- Thread starter
- #21
Cinnaminute
Songster
April 2023 - Beautiful pullets! & the Second Sour Crop Scare...
It's been a bit hard getting to these updates of mine. The past 3 weeks I've been very on edge, worried I might lose a second chicken. It's been a double-edge sword. I feel like I was already very observant but increasing awareness is a good thing, though I've gotten extra paranoid. Anyone who lays down to sun bathe or sleep kind of triggers me and I have to check that they're still alive. I kept waking up everyone at 2am to make sure they all were fine. I stopped that mainly for their sake - they need their sleep! And I needed mine!
7 Eggs From My 7 Layers! (Going counter-clockwise starting with the pink egg):
Thank you Kiki, Ella (RIP), Zelda, Cleo, Tilly, Moose, and (center egg) Stitch!
Spring Weather~
This spring has been lovely so far. Our weather's been pretty mild with quite a bit of rain. Our yard is split into four sections; the one quarter where the chickens are is heavily shaded by two huge oaks and several pines so I figured it's a good place to keep them - less likely to be seen by any hawks. Sadly the area is pretty devoid of grass except for some fake turf we have out - I imagine it's pretty boring. Makes for plenty of dust bathing opportunities in the sand and leaves, though!
Our other quarter is mostly lawn with a few trees and yay, the grass is back! I finally let the big girls over there to forage and they are in love! Every time I let them out for the day, they literally run over there! Bit by bit they've broadened their reach until they've finally explored the entire area. To add to their joy, I have a compost pile in last year's garden plot and they love to scratch through it for crickets and other yummy things.
I plan to let the babies out to forage with everyone when they're a bit bigger. Ella was my reference for that - I figured when they were her size, I could keep track of them easier and they'd manage well enough with the big girls. They'll be excited to finally get into the grass and hunt bugs! I look forward to it!
They also need to get more comfortable around my little chicken guardian dog, Fiasco. He's definitely been improving! Although I've noticed him getting a bit bossy with my dominant pullet, Zelda. I don't know why but he'll put his paw on her back and when she lays down, he'll stand over her. I couldn't have that so he got grounded for a few days every time I caught him doing it and now he can't be with them unsupervised until I correct his behavior. Other than that, he's wonderful with chickens! But my 9 babies don't know that. They do seem to be getting used to him walking around their kennel.
The Chicken Stalker
Marcy Got Very Sick - Sour Crop Again?!
The only bad thing about the rain was keeping the babies inside on stormy days. I have a tarp over their run which helps when it's just a light rain, but with the slope of the land their run gets flooded during heavy downpours. Great for washing away poop but I don't want them out in it without any shelter. This is, in part, my fault for them not having a finished shelter.
Regardless, they were stuck inside for 2 days in a row April 7th & 8th. They're all very patient but you could tell they were bored stiff! They spent the time sleeping, eating, and drinking. This obscured the fact that Marcy was becoming lethargic. I imagine she probably wasn't the first day, but I'm not entirely sure.
It was April 9th when I was able to take them outside again. Now, my procedure is a bit tedious. I have a big cage they stay in during the night and a run they go out in their run during the day. So I carry each of the 9 babies outside one by one. It's not really bad, though. It gives me time to look them over and make sure everything is good. And when they're released into the run, they take off running and flapping.
I didn't quite notice Marcy was off at first. She jumped from my hands and ran around a tad when I took her out, although she wasn't quite as enthusiastic as usual. Later when checking on everyone, I saw she kept flicking her head a lot. I didn't think much of it at first. We've had bad gnats (need to get some Permethrin) so I thought they were just bothering her. Her chirps had a bit of a popping sound to them too but I thought it was just how her voice was changing. Everyone's voices were changing at this point so it didn't seem too strange.
Later in the day her lethargy began to show; just standing around not doing much. Sometimes she'd fluff her feathers up a bit. That night she didn't want to roost and instead slept under the roosting bar near her flockmates. I decided to check her crop and sure enough, it felt squishy and airy.
I gave her some Miconazole and started massaging her crop. Last time it worked the first day so I was hoping I caught it in time and she'd be over it just as quick. I wasn't prepared for just how bad it got in the coming days.
