Our Cochin had started laying and been at it only a couple of weeks when she started seeming tired all the time and we discovered she had a horribly distended abdomen. Everything we read on line sounded really bad. We actually brought her to a pet ER (let me just tell you, when you go in with a chicken, you are the last one in the waiting room to be seen!). There doesn't appear to be an impacted egg, but ovaries looked swollen on x ray. She also has some labored breathing. They put her on antibiotics. She has perked up within a day or so. Rejoined the 5 others in the flock for foraging time yesterday and the whole day today. The girls were happy to see her (she is the warmest of them and we are in the middle of a cold Massachusetts winter--our Phoenix loves to try to climb in under her fluff). She was peeved when I grabbed her from the perch (right in the middle of the flock) and brought her in when I shut the coop up for the night. She's been sleeping in our basement in a medium sized dog crate with shavings on the floor. She needs antibiotics every 12 hours (she is better but there is still a mass in her abdomen--it's smaller but the vet says to keep the antibiotics going until it goes away). I am going back and forth on the issue of a perch. The dog crate is really small for a perch. If I put one in she'd have trouble moving around on the floor. Also not sure whether to leave her out with the flock or keep her in at night. We have a lot of hours of dark right now--the flock gets up around 6 or 7 am (when I open the door--it gets light around 6) and go to bed around 4:30 pm (of their own accord). That schedule doesn't work for our injured girls antibiotics. Any suggestion or comments about whether to continue with her sleeping on the floor of her dog crate at night or going back to her perch in the coop with her flock? The meds are a pain--have to cut up the tablet and put it in strawberry pieces--she has to be separated from the flock to take them. We're also worried that the cold temps would add stress and right now she needs to be free to heal. Also--any suggestions for what to have on hand for basic chicken health care. I'm new to having chickens and this really caught us off guard. After antibiotics should I start feeding her some sort of bird biotic. Where would one get such a thing? Thanks!
Leave her inside this way you can monitor her condition,keep her warm. She will be fine with the shavings in dog crate,no need for a perch. Search forum for chicken first aid kit,there will be a list of items. Some items that i always have are: Amprol for Coccidiosis,electrolyte/vitamin powder,Tetracycline,aspirin for pain/swelling,epsom salts,antibiotic ointment(nothing ending in "caine/cane") toxic to chickens,eye ointment,hot water bottle for supplying additional heat when ill/injured,tweezers,vet wrap,Vetericyn,calcium or tums tablets for egg binding,gloves/lubricant,vaseline,blood stop powder,hydrogen peroxide.These are the items you would want on hand. I know i have more supplies just can't remember them all,i actually have a huge drawer filled with animal medical supplies. You may also want to keep medications for worms/lice/mites.
