Bridgey is Unwell...

[micstrachan]

How are you doing micstrachen? You need to eat and sleep too.

Aww, thanks for asking. Hanging in there! Why is it that every time I have a sick hen, I’m going out of town? I have:
• Board meeting Thursday night
• Friday all day and overnight in San Francisco with sister & girlfriends
• Saturday afternoon & night at reunion

So that leaves just tonight after work to pull off the old chicken wire and lay down the new hardware cloth... just three strips to install, which I cut to size last night, but I need to climb up on top and there’s no post in the center, so I can’t really put my weight there. Should be fun!

But I am hugely relieved that Bridge seemed better. Not exactly sure how crops will do in my absence.

 

[micstrachan]

So what is it with molting hens loving greens??? Since I’m busy the next three nights, mine won’t get free range time. May have to pick up some kale to throw in the run!

 

[micstrachan]

I hope everyone is okay! Quite a few of my girls are molting right now, and even my usual sweethearts are grumpy and hate to be touched. And their poop is watery around molting time, too. Come Thanksgiving (hopefully) everyone usually has beautiful new plumage and are themselves again! Hope this is the case for you

Thanks! We’ll see when I get home. I hope everyone else’s birds are OK, too!

 

[micstrachan]

Michelle, I would go ahead and send what you have.

No, Izzy didn't drink the juice on her own! She was very skeptical about drinking that red juice. Once she tasted it though she was eager with the syringe, I just let her take large drops off the end of it.

Barbara, all mine like greens to begin with, but my molters are especially greedy and grumpy over sharing any. Even if they aren't eating their feed they will take greens and eggs, so I make sure they get both.

Melody, samples were dropped off this afternoon and I asked over the phone for them to be mixed. They’re not so fresh, however.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Melody, samples were dropped off this afternoon and I asked over the phone for them to be mixed. They’re not so fresh, however.

I think that should be fine.
How was Bridey when you got home?

 

[micstrachan]

Bridgey acted fine when I got home. I worked Ruby’s crop just a little. But I never even TOUCHED Millie’s crop. I worked on the run for three hours, the last two in the dark with a headlamp. The good news is, I don’t think the juncos can get in anymore. I can’t wait to scrub the place down and get rid of wild bird turd remnants. The bad news is, I’m a terrible carpenter and that’s a tough job to do by yourself.

So I rocked the run, but did nothing for their health. Sigh.

I should get fecal float results tomorrow.

So tell me more about tomato juice. It’s pretty high in sodium; is that ok?

And in case anyone ends up with sour crop, I’d like to have meds on hand in my gigantic-and-growing kit. Is mycostatin the drug of choice? Can I get it at a pharmacy?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

It doesn't have to be pretty, it just has to work!

Tomato juice? It's probably high in sodium, but it's not like she's drinking a whole cup
I think I syringed about 3cc each day. She was drinking well (plain water) and still eating some, so I'm sure that got diluted out fairly quickly.
You could use other things - If you haven't read TwoCrows article lately, you may want to check it out
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...d-sour-crops-prevention-and-treatments.67194/

 

[micstrachan]

I’m an idiot. I just realized I haven’t felt Bridgey’s abdomen for swelling/bloat. It’s a bit of a pin cushion right now, so I’ll have to be quick! Will check in the morning. Ironically, there was a slightly wrinkled Bridge-looking egg today, but pretty sure it’s not hers, since she has new feathers coming in. She seems to have stopped dropping them. Not sure.

It doesn't have to be pretty, it just has to work!

Tomato juice? It's probably high in sodium, but it's not like she's drinking a whole cup
I think I syringed about 3cc each day. She was drinking well (plain water) and still eating some, so I'm sure that got diluted out fairly quickly.
You could use other things - If you haven't read TwoCrows article lately, you may want to check it out
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...d-sour-crops-prevention-and-treatments.67194/

Sorry; I didn’t mean to sound like I was judging tomato juice. I’m just curious! If it helps, I’m all for it! I’ll read Two Crows’ article.

I also just realized I left a dish of damp feed over on my neighbor’s side yesterday. Awesome. I better find and dump it in the morning so it doesn’t mold.

Can you tell I’m a bit on overload this week? LOL! In addition to my own events and chickens, both my teenagers are going to “Coro” (Homecoming dance) Saturday night. Senior boy is picking up his tux tomorrow and Freshman girl will have to dress shop with Dad. Got a little off topic there... getting a bit rambley. Time to move onto someone else’s thread.

 

[Saaniya]

Hope she get well

 

[rebrascora]

Very interesting concept! Wouldn’t it be helpful if we could read their little minds? Or at least interpret their instincts?

I think the latter is the correct interpretation. "Mother nature" is far cleverer than we give her credit for and sometimes we don't really appreciate the reasons behind why things happen or think we know better and try to circumvent them.

For instance ... we all often wonder why birds shed their feathers at a time of year when it is cooler and must be a bit uncomfortable. Perhaps it is because it helps them to shed external parasites with the feathers at a point when dust bathing facilities will often become more restricted and the cooler temperature will reduce the parasites' ability to reproduce, particularly when feathers are less dense to maintain the body temp required for nits to incubate and hatch, thereby knocking the parasite numbers at a point in the year when they could otherwise overrun the birds.
Similarly eating a lot of green forage may have a negative effect on internal parasites and perhaps scour their system. They do not need as much body condition at this time of year because they are not actively laying eggs, so perhaps a high veg, lower protein diet enables them to reduce the level of any internal parasites by starving them out, whereas we try to give them a higher protein diet that contradicts this behaviour. This is purely hypothesis on my part but animals must be able to manage parasitic load without chemical use, otherwise they would not have survived millions of years and there will be natural mechanisms by which they achieved that through natural selection.
Mankind's advances in science and technology gives us a bit of an egotistical view that we know better, when in fact we still have a lot to learn about nature.

I'm not suggesting that people do not use chemical wormers or delouse their chickens but just be open to the possibility that the way in which they manage their chickens may counteract the natural remedies and mechanisms that almost certainly do exist in nature.