On the 10th her condition hadn't changed. Her crop was still squishy. I let her go outside in the morning as usual, but periodically checked on her to massage her crop. Of course, she also got her Miconazole for the day. It was in the high 60's (Fahrenheit) outside but one time I found her standing there breathing through her mouth. It wasn't panting, she was clearly having some breathing trouble. When I picked her up, I confirmed her breathing was heavy and she had a gurgle to her. She let me open her beak and I saw what I think was some kind of clear mucus in her throat.
The morning of the 11th her crop was flat. I thought maybe she was probably about over the sour crop. Her breathing was still a bit wheezy from time to time though so I started to worry she also had a respiratory problem. Sometimes her chirps were crisp and clear, other times they sounded congested. Later in the day, though, she quit eating her feed and was still very lethargic. I finally decided to quarantine her. She cried a lot for her flockmates but I played chicken videos for her to watch which seemed to calm her. I made her some hard boiled egg and thankfully she nibbled a little of it, but at this point I was really scared for her. I thought I might lose her. I kept her in my bedroom at night and woke up periodically to check on her, see if she'd eat or drink; make sure she was alive.
From the 11th-14th her crop was ballooned again and she still wasn't eating. All I could do was get her to drink so I fumbled with trying to get everything down her that could help. Miconazole in the morning, normal water for a bit, then I'd switch to NutriDrench in her water before finally, at night before bed, some VetRX or garlic.
I ended up getting some yogurt for her as well. I couldn't get her to eat it so I had to put it on her beak which caused her to "drink" it down. Sometimes she'd eat a couple bites of egg, but usually not.
I was really really scared at this point. No vets in my area will see chickens either, so I had to do everything I possibly could and I didn't know if she'd make it. She was getting very weak too. She could stand for short periods but she didn't have to strength in her legs to even be bumped slightly without stumbling. She was also losing weight, as expected. I kept her in my living room in a box and would move her room to room with me so I could keep her with me. I could tell she was really trying to fight; she had a lot of life in her despite feeling sick and sometimes she'd have a little moment of clarity where she'd leave the box and try to forage on the carpet. But these were rare moments. Still, I was glad to see she hadn't given up.
On the 13th she did poop out some green bits which made me wonder if she might've had an impaction. She also passed some cecal poop finally.
Still, she was looking really bad.
Because she was drinking, I added a little bit of feed to the water in the hopes she would get some of it down her without deterring her from drinking and it seemed to work out. I was also worried because she only had a couple more days that I could give her Miconazole and she was definitely at her worst. Her head had also started smelling very sour. That evening, when she went potty, the white stuff stretched from her vent to the ground like stretchy cheese. It seems the candida was entirely through her system from mouth to vent. I started putting Miconazole up her vent too to battle it from both ends. She needed actual proper meds so I searched around for where I could get her Nystatin.
On the 14th, I ordered some Medistatin from Springwater Avian Health. They were the only place I saw that had a review on their site, free shipping, and the price for the product was a tad cheaper than other places I searched. I didn't know how long it'd take to get here, but I could only hope she'd hold out.
April 15th, the last day I could give her Miconazole, turned out to be a day of huge relief. She was gobbling down her feed soup so I increased the food in hopes of her eating more. I was so excited when she ate it! The poor dear still felt too sick to even wipe her beak off. But she did also start to poop again too! The next day was my birthday, so really this was the best birthday gift I've ever gotten - Marcy's recovery! The mere fact that she had her appetite back, I knew she'd be okay.
I was able to enjoy the surprise birthday gifts my mother got for me on the 16th without the worry of Marcy hanging over me. She was eating and I was giving her yogurt, cooked egg, water with ACV, and water with garlic to try to help combat the yeast as much as possible while I waited for her Medistatin.
Miconazole treatment from the 9th -15th was her week. Thankfully that last day she was doing a lot better. No more vent gleet and she had her appetite back. It was the day before my birthday and honestly that was the best birthday gift ever. Marcy was getting better and I knew she was going to make it.
She continued getting better over the following days. The vent gleet cleared up fast, she was eating normally, and started to get a little more active and stronger each passing day. Her meds arrived on the 21st but I figured I'd wait a couple more days so she at least had a week being off Miconazole.
