Consolidated Kansas

[chicken danz]

I am guessing that she has gotten a leg dislocated with the tendon over stretched because of the rooster mounting her. I have a hen right now that had the same problem. She was torn by a spur, so I put a chicken saddle on her. In her case she thought it meant to be submissive. There are two roosters in that pen and being on queue they bred her until her legs gave out. I have her in a large hospital pen in hopes she gets back on her feet and her wounds heal as well.
I've seen this happen more than one time. Especially on a smaller bird with a larger rooster. She actually needs freedom to move about and get her legs to work again. I don't know of any way to physically repair a leg like that, other than giving her the chance of moving freely without having a rooster on her. It may never correct unfortunately.
Now just in case it would be mereks it is easy to test. First on leg usually goes forward and one goes backward. One leg will appear to be paralized. Simply put your finger under one of her feet and see if she is able to grip your finger with her toes.
In the meantime get some St. John's wort and mix it in her water. Open the capsule and just poor it in. It will turn the water black. chickens don't seem to mind the taste at all. It works in chickens and deadens the impulse on the nerves allowing them to function better. I have pulled more than one lame chicken out of the problem using St. John's wort for a while.

 

[Grain Gypsy]

Thanks, Danz.

Unfortunately, Millie didn't make it through the night.

I'm not sure why her health deteriorated so quickly over a matter of hours after she seemed to have been okay for weeks, other than the inability to move correctly. I am thinking, based on what you described, Danz, about the one foot forward, one back, as well as the inability to hang on to my finger, that Merek's is what she was possibly suffering from. We are all so sad. Millie was the cutest little bit, and always made us smile. My youngest daughter, Jillian, claimed Millie as her own, and her loss has been really hard on her. Many tears have been shed in my house today.

 

[dwink2]

I am so sorry for your loss. It is always tough to lose our pets but then it is double hard to watch our kids hurt as well.

I think that with Danz's help I have finally got the upper hand on the deadly respiratory virus that was taking its toll on my flock. I did lose my favorite hen and will miss her. I just wish that I would have asked for help sooner with this. Now that they are all doing well I decided to worm them before spring. I gave them one round of meds in their water for three days as directed. I know that I have to retreat again in 10 days but don't know if it is 10 days fron day one or 10 days from the last day of the first round????

Danz's you are a brave one to do surgery. I could probably do something like that but wouldn't know where to begin with the needed meds. That is where I really feel incompetent.

Our beagle is having a rough time the last few days and I fear that we will have to put her to sleep before long. She is 16 and has lived a long full life and we don't want her to suffer. It is going to be so hard though. I just don't know when enough is enough though for her.

 

[chicken danz]

Thanks, Danz.

Unfortunately, Millie didn't make it through the night.

I'm not sure why her health deteriorated so quickly over a matter of hours after she seemed to have been okay for weeks, other than the inability to move correctly. I am thinking, based on what you described, Danz, about the one foot forward, one back, as well as the inability to hang on to my finger, that Merek's is what she was possibly suffering from. We are all so sad. Millie was the cutest little bit, and always made us smile. My youngest daughter, Jillian, claimed Millie as her own, and her loss has been really hard on her. Many tears have been shed in my house today.

You should seriously disinfect the area she was living. Mereks is spread through dander and this time of year dander gets built up in the coops more than normal. Even a good cleaning would be helpful...not indicating things aren't clean. It's a very sad and highly contagious disease.

I am so sorry for your loss. It is always tough to lose our pets but then it is double hard to watch our kids hurt as well.

I think that with Danz's help I have finally got the upper hand on the deadly respiratory virus that was taking its toll on my flock. I did lose my favorite hen and will miss her. I just wish that I would have asked for help sooner with this. Now that they are all doing well I decided to worm them before spring. I gave them one round of meds in their water for three days as directed. I know that I have to retreat again in 10 days but don't know if it is 10 days fron day one or 10 days from the last day of the first round????

Danz's you are a brave one to do surgery. I could probably do something like that but wouldn't know where to begin with the needed meds. That is where I really feel incompetent.

Our beagle is having a rough time the last few days and I fear that we will have to put her to sleep before long. She is 16 and has lived a long full life and we don't want her to suffer. It is going to be so hard though. I just don't know when enough is enough though for her.

I'd worm again in 10 days from the first day for three days. The point is to kill the newly hatching worms just as they hatch and before they reproduce. I'm so glad to hear your birds are well.
You learn these things about meds through trial and error and studying what things respond to what meds. I wish I could say I always have the answers.
The cold took it's toll last night. I lost two of the youngest peacocks last night. One had a injured leg and wasn't able to get up on the roost so I understood that. They other was just one of the youngest ones, hatched at the end of September so it just wasn't strong enough to withstand the cold. I had a heat lamp out in the peacock shed but it quit working. So today I went out and strung Christmas lights along the side of the roosts in the pens where I had young ones. They will either appreciate the warmth or break the bulbs. It will be interesting to see how the night goes with them. I had some new boxes that I had had in storage for some time so I figured I would give it a try. If that doesn't work I may try hanging them a foot or two above the roosts to add a little heat. I know that they keep warm by sitting on their feet so I figured the closer the lights were to their feet the more benefit they would get from them.
Just another Danz experiment in hoping to keep utility costs down and make something different work for me.
I am down to the last puppy. The one I am keeping. And I sold several birds today.
Now if it would warm up I have a lot more work and a lot more moving that needs to be done. I also figured out I need to build another turkey shelter in my breeder pen. I have some that are sitting on the ground cause there doesn't seem to be enough roost space. I have several young hens to move in there soon and I will definitely need it. I sure hate the thought of trying to build another shelter out in the cold. But I guess what has to be done has to be done.

 

[Dani4Hedgies]

So sorry to hear of all the losses lately hugs everyone this cold is horrible we have had our chicken waterers freeze twice now so im keeping a pan under it which seems to be keeping the bedding dryer and its easier to scoop the little bitvif wet bedding now. Ok so my chicks are 9 weeks old and i wanted to know are they old enough for an oatmeal warm mash with bananas and an egg mixed in? Other then getting mad at the frozen nipples everyone is doing good here.

 

[chicken danz]

I don't see any reason they couldn't have about any food you wanted to offer them now. Just try the new foods gradually so they don't upset their digestive systems.
I had to open up the incision on my operative chicken again this morning. She had a great deal of infection still brewing in there. this time I squirted oregano oil in the opening in hopes it will do a better job after rinsing it out with betadine. That poor hen is going to hate me before this is all done.
We have freezing mist now and it feels insanely cold out there. I should be out doing more chores but I had to come in. Even though the temperature is about the same it feels much much coler today than yesterday.

 

[sharol]

It's slick as snot around here. I slid right past our turn-off from HWY 99 and had to drive on down to the next house to turn around. I had no idea I wouldn't be able to stop. I was going about 11 mph at the time. Yikes.

Way too cold and slick to be outside if it isn't necessary.

I choose to live in Kansas. I choose to live in Kansas. I CHOOSE to live in Kansas. (repeated continually)

 

[chicken danz]

LOL Keep saying that Sharol and maybe you'll convince me too. I have so much I want to get done but this weather just has me "frozen in place."

 

[sharol]

I hear you, Danz, I keep telling DH that I need to live in a more moderate climate. He thinks I'm kidding.

 

[lizzyGSR]

LOL ladies! We're not getting the crazy weather you guys are, but I'd love to be outside! I'm still on an activity restriction and a weight limit after the accident... I'm getting really tired of doing nothing , but I'm pretty limited as to what I can do right now (between morning sickness and injury)!