is this Ascites? or a resporitory problem? or something else?

[LittlePip21]

UPDATE: so, I think the coop was the problem, we had a wire mesh on the floor of our coop, which has turned cleaning to the coop to be a long and painstaking process, I finally got annoyed enough to cut it out, and the ammonia that had been caked in it was terrible., hopefully this will help with the mice too! my rooster got better as the day went on, being out in the fresh air. my one hen with the water thing is a little wheezy but is very alert and active, her crop does feel a bit squishy, but not over full.

PS: when I was cutting the wire i found this poor mouse stuck in one of the holes, (these are smaller than chicken wire) each half on one side, I thought he was dead at first because I spotted blood on the ground, but he was still alive! I was able to cut him free with some help, and he is doing okay! his eye is matted shut, so I'm keeping him over night to make sure hes not hurt, no puncture wounds. not sure what I'll do then, but just wanted to share my little triumph with all of you! thanks!

 

[Wyorp Rock]

UPDATE: so, I think the coop was the problem, we had a wire mesh on the floor of our coop, which has turned cleaning to the coop to be a long and painstaking process, I finally got annoyed enough to cut it out, and the ammonia that had been caked in it was terrible., hopefully this will help with the mice too! my rooster got better as the day went on, being out in the fresh air. my one hen with the water thing is a little wheezy but is very alert and active, her crop does feel a bit squishy, but not over full.

PS: when I was cutting the wire i found this poor mouse stuck in one of the holes, (these are smaller than chicken wire) each half on one side, I thought he was dead at first because I spotted blood on the ground, but he was still alive! I was able to cut him free with some help, and he is doing okay! his eye is matted shut, so I'm keeping him over night to make sure hes not hurt, no puncture wounds. not sure what I'll do then, but just wanted to share my little triumph with all of you! thanks!

I'm glad you were able to make some modifications to your coop.

If you post some photos, we can give you some other tips if you'd like

Buildup of feces can make ammonia levels dangerous and actually cause respiratory symptoms - too much is call Ammonia Toxicity, this can cause eye infections, breathing problems, it can damage lungs, possibly cause blindness or death.

Ventilation and litter management is key to helping move ammonia up and out of a coop.

Uggh

on the mouse. I don't think I would have saved it. I'm sorry but I would have knocked it in the head and done away with it. Mice are not good to have in chicken houses, so trying to illuminate them is a good idea.

I hope your rooster gets better soon. Check on your girl with the crop issue when she goes to bed, then in the morning to see if it has emptied.

Please keep us posted.

 

[LittlePip21]

I'm glad you were able to make some modifications to your coop.

If you post some photos, we can give you some other tips if you'd like

Buildup of feces can make ammonia levels dangerous and actually cause respiratory symptoms - too much is call Ammonia Toxicity, this can cause eye infections, breathing problems, it can damage lungs, possibly cause blindness or death.

Ventilation and litter management is key to helping move ammonia up and out of a coop.

Uggh

on the mouse. I don't think I would have saved it. I'm sorry but I would have knocked it in the head and done away with it. Mice are not good to have in chicken houses, so trying to illuminate them is a good idea.

I hope your rooster gets better soon. Check on your girl with the crop issue when she goes to bed, then in the morning to see if it has emptied.

Please keep us posted.

lol, I agree, mice need to be delt with, and i don't have a problem with them being killed, but I just couldn't let it die in pain and terror like that (rather than suddenly and instantly in a snap trap) I let it go, so at least it has a chance to find someplace else, (and if it comes back its his own fault) btw, do you think it would be safe to set up some traps in the coop? I will check my hens crop in the morning, and the hen with the limp seems to be doing okay, rooster is better, so I'd say things are looking up

also, the hen with the foot issues has another small bump on the same place, only the opposite foot? shes not limping or uncomfortable, so I will soak feet again tomorrow and keep an eye on it. Thanks for all the help!

 

[Wyorp Rock]

If you use snap traps, they would need to be placed where the chickens can't get into them. There are a lot of articles/great ideas here on BYC dealing with mice/rodents.

I'm glad to hear things are looking up.

