- Apr 14, 2012
- 8
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I cant believe how much I have learned from this forum in the past few days!Thank you. I learned how to administer the penicillin from the local feed shop. Day one down and three to go!
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I have talked to the chicken doctor (peter brown) about a hen I have that's a possible internal layer, and we are trying a forced molt - total darkness, reduced feed, etc. Mine is at a very early stage so it's worth a shot!For those who are going to read this post, let me reiterate what's been said before: Egg Yolk Peritonitis is not contagious, just very common. I'm the chickie mommy of Stella, and her sister Blanche is now exhibiting the same symptoms. Last night, I took her temperature and it was 107 degrees fahrenheit. I gave her a dose of oral calcium citrate, where I ground up the tablets that I take, solubilized them with water and dripped it into her mouth. I had read that this could help her pass an bound egg. I could feel an egg inside her last night. This morning, her temperature was 106 degrees and I could no longer feel the egg, but she spent the night in the bathroom, and there's no egg in the room, so I think she's dropped it into her peritoneum. I can't feel it in there either, but she's pretty swollen and could probably hide an egg from my probing with all that swelling. So, I gave her a 1/4 cc shot of penicillin in her breast, making sure I wasn't on a blood vessel. I'm hoping that her temperature will go down with the antibiotic, and may try to aspirate some of the fluid out of her abdomen.
Here's my question: I read that you could put the bird in total darkness to break her egglaying cycle for a year. Does this work? Blanche is such a sweet girl that I don't care if I ever have another egg from her, but want to have her around. If total darkness does disrupt their ovulation, how long does it really last?
One thing I forgot to ask: how long do I keep her in total darkness? (And how will I explain this to my husband... ;-) )
No, you cannot stop an egglaying cycle for an entire year if she isn't laying internally. Wonder who got that idea? Chronic EYP or other illness will stop laying anyway.
I agree, Speckledhen, I am pleased when my pet hens go broody or take a break during the winter - I figure they deserve the break from laying.You know what is probably the best thing for hens? To not have the broody tendencies bred out of them by hatcheries so they will take natural breaks to raise chicks! Of course, people who want their egg a day from every bird they own don't want that.