't feel anything that would represent an egg in her and nothing came out of her vent. After 20 mins of this I gave up, dried her off and now she is sitting inside in front of the fire with water and food which she is consuming happily. She is still all swelled up, her comb and wattles have shrunk and she isn't to keen on standing. Her eyes are all bright though, shes looking around happily and is making a few clucking sounds.
Any suggestions on what to do now or what else it could be if she's not egg bound?

I am absolutely no expert by any means, and don't think I could recognise an egg bound chicken .... but another thought crossed my mind - so I googled " constipation in chickens " ... and apparently they do get that .... below here is a link you might consider ... and there's plenty on BYC as well about constipation, although many of those morph into the obvious questions of also being egg bound.

http://www.olyfarmstead.org/olive-oil-enema-for-chicken-constipation/

Found in my rummaging around on the net, someone said near a warm fire to relax the vent, and a long warm bath - an hour ?? ( no soap ) ....

( also advised on BYC ) .... I have given my chickens good quality yoghurt in spring and summer and they love it - they just peck at it and I think they get the idea that it is half eat and half drink !! ... it is very good for so many things. A bit of olive oil on a cotton bud a little way up the vent couldn't hurt, I wouldn't think. Was trimming my girls downy feathers from around the vent, and one moved suddenly and I had to apologise profusely to her, for inadvertently sticking my finger in the vent. She didn't shriek or complain, so I figure if that happened, then a cotton bud couldn't hurt ? .... Vaseline might also be good, but I cannot say for sure - perhaps someone else can advise on the use of vaseline around / just inside the vent ???

Good luck with your girl.

p.s. have just read sjturner79's post - and a finger coated in oil, inserted in the vent can be done. .... so forget the cotton bud ? .... most likely so.