 

[ejcrist]

lol, I agree, mice need to be delt with, and i don't have a problem with them being killed, but I just couldn't let it die in pain and terror like that (rather than suddenly and instantly in a snap trap) I let it go, so at least it has a chance to find someplace else, (and if it comes back its his own fault) btw, do you think it would be safe to set up some traps in the coop? I will check my hens crop in the morning, and the hen with the limp seems to be doing okay, rooster is better, so I'd say things are looking up

also, the hen with the foot issues has another small bump on the same place, only the opposite foot? shes not limping or uncomfortable, so I will soak feet again tomorrow and keep an eye on it. Thanks for all the help!

If you use snap traps, they would need to be placed where the chickens can't get into them. There are a lot of articles/great ideas here on BYC dealing with mice/rodents.

I'm glad to hear things are looking up.

I use the Victor colony live traps in my secured runs and they work really great. I just set them up along the sides and there's always a couple of mice in them in the morning. When I go out before the sun comes up to clean the water founts and fill the feed troughs I collect up all the colony traps and put them in an outbuilding until I get home from work and can deal with them. I'll bait and lay the traps out each night for a couple of days until I don't catch anymore and then I'm usually good-to-go until the next band of traveling mice decide to take up residence, like maybe in a week or two, and then I go through the routine again. So far it's kept things pretty reasonable. The traps are available on Amazon (https://www.amazon.com/Victor-Human...coding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=JZA5T0703H6G7EXDKEBZ).

 

[cathy d]

Get some "Fresh Cab repellent" from the hardware store. This is a mixture of herbs that this woman who created that keeps mice away. I put it all around my house it comes in packets so all you have to do is place them in your chicken coop it's not poisonous to any animals not even the mice the mice just don't like it they don't like the smell. actually the smell is quite Pleasant it's aromatic. I'm going to post a picture of it. I investigated and investigated till I found something that works I put it in my pantry I put it in my chicken food I put it everywhere and the mice stay away!

 

[cathy d]

You know those little sort of cages that you put Suet in? Well you can put this package in that little cage and attach it to the wall or just put it in all the corners of the bird house in the little cages would work if you're worried about the chickens pecking at it you can also make a little cage with some Square mesh the half inch or the quarter inch type

 

[ChickNanny13]

Get some "Fresh Cab repellent" from the hardware store. This is a mixture of herbs that this woman who created that keeps mice away. I put it all around my house it comes in packets so all you have to do is place them in your chicken coop it's not poisonous to any animals not even the mice the mice just don't like it they don't like the smell. actually the smell is quite Pleasant it's aromatic. I'm going to post a picture of it. I investigated and investigated till I found something that works I put it in my pantry I put it in my chicken food I put it everywhere and the mice stay away!

You know those little sort of cages that you put Suet in? Well you can put this package in that little cage and attach it to the wall or just put it in all the corners of the bird house in the little cages would work if you're worried about the chickens pecking at it you can also make a little cage with some Square mesh the half inch or the quarter inch type

Very interesting! I need to look into that product, not sure we got it here. Wonder if it would work for rats? Mongoose? Don't have mice problem but have had rats. Tried those live traps but then what to do with it. LOVE those snap traps, put them around the perimeter of my coop. Haven't caught any in quite a while (knock on wood) but Hubby saw a mongoose the other day. Rat trap's too small although I did snap it cause I saw it. Must have gotten snapped as it was woozy and shaking it's head, yelled for Hubby to bring the shovel but he moves slow & the mongoose get it's senses back, left through the fence. I then put chicken wire at the base of the fence all the way around the back, so far I haven't had any problems (knock on wood). Still want to look for your product, just in case

 

[LittlePip21]

quick update, this morning , her crop was nearly empty, I could feel a tiny bit of food, but I fed them late last night. Checked her tonight and it was fairly full. hen inside is less and less wheezy so I think it's the coop. I have cracked open the window and opened the door at night to let good ventilation in, since its been warm, and in the spring I will hopefully be able to make some modifications. everyone, despite some sneezing and irritation seems bright and alert. Also, added a bucket of antibiotic in the coop, so hopefully that will help with anything else going on. Ps, also thank you your suggestions on getting rid of the mice!