On the 23rd I began her Nystatin treatment. Within the first two days of it, she improved so drastically she was pretty much 100% normal again. Active, running around, flapping, not flicking her head, the popping sound was gone and she started chirping again. Her voice was definitely changing so it was a little rougher than before all this started. But all in all she was better and I was so happy!!
Odd Bullseye Eggs - Moose
So an odd thing has been going on with Moose. Her eggs have been having an odd blue end on them. She is the only one who's been having this issue which I find confusing. I figure it's a calcium issue but they have plenty of oyster shell available to eat. Not all eggs have the blue, some just have an odd discoloration.
One day I actually found a plain egg yolk lying under their outside roost. Everyone except Moose laid that day so I figured it was Moose. This was a bit alarming so I started adding the oyster shell directly into the feed in hopes she'd eat more of it. No more random yolks, but the eggs still were discolored.
Alice's Crooked Beak
Good news is that Alice's beak hasn't gotten much worse. I feared it would keep getting worse as she grew but it's really not that bad at all. Despite all her earlier health issues, she's become such a bold and beautiful pullet! She's very spunky and inquisitive; she's always the first rushing to go outside. If you open their enclosure door, she's the first one out. Very bright and observant - it makes me so happy seeing her doing great after her rough start in life!
Shame these pictures came out so blurry. I'll have to get better ones next time. She really didn't want to sit still for long.
Ella New Nesting Location
For a while now Ella has contented herself with laying eggs in her cage in the morning/evening and the coop nesting box during the day. I don't know if it's because she keeps finding the nesting box occupied or what, but she's starting to lay in weird places...
I have three nesting boxes for all 7 of them to use. And yet, they all insist on using just the one. If it's occupied and someone else needs it, they'll just lay an egg down in the run! Or, in Ella's case, under the porch stairs...
Sometimes Ella skips a day; usually I get 4-5 eggs a week from her. On the 3rd day when I hadn't gotten an egg from her, I was worried she was egg bound. Then, I caught her in the act!
She was squeezing between the coop and the stairs trying to nest. Silly bird! Eventually she shuffled up under the porch stairs. When I checked there later, I found two eggs.
Please pardon the mess. I've got some wire that sticks out weird and fearing the birds might get cut on it, I threw this old red and green bag on top. Seems Ella thought this could be a potential spot, before settling on using the area under the stairs.
Filburt's Tail Has Arrived!
Meanwhile, my little Leghorn cockerel's tail is getting curly! He's feathered out a lot more over the month and finally looks like a proper chicken! He still is missing a bit of feathering around the neck but I'm sure that'll fill out soon enough. Still no crowing, though, and he's 9 weeks old as of the end of April. His wattles are also pretty tiny and Tirdy's have started to catch up.
They don't really get along well with the Marcy and the Crevecoeurs (sounds like a band name, haha) but I can at least keep them in the same run during the day now. I don't dare to coop them up in the same cage at night. There's really not enough room for them to get away. In the run, they love to sit up on the roost to get some private time. They get a little bit bullied by the others but nothing too bad. I have seen Marcy jump at them and Leslie specifically targets them with a peck if they walk past her but it stays pretty mild. I'm hoping they'll work it out.
Tirdy (left) Filburt (right)
I seem to have really bad luck when it comes to introducing chickens to the flock. Especially considering the fact that Tirdy and Filburt have been around the Crevecoeur flock since I first got them.
Baby photo flashback time:
See? They know each other. I just couldn't raise them together because of the age gap. Big babies flapping and jumping around; they nearly trampled the littles.
The Easter Eggers I can kind of understand even if they accepted Ella for about a month before ousting her. Ella picks on the babies but does like to hang around them, which is probably purely because they back down to her - they're no threat right now. Although... Alice has been getting bold. She walked right up to Ella and gave her a good peck one day. Ella was about to go to war so I had to intervene and shoo Ella out of the babies run for a little breather. Alice will even peck at my Sheltie who is almost a year old and several times her size. I've got cliques formed and no one wants to bridge the gap! Except Cleo. Cleo is my only sweet girl. She backed down to Ella to the point that Ella was actually bullying her. I also let Cleo into the run with the babies. If anything, she was spooked and wanted back out, haha.
Oh well! Hopefully they'll all at least forage together in peace. I can have two big coops+runs for the two big flocks then maybe reuse my small coop for Tirdy & Filburt. I guess we'll see how it goes!
