Dorothy is acting strange!

[casportpony]

I do not think we are qualified to use that handbook unless we are Veterinarians...

I'm sure many people aren't, but if you can weigh your bird, read and do simple math, I think you can. If I had known about that link, I might have been able to save a sick bird that was prescribed the *wrong* dose by a vet. I have also seen many posts that tell people to give the wrong dose of medicine and sometimes they tell people to give things that can be toxic.

 

[casportpony]

Oes, can you bring her inside at night?

 

[casportpony]

This link has some useful info about avian medications:
http://www.exoticpetvet.net/avian/avianmeds.html

 

[Smoochie]

I'm sure many people aren't, but if you can weigh your bird, read and do simple math, I think you can. If I had known about that link, I might have been able to save a sick bird that was prescribed the *wrong* dose by a vet. I have also seen many posts that tell people to give the wrong dose of medicine and sometimes they tell people to give things that can be toxic.

I know I just do not want someone to give their chicken Codiene or Morphine.. . It's a good link but dangerous.

 

[oesdog]

I think my DH can work out most meds as he was in the ambulance service. Basics of care are usually the same no matter the species!
Anyhow at the moment I can't bring her inside. DH is too ill to move things that are to heavy for me to move out of the way to have someplace safe to set her down. I seriously think she would be colder as the heating is never on here at night and I think she would be lonely too. I check on her every night and she is tucked up in the middle of all the other girls. She was very warm and toasty but I do think if it gets colder below freezing I will need to re-think that one. I don't think many folk in the BYC are trained in chicken care. It is a case of trial and error and figuring out what works. I am certainly not in the business these days of running to the Vet with a chicken. Anyhow the local Vet didn;t do much for my very expensive rare Old English dog recently so I don;t think they would be that good at fixing a common old past laying PR . I am going to try to do the antibiotics - well it can only go one of two ways - she will either be ok or pass away and she is an old hen - sorry to say but one has to harden ones heart to these things in these days. Much as I care for the hens in the end they are there to serve us and give us food not cost us more than they are worth. Out there in the real world of farming she probably would have gotten her neck stretched a few years back( But DH saved her) so she has had a very good life here. One has to put things into perspective. Do I want pets to coddle - or a workable flock that is financially viable and gives me back eggs and meat? It's a no brainer really. We all need ot put food on the table and as long as she is not in pain then she can stay. I don;t mind her having a cold or leeking a bit. I don;t want her always having breathing issues. ( Asthmatic hen!) But I do want her to have a quality of life. If that isn;t there then next step is euthanise. If I were breeding meat birds the deed would have to be done. DH - that is um his job!

Oes

 

[Gargoyle]

OES, so sorry to learn about Dorothy's passing today. As a rescue, you certainly gave her a good life.

 

[oesdog]

Yeah I was really sad about her passing because she was a lovely girl. This bad weather didn;t help and she just didn;t recover. She got her neck stuck in the fence panel a few weeks back and I think she didn't rally from that. It must have been a real shock to her. Normall over her molt usually in the middle of winter for her - she is very weak and sickly but over the past 3 yrs she has been here she has always come back to life in the springtime - this year though has been particularly cruel to the weaker animals. The wet damp cold weather has been here for months and she simply couldn't fight it this time round. I was glad I found her and brought her in in a towel and cuddled her in my arms before she died. I am pretty sure she knew she was cared for. She didn;t want to go and struggled tillt he last. In fact Dh was going ot "finish her off" because it was hard seeing her struggling in the end but she was already gone when he took her little body from my arms. Yes I did cry - I am a big old softie - I couldn;t even kill that darm Pheasent I had with the bad foot over Christmas! Now in less than a year I lost mum, murph and Dorothy - feels like the angel of death is constantly hovering seeing which one she can pick off next!

I am sad tonight only have 9 girlies now.

I lost 5 Eleanor ( The new Hampshire) Who broke her neck. Elly the (Production Red) Prolapse, Dorothy (PR) Airway infection. The roo boys Red and Duck (Sussex and Maran ) Killed by folk who told us they were going to care for them as we couldn't keep roos. - My Chicken Math is all wrong?

OES -