BYC Café

[LaFleche]

One of Astrid's pullets, Juniper, has been sick for about 2 weeks. I've tried treating her but rather blindly. She had the "starving" poop and was getting weaker by the day. I heard her sneeze one night and noticed she had rapid shallow breathing. I treated her with Tylan. No improvement, no additional sneezing.
She was drinking lots of water and eating lots of snow but little to no food. Empty crop. No firmness between the legs or ascites. Still had a bright red comb.
I hit her with a dose of fenbendazole three nights ago and she seemed worse in the morning. No worms in her poop. She didn't roost 3/17 but instead stayed on the coop floor. She was extremely lethargic yesterday but still came out to enjoy the sun and very slowly wandered around the pen, pecking at the grass. Last night I found her by herself long after the rest of the flock had gone up to roost, out near where her sister was killed by the hawk. I just walked right up to her and picked her up. I left her on the coop floor.
I had made arrangements with the neighbor to come shoot her last night. He never came.
She was dead this morning.
I'm relieved she is no longer suffering but I still have no idea what killed her. All other flock members are in fine health. I wish I had the nerve to necropsy her. I suppose I could ask the neighbor if he'd help but he has proven himself to be totally unreliable time and again.

I am sorry you lost her. Was she one of the Barnevelders?

If so, maybe send her in for necropsy, as Barnevelders are very susceptible to Marek's Disease. which is the reason why I abstained from getting this beautiful breed.

 

[aart]

I wish I had the nerve to necropsy her. I suppose I could ask the neighbor if he'd help but he has proven himself to be totally unreliable time and again.

Plus, just because he is (was?) willing to shoot your suffering birds for you,
doesn't mean he know what the innards of a chicken should look like.
Best bet would be a necropsy with labs anyway.
Cornell might do it?

 

[pennyJo1960]

Hey all missed the Easter hatch along. So Microchick and I are having out own hatch along join if your able.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/join-us-hatch-date-3-30.1515926/

 

[Shadrach]

One of Astrid's pullets, Juniper, has been sick for about 2 weeks. I've tried treating her but rather blindly. She had the "starving" poop and was getting weaker by the day. I heard her sneeze one night and noticed she had rapid shallow breathing. I treated her with Tylan. No improvement, no additional sneezing.
She was drinking lots of water and eating lots of snow but little to no food. Empty crop. No firmness between the legs or ascites. Still had a bright red comb.
I hit her with a dose of fenbendazole three nights ago and she seemed worse in the morning. No worms in her poop. She didn't roost 3/17 but instead stayed on the coop floor. She was extremely lethargic yesterday but still came out to enjoy the sun and very slowly wandered around the pen, pecking at the grass. Last night I found her by herself long after the rest of the flock had gone up to roost, out near where her sister was killed by the hawk. I just walked right up to her and picked her up. I left her on the coop floor.
I had made arrangements with the neighbor to come shoot her last night. He never came.
She was dead this morning.
I'm relieved she is no longer suffering but I still have no idea what killed her. All other flock members are in fine health. I wish I had the nerve to necropsy her. I suppose I could ask the neighbor if he'd help but he has proven himself to be totally unreliable time and again.

A sad truth is one just can't fix them all. Sometimes I guess right and hit them with the right treatment at the right time. Sometimes I get it wrong and they die.
Unless one is a vet with a lot of experience and all the facilities one is going to fail from time to time. Even if one can find a vet that will look at a chicken and know what they are looking at, they still get it wrong, especially when the problem is internal.
I'm willing to bet Juniper had a really good life compared to most in your care.

 

[DobieLover]

I am sorry you lost her. Was she one of the Barnevelders?

If so, maybe send her in for necropsy, as Barnevelders are very susceptible to Marek's Disease. which is the reason why I abstained from getting this beautiful breed.

Cornell might do it?

The last I checked, the charge was $100 for a necropsy.
ETA: I was wrong. It's $145.

 

[aart]

Got a broody out there.
I could tell by her voice when I checked nests this afternoon,
and sure enough she was in the nest at lock up.
SMH.
Previous years I might have let her go, but nope.

 

[DobieLover]

Good morning Cafe. Coffee is ready.

We went to my sister's yesterday to have a late birthday celebration. I took my sister and nephew with me to go run the dogs at the fields before the rain started. I told her she needed old shoes so she didn't get what she was wearing all muddy. Her hubby grabbed a pair of mud boots and off we went. When we got there and started walking across the field she complained that something was in her boot. I said we'd stop at the main pavilion so she could take off her boot; it's probably just a stone.
We got there, the boot came off and she looked in it and squinched up her face and said "I think it's a rat!".
What???
I took the boot over to a garbage can and looked myself. It was not a rat. But it WAS a dead mouse! GROSS! She started freaking out at the thought of walking around with a dead mouse stuck to the bottom of her foot. To make matters worse, I pointed out that there was now a juicy dark impression of the mouse on the bottom of her very white sock, then told her to put her boot back on, "we've got to get going or Bella won't get her run in", so sympathetic that I am and all!

 

[Shadrach]

Good morning Cafe.
Thanks for the coffee DL.
The sun is shining and is going to do so for the rest of the week.
I'm heading off to the allotments and chickens shortly.

 

[aart]

Frosty here this morning, but sunny and will reach the mid 50's.

Need to get my old mower deck welded up, not sure it's possible.

 

[sourland]

Good morning, Cafe', and thanks for the coffee and story, DL.