Chicken Keeping notes

[SkyAJK]

I would like to keep a note about my chicken keeping. Chickens come with much love, joy, pain, work and many up and down. The down is to do with flock disharmony and ill health.

At time I am sadly wonder about why none of my chickens die of old age? I have been keeping chickens for 7/8 years now. Why are my flock so prone to ill health?

I work very hard every day to care for my chickens, clean their bedding every morning, new bedding at night, pick up their poops several times a day, clean water every day and containers are cleaned many times during the week. I give the good feed, green leafly and yes, the treat like sprout grains, bananas, blue berries, those are healthy stuff. Still I found now that I have 2 hens with skin infection below the vent, and I have 2 hens started reproductive issues that I know because they are Isa Brown.

I found a size of a half teaspoon fleshly lump inside my Australorp egg. She is such a healthy hen, lay 3 eggs a week and I am sure this lump is cancerous.

It has started to wear me down with so much ill health. When I see them running to me, digging up my garden, I feel all love again, all the work and pain worth it all.

 

[Debbie292d]

Your words really resonate with me, and I’m so sorry you’re carrying so much of this on your heart. You give them time, effort, good nutrition, and most of all, love. That already makes you an exceptional chicken keeper, even on the days it doesn’t feel like it.

I don't know much about your breeds, but I've learned here on BYC that high-production layers like ISA Browns are prone to reproductive and health issues, no matter how well they’re cared for. The skin infections, if not sure how to treat it, just post in the Emergency forum for some help.

The exhaustion you’re feeling is completely understandable, and I think we've all been there a time or two, but it sounds like you're getting more than your share of it, and I'm sorry.

Illnesses cropping up again and again would wear down any of us, but the joy you describe, like the way they run to you, makes it worth it. For the time they are here, they know you love them.

I feel you should be very proud of yourself for hanging in there through thick and thin with them. I bet they are!

 

[thecatumbrella]

We've both been through such a ride (you even more so). I've started to have mixed feelings about chickens. I love caring for them, spending time together, and working to improve their lives. I hate watching them squabble and hurt each other, just for the heck of it. I hate when they're ill, and there's nothing you can really do except wait it out.

Glad you're keeping notes here. I know I'll use a lot of my BYC posts and articles for reference in the future, so it's worth jotting down notes and dates of events.

Also, I just saw that you finally had to euthanize Mint. I'm so sorry.

 

[SkyAJK]

Thank you for your support.

I have posted about the skin infection and received advice on treatment. I treated Adzuki and found Big Mouth also has it, but less scary than Adzuki. I have not check my whole flock because the treatment - soak in espom salt water for 15 minutes, then put hot compress on, then cream, twice a day, that is a lot of work, so I can only do 2 chickens a day.

Adzuki is done now, I can not tell whether it is fixed or not as it looks the same as before the treatment.

Basil and Azduki have stopped laying egg, but going to nestbox every day as if they are laying, only no egg come out of it. Their abdominal are a bit big compare to the other. Sort of a small balloon.

I was hinkinghard about what to do, knowing that they could be internal laying, -/+ 6months there might be a big ballooning with water. I have 2 options:

1. Just wait it out and set them free when they are stop eating
2. Get them the implant, this allow their body to rest, reset and hope it will all be ok in the end. This might just buy them an extra time, then back to option 1.

Decided - booked in for the implants. My family is not agreeing with this action. At the end of the day, I need to do this for them and for myself, that is knowing I have done all that I could and they get the chance of surviving this reproductive ill health or a short Xtended time.

They are both Isa Brown so as we all know, it is expected. This is exactly what my family is disagreeing about..what the point of this prolonged life when it is inevitable? They would not understand how I feel.

 

[thecatumbrella]

Decided - booked in for the implants. My family is not agreeing with this action. At the end of the day, I need to do this for them and for myself, that is knowing I have done all that I could and they get the chance of surviving this reproductive ill health or a short Xtended time.

They are both Isa Brown so as we all know, it is expected. This is exactly what my family is disagreeing about..what the point of this prolonged life when it is inevitable? They would not understand how I feel.

I know someone with ISA Browns that has done the implants. Their chickens are valued pets. I say go for it. You'll be able to see if it makes the difference for your girls, you know?

 

[SkyAJK]

Mint had 3 implants, it got her extra year of life. I was initially hope that the 1st implant allowed her body to repair and reset, but it did not, so 2nd implant was done. She was living her life.

3rd implant was a wrong decision because I was poor in knowledge and experience.

While she was living her life, her body is building up that mass lash eggs and in the end she was weighed down by it.

Again, I am hoping that implant will allow Adzuki and Basil body to rest, repair and reset. This hope that they will get a chance to survive the reproductive ill health. Each hen processes this implant differently.

I have an older Isa Brown had 3 implants and her body recovered. She has no implant for over a year now.
The 3 implants gave her that big break from egg laying. She is now laying egg again, but not excessive like before. I think because she is almost 5 years old now.
The implant had given her that break to reach the stage where her body slow down naturally with egg laying.

 

[Mrs. K]

First I think you have some unrealistic expectation on the age of chickens should live. Every living thing, gets a life. No living thing knows the length of the life. That is beyond our control. Now, if you were killing birds with neglect - no feed, no water, no space...that would be different, but you are not, and therefore should not feel guilty about things beyond your control.

To me, a good life, and a quick end is looking better and better as I age. I do not want to end up in the nursing home, alive, but not living. I can give that to my chickens. The coop de grace so to speak. And truthfully, I like young healthy animals, recognize that is part of the circle of life.

Do know that I have had many isa browns, and never had an issue. I will admit that they don't live forever, most hatchery birds do not, but generally mine have had a very quick natural end, one day they are just dead. Which works for me, as in then I have room for chicks.

I am wondering how much space you have? How many birds you have? Could you post some pictures? Sometimes an adjustment to your set up can help the most.

Mrs K

 

[SkyAJK]

I agreed with you Mrs. K about the life well lived and a quick dead is better than prolong with ill health. I witnessed much pain in the nursing home when I was looking after my grandma in there. I work very hard to not end up in the nursing home.

I have 3 separate runs and coops. 1 area for 4 hens and that is a big space, and the other is for 5 hens bigger space and Mint gone now so just 4 hens. They have plenty space to run and I let them out in the general garden with green lawn a couple of times during the day. So space is not an issue. I will try to take a photo sometime this week.

Implant done.
Basil and Adzuki got their implants this week and I hope that this implant stop their body producing egg for however long it can do, this give their body time to health and reset. If after the effectiveness of this implant stops, I will let nature take it course as I done what need to be done to give them a chance of recovery.

Both sit in the nestbox, but no one come out. They gained weigh and their tummy is slightly balloon a bit. So the body is still producing egg, but the egg is not coming out. The implant will stop the egg production and hope the body recover. Only time will tell what next.

I know chickens can not live forever, I have no expectation of how long they will live, but this reproductive ill health is like robbing them of their time when it is not due.

In time, I will come to realize and be able to do the things many chicken keepers do, that will come with years of live experience, witnessing the fragility of chickens, the kindness to give them a quick final goodbye and know when that is the time. I am getting closer to that realization, not just of the mind, but the emotional part.