Minnesota!

[Rhetts]

She was actually a blak Australorp. She wasn't broody she just always slept in the boxes as long as knowone had chicks. Then she would sleep with them. She got in a fight woth a big Brahma a week or two ago and was never the same after. I looked and she had zero visible wounds. So I think it was internal. I have never seen gens fight so hard in my life. She got smacked in the breast area by the Brahmas hocks many times.

Sorry to hear of Lulu Holm!

 

[holm25]

Thanks Rhetts!

 

[holm25]

..

 

[Coffee 1st]

thanks, all.  I am feeling pretty grumpy about it.

As soon as it is light out I will bring her in for a good look.  I am really hoping it is just a sprained something, but....something about the way that she didn't move at all except for one wing has me thinking maybe mareks.  Keeping my fingers crossed.

edited to update:  I started thinking about hypocalcemia - where a sudden paralysis is the result of inadequate calcium in the blood. can happen even when there is always oyster shell, etc.  treatment is crushed tums and it is an immediate emergency.

so went out with a lantern and gave her crushed tums mixed with nutritional yeast, whipping cream, and corn grit.  sounds yummy, right?  She ate some.
I've never had luck feeding chickens in the dark, even when there is some light avail, so I am not sure if she is lacking in appetite or it was just dark!

half the chickens were up with the lantern light and prowling.

she tried to stand once but only made it up half way.  she's a big orpington with a ton of feathers so I couldn't see which leg was halfway working. 

Sorry to hear about your girl hope she gets better. I love how big and fluffy the BO's are but after The experience I had with mine I will never get one again. I guess we shouldn't judge them all by one bad experience but it's hard not to. I will also never get another BLW just because my first one was so mean. Good luck to you on your girl and keep us posted...

 

[lalaland]

I hope you aren't all groaning, because here I go again about a sick chicken!

Here's what I found out when I brought her in for a really good look:

first off, she was looking healthy! (never mind the eye in the pic). red comb, active, laying.



she was surprisingly heavy when I picked her up, but maybe that is because Goldie is a light weight and other than taking care of her this past month, I really don't handle my chickens that often.

Brought her in, put her on the towel to examine her and hells bells! there were so many reddish brown mites on her vent - never seen that!

Worse, her belly/vent area is swollen with fluid which might be why she was so heavy, and she has bite marks where the beasties have been feasting on her:



you can see her vent in the upper center, and see how her belly bulges out? the mite bite marks are the dots to the right. She has a patch just like that to the left.

Here are the bites after she was dry and fluffy:



she isn't standing, but can use both wings. When I pushed her foot up towards her body on her bum leg she flinches. Doesn't clutch your finger with toes on the bad leg. Lists to Has a bad bad mite infestation. Good appetite. Normal droppings. Fluid filled belly. No sign of an egg. I don't think she is egg bound.
What the heck is going on? She could have ascites, but that should mean she can't stand at all. She can't even stand up with one leg. Does she have three things at once (ascites, mites, plus something)? Or is the swollen belly related to not standing?

She is in the broody cage. I dusted her with flower dust.



I grabbed the other BO who is 2, and did not see any sign of mites, but she had a messy belly with mud plastered feathers so i gave her a bath.

Do you know how long it takes to blow dry buff orpingtons? way way too long.

Went back to the coop, grabbed a couple of chickens, no sign of mites. Dusted them anyway. Grabbed another chicken, this is one of the sick buff's flock mates that I got this fall, a group of 6. She had mites too! dusted her.

So, out of 25 chickens, 2 from the new group have mites, 3 from the old flock do not, and there are 20 more chickens to catch and examine and dust. I'm already wiped otu!

I'm going to wait til they roost and get them all examined and dusted. Not looking forward to it!

I am wondering if that group of 5 came with mites - I did a cursory check but clearly not enough and they have been here about 2 months.

 

[Minniechickmama]

I hope you aren't all groaning, because here I go again about a sick chicken!

Here's what I found out when I brought her in for a really good look:

first off, she was looking healthy! (never mind the eye in the pic). red comb, active, laying.



she was surprisingly heavy when I picked her up, but maybe that is because Goldie is a light weight and other than taking care of her this past month, I really don't handle my chickens that often.

Brought her in, put her on the towel to examine her and hells bells! there were so many reddish brown mites on her vent - never seen that!

Worse, her belly/vent area is swollen with fluid which might be why she was so heavy, and she has bite marks where the beasties have been feasting on her:



you can see her vent in the upper center, and see how her belly bulges out? the mite bite marks are the dots to the right. She has a patch just like that to the left.

Here are the bites after she was dry and fluffy:



she isn't standing, but can use both wings. When I pushed her foot up towards her body on her bum leg she flinches. Doesn't clutch your finger with toes on the bad leg. Lists to Has a bad bad mite infestation. Good appetite. Normal droppings. Fluid filled belly. No sign of an egg. I don't think she is egg bound.
What the heck is going on? She could have ascites, but that should mean she can't stand at all. She can't even stand up with one leg. Does she have three things at once (ascites, mites, plus something)? Or is the swollen belly related to not standing?

