Help I have a butt pecker

[Bawkbok]

I feel like I want to give up. I work so hard to research and give them the best and I keep having something happen with them.

I'm happy to hear she laid an egg.

This is a normal feeling. Many here have experienced a similar experience. Our first year with chickens was fraught with one disaster after another; one death after another and another - 10 birds in the first year - myriad of issues and illnesses including Marek's. I was going to quit because I felt like a failure for the birds and I felt I was in a constant state of grief. Just bad beginners luck I guess. Indoctrination I told myself. Keep pushing. You have what it takes. Just work through the issues one at a time and stay with it. Each incident / illness is an opportunity for you to learn; that was my approach. Better days are ahead for you and your flock. You have a strong support system here with BYC.

 

[Hannah2911]

I'm happy to hear she laid an egg.

This is a normal feeling. Many here have experienced a similar experience. Our first year with chickens was fraught with one disaster after another; one death after another and another - 10 birds in the first year - myriad of issues and illnesses including Marek's. I was going to quit because I felt like a failure for the birds and I felt I was in a constant state of grief. Just bad beginners luck I guess. Indoctrination I told myself. Keep pushing. You have what it takes. Just work through the issues one at a time and stay with it. Each incident / illness is an opportunity for you to learn; that was my approach. Better days are ahead for you and your flock. You have a strong support system here with BYC.

Thank you and everyone so much. Crying as I type. Having yall to support and help means so much! One day when I have learned as much as yall I hope to be able to help others also!

One quick question if anyone here has done this. I asked earlier about oral dosing Tiaguard but ended up putting it in water. I added apple juice for taste. I don’t know how much they are drinking. I’m going to try and watch the camera for that today while at work. The ones eye is better. Only one sounds congested. Would it be good to give her oral Tiaguard? I saw the equation said .09ml per pound. This one is 4.5 lbs. but the part I’m confused about is that straight out of the bottle or do I still mix the Tiaguard with water and then give her the .09 per lb?

 

[coach723]

If your Tiaguard is labeled to be mixed in water, then use that mixture as instructions say, and give the medicated water mixture to her several times a day orally if she isn't drinking on her own, until she starts drinking on her own. I will attach a link to an article that explains how to safely administer medications. For more accurate advice please post a picture of the medication you are giving and the instruction label so we can see it clearly. Tiaguard is often used to treat mycoplasma gallisepticum symptoms. That particular illness is chronic and the birds are carriers, so symptoms can recur periodically, usually during times of stress (which can be just about anything for a chicken). So if the medication helps with symptoms (it won't be a cure), then you may need to retreat periodically. MG is also very contagious, so any birds you bring in will be exposed to it. And no birds should leave your property (don't give away or sell them, or sell eggs to hatch). It can also be spread on clothing, equipment and shoes. Birds can be tested for it, to confirm or rule it out. MG does not affect humans.
For your hen that was having trouble laying, putting where you are located generally in the world in your profile, can help with answering some issues. How old is this hen? Did she molt this fall/winter? If a hen stops laying for a period, due to age, season (shorter daylight hours), or molt, then they can have glitches when they start up laying again. Just like with brand new layers, sometimes it can take a bit of time for their bodies to get back in the swing of it. Hopefully it will resolve, but definitely keep an eye on her. If you do have MG in your flock, that can also affect laying and egg quality.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...dications-to-all-poultry-and-waterfowl.73335/

 

[Hannah2911]

If your Tiaguard is labeled to be mixed in water, then use that mixture as instructions say, and give the medicated water mixture to her several times a day orally if she isn't drinking on her own, until she starts drinking on her own. I will attach a link to an article that explains how to safely administer medications. For more accurate advice please post a picture of the medication you are giving and the instruction label so we can see it clearly. Tiaguard is often used to treat mycoplasma gallisepticum symptoms. That particular illness is chronic and the birds are carriers, so symptoms can recur periodically, usually during times of stress (which can be just about anything for a chicken). So if the medication helps with symptoms (it won't be a cure), then you may need to retreat periodically. MG is also very contagious, so any birds you bring in will be exposed to it. And no birds should leave your property (don't give away or sell them, or sell eggs to hatch). It can also be spread on clothing, equipment and shoes. Birds can be tested for it, to confirm or rule it out. MG does not affect humans.
For your hen that was having trouble laying, putting where you are located generally in the world in your profile, can help with answering some issues. How old is this hen? Did she molt this fall/winter? If a hen stops laying for a period, due to age, season (shorter daylight hours), or molt, then they can have glitches when they start up laying again. Just like with brand new layers, sometimes it can take a bit of time for their bodies to get back in the swing of it. Hopefully it will resolve, but definitely keep an eye on her. If you do have MG in your flock, that can also affect laying and egg quality.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...dications-to-all-poultry-and-waterfowl.73335/

This is what I put in their water. I added apple juice. I’m not sure they drank much. I took it out and gave water with vitamins. I have one with no abnormalities. One who is laying but yesterday started sneezing and sounding congrsted and I noticed today her tongue looks whiter than normal. It doesn’t look like canker. No hunks or anything. Doesn’t smell. I have one who couldn’t walk one morning I brought her in gave her calcium citrate and she laid and egg. She is getting better daily. I have one who has always had issues with soft shells on and off. She laid soft shells back to back and nothing since. She had bubbles in her eyes but no respiratory issues. After Tiaguard was in the water for two days her eye cleared up. She has no other symptoms. The last one has never had soft shell egg lay one last night. She has no other symptoms. I didn’t know how to do the oral Tiaguard and opted for baytril. I know people will argue this for chickens. My vet said a 14-30 day egg withdrawal would be fine. I started that tonight. I honestly care more about the chicken than the eggs and she’s the only one that lays her color (pink) so I know it’s hers to pull out. I had the girls on nutrena layer feed but was told to do 20% protein all flock due to the sneezing one had been plucking out butt feathers. I have since put one feeder with that feed and one with layer. They have oyster shells in a separate feeder. Bc of all the soft shell I put a little calcium feed in their food that I got on Amazon. They have not molted and are 3 Easter eggers one buff Orpington and one barred rock. They are 10-11 months old. I live in a suburb of Dallas. They never leave their run as I am in the city. The house is 4.5 x 8 ft and their run is 12x8. They have two perches in the run. I have a few toys hanging from the hardware cloth. And a wind chime. They have a concrete block to scratch beak on if needed. Another thing to note is I’m fairly sure I found a worm in the hen house so I was worming with safeguard fenbendazole for goats .5ml per bird as per vet in case they had worms. I was told 3 days to do that. I did two and didn’t do the third as that was yesterday and the day one was so congested I didn’t want to overwhelm their system. I’ll add a photo of the worm but I think it’s earlier on in this chain. I’ll add photos of the run and hen house. It’s smaller and sucky but I didn’t know that when I got it. I built and add on the the house but there isn’t a camera on that part.