It's been a bit hard getting to these updates of mine. The past 3 weeks I've been very on edge, worried I might lose a second chicken. It's been a double-edge sword. I feel like I was already very observant but increasing awareness is a good thing, though I've gotten extra paranoid. Anyone who lays down to sun bathe or sleep kind of triggers me and I have to check that they're still alive. I kept waking up everyone at 2am to make sure they all were fine. I stopped that mainly for their sake - they need their sleep! And I needed mine!
7 Eggs From My 7 Layers! (Going counter-clockwise starting with the pink egg):
Thank you Kiki, Ella (RIP), Zelda, Cleo, Tilly, Moose, and (center egg) Stitch!
Spring Weather~
This spring has been lovely so far. Our weather's been pretty mild with quite a bit of rain. Our yard is split into four sections; the one quarter where the chickens are is heavily shaded by two huge oaks and several pines so I figured it's a good place to keep them - less likely to be seen by any hawks. Sadly the area is pretty devoid of grass except for some fake turf we have out - I imagine it's pretty boring. Makes for plenty of dust bathing opportunities in the sand and leaves, though!
Our other quarter is mostly lawn with a few trees and yay, the grass is back! I finally let the big girls over there to forage and they are in love! Every time I let them out for the day, they literally run over there! Bit by bit they've broadened their reach until they've finally explored the entire area. To add to their joy, I have a compost pile in last year's garden plot and they love to scratch through it for crickets and other yummy things.
I plan to let the babies out to forage with everyone when they're a bit bigger. Ella was my reference for that - I figured when they were her size, I could keep track of them easier and they'd manage well enough with the big girls. They'll be excited to finally get into the grass and hunt bugs! I look forward to it!
They also need to get more comfortable around my little chicken guardian dog, Fiasco. He's definitely been improving! Although I've noticed him getting a bit bossy with my dominant pullet, Zelda. I don't know why but he'll put his paw on her back and when she lays down, he'll stand over her. I couldn't have that so he got grounded for a few days every time I caught him doing it and now he can't be with them unsupervised until I correct his behavior. Other than that, he's wonderful with chickens! But my 9 babies don't know that. They do seem to be getting used to him walking around their kennel.
The Chicken Stalker
Marcy Got Very Sick - Sour Crop Again?!
The only bad thing about the rain was keeping the babies inside on stormy days. I have a tarp over their run which helps when it's just a light rain, but with the slope of the land their run gets flooded during heavy downpours. Great for washing away poop but I don't want them out in it without any shelter. This is, in part, my fault for them not having a finished shelter.
Regardless, they were stuck inside for 2 days in a row April 7th & 8th. They're all very patient but you could tell they were bored stiff! They spent the time sleeping, eating, and drinking. This obscured the fact that Marcy was becoming lethargic. I imagine she probably wasn't the first day, but I'm not entirely sure.
It was April 9th when I was able to take them outside again. Now, my procedure is a bit tedious. I have a big cage they stay in during the night and a run they go out in their run during the day. So I carry each of the 9 babies outside one by one. It's not really bad, though. It gives me time to look them over and make sure everything is good. And when they're released into the run, they take off running and flapping.
I didn't quite notice Marcy was off at first. She jumped from my hands and ran around a tad when I took her out, although she wasn't quite as enthusiastic as usual. Later when checking on everyone, I saw she kept flicking her head a lot. I didn't think much of it at first. We've had bad gnats (need to get some Permethrin) so I thought they were just bothering her. Her chirps had a bit of a popping sound to them too but I thought it was just how her voice was changing. Everyone's voices were changing at this point so it didn't seem too strange.
Later in the day her lethargy began to show; just standing around not doing much. Sometimes she'd fluff her feathers up a bit. That night she didn't want to roost and instead slept under the roosting bar near her flockmates. I decided to check her crop and sure enough, it felt squishy and airy.
I gave her some Miconazole and started massaging her crop. Last time it worked the first day so I was hoping I caught it in time and she'd be over it just as quick. I wasn't prepared for just how bad it got in the coming days.
