Hen is sick

[Hartsharvestfarms]

No worries, the purpose of the stool softener in treating crop issues is to help break down material that might be bogging the system down. So really not looking for a laxative effect, though that may be needed at some point if things still are "moving". Molasses mixed with water is a very effective "mover" in chickens, but you would only want to do that once, place the bird where you don't mind a mess and be prepared to clean up.
I wonder if prune juice would have the same affect? Not sure, it's a thought though.

ehh...you can order just about anything you wish through instacart - it all depends on the stores that are on board where a person lives. Here, I think I have about 8-9 different stores that I can have shopped. All but 1 grocery store has full service pharmacy.

@momma chickie Using wine for treatment of crop issues has been a remedy for many years. I'm glad you found the information and that your hen is feeling better!

Ok, good to know. Thank you so much for clarifying!

 

[nao57]

The biggest difference in DE is how it is processed. Food grade DE is going to be pure where a garden/pool grade could possibly contain insecticides or other chemicals. For human and animal use (personally, I prefer it in the garden as well) I only use food grade.
From my understanding lime has become somewhat of a general term and the substance itself can vary greatly from company to company. At this point I have only used it to cover pigs runs after I have rotated them out. I have been doing some research for use with poultry and have found the only lime I would consider for my chickens at this point is First Saturday as a natural pesticide, but I definitely need more information before I can know for sure. Pure lime is considered to have low toxicity as it is only crushed limestone. The health hazards would be associated with acute respiratory and skin irritation when handled, but not considered to be toxic. That changes from each manufacturer depending on what they add to/how they process it. I have listed some informative websites for more information and each manufacturing company can be researched by searching “material safety data sheet - OSHA - (company name)”.


https://www.lime.org/about-us/faqs/
https://firstsaturdaylime.com/?gcli...a-I6eUkRhk6-S1K-_0ZqIMs4jvKjpugYaAoijEALw_wcB

Thank you very much. Your response was detailed also.

I forgot to mention to others reading this, the hydrated lime came up because that's what people use to waterglass eggs.

 

[Hartsharvestfarms]

Thank you very much. Your response was detailed also.

I forgot to mention to others reading this, the hydrated lime came up because that's what people use to waterglass eggs.

I’ve had really good luck water glassing eggs with just room temp water. I’m definitely going to keep researching the lime, but I would love to find some farmers in my area that can tell me if they personally use it and why or why not. As much as you can find on the internet I still really love the hands on experiences!
How is the Hen holding up today? Any changes?

 

[momma chickie]

Well she is still not eating as much as I would like. I am not giving anymore wine starting today and going to be giving her and her friends yogurt a few times a day. She is going to roost but her crop is pretty empty and she is still pooping bright green and white somewhat runny poop, which I know is not normal.
My husband said when he fed the girls in the afternoon she was in with them pecking around,, but I know a chicken can look like they are eating and not really be eating.
I am going to give her some time. She is otherwise acting like she normally does, reclaimed her top spot in the pecking order, keeps everyone in line, hangs in the shade with them (when she was really sick she was off by herself) so I am thinking her system just needs time and maybe she knows what is best.
I might also put the probiotic in the water for them too...

 

[momma chickie]

UPDATE: I weighed her when I turned her loose in the yard. I know she lost weight but I didn't think about weighing her when I first brought her in. Anyway, she has gained a little weight in 4 days...from 6.83 to 6.92. I know it isn't a lot but considering she is still being very careful with eating I consider that pretty good.
I am still feeding her (and the rest of gang, because I can't fight them off) scrambled eggs, yogurt, spaghetti squash (her very favorite treat) a long with free ranging and lay mix.
I have been checking her crop when she roosts at night and last night I would say she was 1/2 full, which is more then she had been. It felt pretty seedy so I am hopeful she is eating when I am not out there watching her. I was able to check her this morning for the first time and she was totally empty!!! Yayyyyyyy!
She is not agressive when eating and would rather not have anyone around her to compete with. She does come running with the flock and I see her flap and jump around. She also is maintaining her positing as top hen to the point of almost flogging some, usually a good stare or quick peck.
I know we are not out of the woods because not knowing what caused the sour crop to begin with is troubling...it may have been one of those things where she at something she shouldn't have or she could have an underlying health issue, only time will tell.

 

[momma chickie]

Update...she is starting to do much better but still needs to gain weight back that she lost. She went right into a molt which didn't help her recovery. I finally just let her stay with the flock as long as she was roosting at night, which she did in her normal spot.
There were times that she was not interested in eating any of the chicken food but would eat dried bugs, sunflower seeds, scrambled eggs, spaghetti squash, yogurt and oatmeal. Found out she loves spray millet...so just to give her any kind of energy I would provide these things to her during the day.
She finally started fighting for her place in the food line, picking at it to begin with. Then this week on checking her crop at night she was about 1/2 - 3/4 full. She now runs over when we come out with any scraps or at feeding times...she is more aggressive with her pecking order routine to the others (she never gave up her position, but wasn't as aggressive as she normally is. Yesterday she acted like she was doing an egg squat...which I hope she wasn't because she still needs to put weight back on...her feathers are growing back in nice and quick...
I feel more confident that she is going to make it now, at least for a little while longer, but she sure went through a rough time with her health.

 

[momma chickie]

Last update...she is running with the pack, fighting for her share of food...and laid an egg yesterday! I think she is going to be ok...thanks to red wine, yogurt w/scrambled eggs and garlic water