Does It look like BlueComb

[ClareScifi]

I am very pleased to hear you don't think my hens are too fat. I've tried so hard to take good care of them.

Now I wonder whether it's a mistake to break a hen of her broodiness? Had she stayed under the house for 21 days, she might have lost a lot of weight (if she is too fat?), helping her heart by getting rid of excess fat.

However, I was so worried she'd starve to death since the eggs were not fertilized, and she is a determined little girl. That would have broken my heart to see her die of starvation over unfertilized eggs. I could not stand the thought of it...

But maybe she knew what was best, and I should have let her alone. What do you all think? What if? If only?

I read somewhere that most broody hens die of roost mites from sitting in one place too long, and that frightened me, too, so when she came out after 5 days under the house we nabbed her and confined her. There was no way to access her under the house, or I might have let her stay broody, had I been able to keep an eye on her, but I couldn't, so I thought confinement was the best approach. But now I wonder. Maybe Nature knows best...

 

[chickenlady08]

Quote:
No the vet probably did the correct worm test. But remember they only check for 'internal' worms. Lice/mites are external and they won't show up on those test. That is why I said Ivermectin and I also like the Valbazen as well. I have used both kinds.

You sound so much like me. I am a constant worrier about my girls and the humidity is awful on humans so you know it has to be harsh on our feathered friends. And I also read that black and other dark feather colored chickens can be more miserable than white or lighter colored chickens. My chickens pant all the time and I so wish I had the temperatures you had. It has been high 90s to low 90s with the heat index making it over 100+ some days it is 110 with heat index.

Just keep doing what you are doing in offering them cold treats and I try to change waterers and buckets through out the day and I add frozen water bottles to the water buckets for them to stay cool. Also have plenty of shade for them to get out of the direct heat. I lost several girls last year and made adjustments to improve things for them unfortunately it was to late for my favorite hen Nellie (she is my profile hen on my back).

 

[chkn]

Quote:
It's my opinion that those tests really are a waste of money. Vets don't seem to like to treat for worms and the tests really aren't very conclusive. You can wait and see. They seem healthy now. But know that they have access to all those things that are host to worms.

 

[ClareScifi]

Thanks for the coons heads up.

We live in the city, and there are raccoons, but way back near the canal. I've never seen any except for one dead one back there. My neighbor who has chickens said once he saw a live one in the early morning way back. But it is a thought. There have been skunks by the house, but only at night.

It is sure something to think about, though. A wayward coon could be around, say, at 5:30 a.m., when it is dark out still, but the girls don't generally stick their heads out to forage until later in the day. They start out their day by perching on the potting benches, eating, and progress to heavy grazing later in the day.

But it is a good concern, and I appreciate your input. Something I had not considered...

 

[ClareScifi]

What a pretty girl Nettie was! A real cutie! To perch on your back like that-- what a special little girl!!!!

So sorry about your losses.

The avian vet told me the local nonavian-specialist vets don't do a Gram Stain, which is the only real way to detect worms in chickens. The other types of fecal smears don't really work.

 

[buildingmyark]

I wouldn't suggest treating your hens with antibiotics unless you know for certain what you are treating. If you want to worm them, that's perfectly fine. There is tons of info on here about worming/dosages. If they have never been wormed, you should probably use the Wazine first, followed by Eprinex or Ivermectin as someone suggested earlier.

What specific symptoms are they showing that make you think that they are sick? Open-mouth breathing doesn't always mean that there is something wrong, especially if the humidity is high or there has been a sudden spike in the temperature.

 

[chkn]

Alot of people here recommend Tylan from the feed stores. I have some old Baytril I use that was prescribed for my doggies and Terramycin (http://www.ehow.com/about_5427396_use-terramycin-poultry.html) available at feed and pet supplies.

 

[ClareScifi]

I guess it's the blackened/grayish comb and pecked out breast feathers on the one chicken and the somewhat newly floppy comb on the other chicken that have me the most worried. The chicken who has me least worried has some grayish black speckles on her comb, but not big areas of discoloration like her sister does. I wonder about fowl pox, but the areas are not scabby/raised. Their size worries me, too. Others say they are not too fat, but I do wonder about fatty liver disease.

Occasionally sneezes, gapes, open-mouthed breathing, and the white stuff they get stuck on their behinds are all symptoms that worry me. They have been good about letting me break off the dried up stuff around their rears lately. Such cooperative, good little girls they are. Their vents do look healthy and pink.

I may have made a mistake exposing them to Pyrethrin. I hope it doesn't cause them to get cancers or something, but I was worried about mites. My husband said he saw the darkened combed girl pecking at her side when she came out from under the house a month or more ago which made him think she might have mites she might have gotten under there, and I read that mites can kill chickens. I thought hens didn't molt until November? These girls both molted last November, so I didn't consider that the feather pecking of her breast feathers could be molting instead of parasites?

 

[aubreynoramarie]

It sounds to me like you're worrying wayyyyyyyyyy too much. They're acting like chikens! Everytime they do a chicken thing you question their health! I say do reeler preventative measures such as worming and de-lousing- and sit back an enjoy your quirky chooks.
80 degrees is enough to slow a chook down and make it pant. They have a down coat on afterall. They stretch jen they sunbathe, some chickens sleep weird, and a lot of chickens get floppy combs. Chickens make tons of different noises and not all chickens act or do things the same, much like people.

Chickens peck at their sides, their butts, their chests. It's calle preening and they will do it a lot. As for te white stuf on their butts, give em a break! Their feathers are RIGHT under heir butts, they can't aim all the way out 100 percent of the time! It's pooooooo.

Delouse and deworm twice a year and it's the most you can do to prevent problems in your flock.

Id say lookout your hen now and see how she is. If at some point she starts acting dramatically different, then worry. To me she sounds like a normal hen. The pulling out o feathers could mean a protein defficiency due to the restricted diet you have her on

Just reeeeellllaaaaxxxxxx.

Eta: sorry for all the weird spelling errors. Dang iPhone.

 

[buildingmyark]

You're such a good chicken momma.

Have you Youtubed a video of a gaping chicken? If your girls are actually gaping, have you considered gapeworms?

Occasional sneezes are pretty normal. Dirty bottom is pretty normal too. Spots on the comb could be dried blood from pecking/playing.

If they are laying well, eating well, pooping normally and are not showing any other signs if respiratory problems (discharge from mouth/nose/eyes, raspy breathing, cold-like symptoms) I would say that they are healthy with a few random things going on that have their momma worried sick (just as I would!)!