Dorothy is acting strange!

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oesdog

oesdog

Crowing
13 Years
Jun 7, 2010
3,488
223
336
Ireland
Dorothy has never been a very healthy girl having been a rescue.
I am pretty sure she is the one that was laying funky shaped eggs one of which a few weeks back was full of blood.
Thing is over here we have not had a good summer. Dorothy usually looks really ill going through the molt and you think she will die but then she makes it through another winter. This year has been very cruel though in that we have had a very cold damp wet summer. Not good for a girl who seems to have some kind of respiritory infection? Today she is out in the yard and she will run about with the others and fight for her food but then she hunches up in a corner and fluffs up. Occationally her head will through up like she wants to crow but she makes an odd gurgle and nothing else comes out. Her comb is starting to go blue. It went very blue this time last year as well and she just pulled right on back through but this year I am not very hopeful for her.

Any suggestions. - She is a run of the mill PR - we have stopped paying Vets bills for these chickens as a consultation is £20 before you get a diognosis and treatment. Here we can buy 3/4 point of lay hens for that amount so sadly it is not cost affective to treat them.

I have contemplated taking her in to the warm away from the other girls - but that seems a rather sad thing to do as if she is going to die it is better she has her friends around her and infact when I lifted her she was quite warm. They all huddle up in a ball so the others keep her warm anyhow.

All I want to do is keep her comfortable and not in pain.

Oes
 
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I'd put her in a crate with a heat lamp until she feels better. Food, water, shavings...sounds like she needs some poultry antibiotics that are affordable at your local livestock store for her respiratory system. I think she would rather be warm than outside puffed up with her friends. When you aren't feeling well I am sure you'd chose warmth over friends.
 
Thanks for the reply

I have checked on Dorothy and I did think about bringing her in but when I went to lift her she just struggled to get down and I ended up getting pecked in the ankles by all the other girls! Clearly they don't like that Idea? So I cleaned out the coop and sprayed it and cleaned the water bowles out. Then I put extra hay into their beds and lots of wood chippings. I did notice that the wood chip this time is quite dusty and wonder if that was irritating her a bit? Yesterday when she got up her comb was a bit on the blue side and she looked like she had a cold poor thing. ( Leeking drips from her nose etc) She was a bit unsteady on her feet and I was thinking her breathing wasn't so good.

- But today when she got up she was first out of the coop launching herself at me to see if I had any treats for her. She sounds a bit darth vador but the comb is bright red today - it was pale pink before it went blue now it is red so maybe she is over the molt? She always seems to suffer greatly compared to the others.

She is a rescue hen. When she came to us she was nearly dead. It was not her molt time but everythime I lifted her her feathers came away in my hands and her skin was blue and there was just bone under the skin. This was two years back and every winter she goes through this - I am going to die faize - then suddenly she changes her mind and is fine and laying again?

Today I am watching her in the yard and she is keeping up with the others and fighting over food. I am not entirely sure what is wrong with her but I do think at one stage in her life she may have had IB ? Her eggs are can be a funky shape and the last while some were very thin. She also layed one that was full of blood a while back. Today looking at her you wouldn't believe she was not well? Appart from the raspy breathing. She is a little feisty thing. I am not sure what to do with her for the best. She is certainly not keen on leaving her friends.

Can I give her human baby antibiotics (Amoxasilin) - I know you can use baby infant vitamin drops but can you use baby Antibiotics too???

Oes
 
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If she has respiratory problems you should probably treat it. Probably with some Tylan. You can usually pick it up over the counter at your local livestock store...

Edit to add: I live in Canada and not sure what antibiotics are available in US... Tylan is the only US brand I know of...
 
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I don;t think we can get tylan over the counter here. Same with the baby antibiotics - I just know my daughter had some left over from our grand child that is why I mentioned it.

Seriously we just have wee veg stores that also sell chicken feed and dog food. A local garage also sells the chicken feed and other animal feed but otherwise I am not sure if I can get meds from them I don;t think they are allowed to sell it here at all as I have never seen meds on display.. I think it is a case of go to the vet - obviously that is simply not cost afective and euthanasia would come first now. But honestly the wee critter was running about the place today without a bother just sounding a bit darth vador. Not sure what to do but seriously don;t think I can get what you say but will try at the pet store it is my only hope as the feed stores do not stock any meds. The one in the local town might. Though I wont be able to get there for a good while yet as I am caring for two disabled folk and am pretty much house bound right now.

Oes
 
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Yeah I usually buy Tetracycline 250 antibiotics in Canada from my local livestock store off the shelf. Possibly you can call your feed store and ask if there are any poultry antibiotics you can purchase without a vet prescription...
 
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Thanks for that - it is so much harder here to get things that you can get so easily over there. We have more strict rules over drugs of any kind.

Oes
 

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