On the 10th her condition hadn't changed. Her crop was still squishy. I let her go outside in the morning as usual, but periodically checked on her to massage her crop. Of course, she also got her Miconazole for the day. It was in the high 60's (Fahrenheit) outside but one time I found her standing there breathing through her mouth. It wasn't panting, she was clearly having some breathing trouble. When I picked her up, I confirmed her breathing was heavy and she had a gurgle to her. She let me open her beak and I saw what I think was some kind of clear mucus in her throat.
The morning of the 11th her crop was flat. I thought maybe she was probably about over the sour crop. Her breathing was still a bit wheezy from time to time though so I started to worry she also had a respiratory problem. Sometimes her chirps were crisp and clear, other times they sounded congested. Later in the day, though, she quit eating her feed and was still very lethargic. I finally decided to quarantine her. She cried a lot for her flockmates but I played chicken videos for her to watch which seemed to calm her. I made her some hard boiled egg and thankfully she nibbled a little of it, but at this point I was really scared for her. I thought I might lose her. I kept her in my bedroom at night and woke up periodically to check on her, see if she'd eat or drink; make sure she was alive.
From the 11th-14th her crop was ballooned again and she still wasn't eating. All I could do was get her to drink so I fumbled with trying to get everything down her that could help. Miconazole in the morning, normal water for a bit, then I'd switch to NutriDrench in her water before finally, at night before bed, some VetRX or garlic.
I ended up getting some yogurt for her as well. I couldn't get her to eat it so I had to put it on her beak which caused her to "drink" it down. Sometimes she'd eat a couple bites of egg, but usually not.
I was really really scared at this point. No vets in my area will see chickens either, so I had to do everything I possibly could and I didn't know if she'd make it. She was getting very weak too. She could stand for short periods but she didn't have to strength in her legs to even be bumped slightly without stumbling. She was also losing weight, as expected. I kept her in my living room in a box and would move her room to room with me so I could keep her with me. I could tell she was really trying to fight; she had a lot of life in her despite feeling sick and sometimes she'd have a little moment of clarity where she'd leave the box and try to forage on the carpet. But these were rare moments. Still, I was glad to see she hadn't given up.
On the 13th she did poop out some green bits which made me wonder if she might've had an impaction. She also passed some cecal poop finally.
Still, she was looking really bad.
Because she was drinking, I added a little bit of feed to the water in the hopes she would get some of it down her without deterring her from drinking and it seemed to work out. I was also worried because she only had a couple more days that I could give her Miconazole and she was definitely at her worst. Her head had also started smelling very sour. That evening, when she went potty, the white stuff stretched from her vent to the ground like stretchy cheese. It seems the candida was entirely through her system from mouth to vent. I started putting Miconazole up her vent too to battle it from both ends. She needed actual proper meds so I searched around for where I could get her Nystatin.
On the 14th, I ordered some Medistatin from Springwater Avian Health. They were the only place I saw that had a review on their site, free shipping, and the price for the product was a tad cheaper than other places I searched. I didn't know how long it'd take to get here, but I could only hope she'd hold out.
April 15th, the last day I could give her Miconazole, turned out to be a day of huge relief. She was gobbling down her feed soup so I increased the food in hopes of her eating more. I was so excited when she ate it! The poor dear still felt too sick to even wipe her beak off. But she did also start to poop again too! The next day was my birthday, so really this was the best birthday gift I've ever gotten - Marcy's recovery! The mere fact that she had her appetite back, I knew she'd be okay.
I was able to enjoy the surprise birthday gifts my mother got for me on the 16th without the worry of Marcy hanging over me. She was eating and I was giving her yogurt, cooked egg, water with ACV, and water with garlic to try to help combat the yeast as much as possible while I waited for her Medistatin.
Miconazole treatment from the 9th -15th was her week. Thankfully that last day she was doing a lot better. No more vent gleet and she had her appetite back. It was the day before my birthday and honestly that was the best birthday gift ever. Marcy was getting better and I knew she was going to make it.
She continued getting better over the following days. The vent gleet cleared up fast, she was eating normally, and started to get a little more active and stronger each passing day. Her meds arrived on the 21st but I figured I'd wait a couple more days so she at least had a week being off Miconazole.
On the 23rd I began her Nystatin treatment. Within the first two days of it, she improved so drastically she was pretty much 100% normal again. Active, running around, flapping, not flicking her head, the popping sound was gone and she started chirping again. Her voice was definitely changing so it was a little rougher than before all this started. But all in all she was better and I was so happy!!
Odd Bullseye Eggs - Moose
So an odd thing has been going on with Moose. Her eggs have been having an odd blue end on them. She is the only one who's been having this issue which I find confusing. I figure it's a calcium issue but they have plenty of oyster shell available to eat. Not all eggs have the blue, some just have an odd discoloration.
One day I actually found a plain egg yolk lying under their outside roost. Everyone except Moose laid that day so I figured it was Moose. This was a bit alarming so I started adding the oyster shell directly into the feed in hopes she'd eat more of it. No more random yolks, but the eggs still were discolored.
Alice's Crooked Beak
Good news is that Alice's beak hasn't gotten much worse. I feared it would keep getting worse as she grew but it's really not that bad at all. Despite all her earlier health issues, she's become such a bold and beautiful pullet! She's very spunky and inquisitive; she's always the first rushing to go outside. If you open their enclosure door, she's the first one out. Very bright and observant - it makes me so happy seeing her doing great after her rough start in life!
Shame these pictures came out so blurry. I'll have to get better ones next time. She really didn't want to sit still for long.
Ella New Nesting Location
For a while now Ella has contented herself with laying eggs in her cage in the morning/evening and the coop nesting box during the day. I don't know if it's because she keeps finding the nesting box occupied or what, but she's starting to lay in weird places...
I have three nesting boxes for all 7 of them to use. And yet, they all insist on using just the one. If it's occupied and someone else needs it, they'll just lay an egg down in the run! Or, in Ella's case, under the porch stairs...
Sometimes Ella skips a day; usually I get 4-5 eggs a week from her. On the 3rd day when I hadn't gotten an egg from her, I was worried she was egg bound. Then, I caught her in the act!
She was squeezing between the coop and the stairs trying to nest. Silly bird! Eventually she shuffled up under the porch stairs. When I checked there later, I found two eggs.
Please pardon the mess. I've got some wire that sticks out weird and fearing the birds might get cut on it, I threw this old red and green bag on top. Seems Ella thought this could be a potential spot, before settling on using the area under the stairs.
Filburt's Tail Has Arrived!
Meanwhile, my little Leghorn cockerel's tail is getting curly! He's feathered out a lot more over the month and finally looks like a proper chicken! He still is missing a bit of feathering around the neck but I'm sure that'll fill out soon enough. Still no crowing, though, and he's 9 weeks old as of the end of April. His wattles are also pretty tiny and Tirdy's have started to catch up.
They don't really get along well with the Marcy and the Crevecoeurs (sounds like a band name, haha) but I can at least keep them in the same run during the day now. I don't dare to coop them up in the same cage at night. There's really not enough room for them to get away. In the run, they love to sit up on the roost to get some private time. They get a little bit bullied by the others but nothing too bad. I have seen Marcy jump at them and Leslie specifically targets them with a peck if they walk past her but it stays pretty mild. I'm hoping they'll work it out.
Tirdy (left) Filburt (right)
I seem to have really bad luck when it comes to introducing chickens to the flock. Especially considering the fact that Tirdy and Filburt have been around the Crevecoeur flock since I first got them.
Baby photo flashback time:
See? They know each other. I just couldn't raise them together because of the age gap. Big babies flapping and jumping around; they nearly trampled the littles.
The Easter Eggers I can kind of understand even if they accepted Ella for about a month before ousting her. Ella picks on the babies but does like to hang around them, which is probably purely because they back down to her - they're no threat right now. Although... Alice has been getting bold. She walked right up to Ella and gave her a good peck one day. Ella was about to go to war so I had to intervene and shoo Ella out of the babies run for a little breather. Alice will even peck at my Sheltie who is almost a year old and several times her size. I've got cliques formed and no one wants to bridge the gap! Except Cleo. Cleo is my only sweet girl. She backed down to Ella to the point that Ella was actually bullying her. I also let Cleo into the run with the babies. If anything, she was spooked and wanted back out, haha.
Oh well! Hopefully they'll all at least forage together in peace. I can have two big coops+runs for the two big flocks then maybe reuse my small coop for Tirdy & Filburt. I guess we'll see how it goes!
thanks for sharing!