She is in the broody cage. I dusted her with flower dust.



I grabbed the other BO who is 2, and did not see any sign of mites, but she had a messy belly with mud plastered feathers so i gave her a bath.

Do you know how long it takes to blow dry buff orpingtons? way way too long.

Went back to the coop, grabbed a couple of chickens, no sign of mites. Dusted them anyway. Grabbed another chicken, this is one of the sick buff's flock mates that I got this fall, a group of 6. She had mites too! dusted her.

So, out of 25 chickens, 2 from the new group have mites, 3 from the old flock do not, and there are 20 more chickens to catch and examine and dust. I'm already wiped otu!

I'm going to wait til they roost and get them all examined and dusted. Not looking forward to it!

I am wondering if that group of 5 came with mites - I did a cursory check but clearly not enough and they have been here about 2 months.

I am going to guess there is something else going on with her health that are attracting the mites to her. I have found that birds that are healthy and and have good vigor don't often get parasites, but those with health issues will be a magnet for them. The swollen belly I would think either ascites or internal laying, neither is a good thing for her prognosis. You can try to bring her back around.
I would definitely be treating the whole flock somehow against mites and lice now. The little buggers will go after someone else if they are in the coop.

 

[Minniechickmama]

She was actually a blak Australorp. She wasn't broody she just always slept in the boxes as long as knowone had chicks. Then she would sleep with them. She got in a fight woth a big Brahma a week or two ago and was never the same after. I looked and she had zero visible wounds. So I think it was internal. I have never seen gens fight so hard in my life. She got smacked in the breast area by the Brahmas hocks many times.

For some reason when I read "old cluck" I read "old duck". Still, sorry to hear of your loss of her. I just lost a Cornish rooster that just went downhill after getting into scraps with the other bachelors when I penned them together. The other Cornish in that pen may end up the same way, but seems to be doing much better than his brother.
Now if you want to see hens fight, or shall I say, get nasty, did I ever show you a picture of the hen who had her pecked down to the bone by all her sisters? They can be fine for weeks then all the sudden go after one and beat the snot out of it.

 

[lalaland]

I am going to guess there is something else going on with her health that are attracting the mites to her. I have found that birds that are healthy and and have good vigor don't often get parasites, but those with health issues will be a magnet for them. The swollen belly I would think either ascites or internal laying, neither is a good thing for her prognosis. You can try to bring her back around.
I would definitely be treating the whole flock somehow against mites and lice now. The little buggers will go after someone else if they are in the coop.

yeah, I dusted everyone and found mites on about 3 others. was trying to keep track but was having a hard enough time just dusting each one. Still think I might have dusted one of the sumtalers twice, so I did her sister a second time too just to be sure. Will have to dust everyone again next week to get any eggs.

The good news is the rooster did not attack me despite the shrieking and carrying on by some of the hens. I was a little worried he might. He was pretty easy to handle too, just gave up right away and let me take care of him.

I don't have any ideas of how to bring her around, if you do please share! If it is ascites, I am not going to go the route of sticking a needle in her belly and draining. I am not sure that is it, because she doesn't have the balloon belly. it is really as if she has an extended rear going out, not so much between her legs.

Eats fine, I would feel better if I saw her drinking though.

For now, she is in the brooder shelf with feed and water at hand . If she worsens I will cull her.

 

[Minniechickmama]

yeah, I dusted everyone and found mites on about 3 others. was trying to keep track but was having a hard enough time just dusting each one. Still think I might have dusted one of the sumtalers twice, so I did her sister a second time too just to be sure. Will have to dust everyone again next week to get any eggs.

The good news is the rooster did not attack me despite the shrieking and carrying on by some of the hens. I was a little worried he might. He was pretty easy to handle too, just gave up right away and let me take care of him.

I don't have any ideas of how to bring her around, if you do please share! If it is ascites, I am not going to go the route of sticking a needle in her belly and draining. I am not sure that is it, because she doesn't have the balloon belly. it is really as if she has an extended rear going out, not so much between her legs.

Eats fine, I would feel better if I saw her drinking though.

For now, she is in the brooder shelf with feed and water at hand . If she worsens I will cull her.

If it is just bulbous and round that isn't so much a concern, many broody hens look that way as do very good layers. If it is because she is lacking in feathers, she may look to have more of her abdomen protruding but not really be outside of the normal range. I would never mess with drawing off fluid if it were ascites. That won't resolve the problem as it is not the 'water' in their abdomen, it is what is causing it to be there. Also, opening the abdomen is always an invitation for infection.
I am sure you are doing as much as you can to figure it all out and take good care of her while trying to figure it all out.
Back to Mareks though, it doesn't present itself exactly the same in every bird, some just become emaciated and lose neurological control of their body. Were you the one that got rid of all your birds due to Mareks before?

 

[Cluckies]

Oh lala, sounds terrible! I really don't have anything to add to try and help her. I've only dealt with sour crop, impacted crop, and my girl with the reproductive issues. I will say that all my girls weigh different weights. some that do not look big weigh more than girls who look bigger. I have 2 SLW, they look about the same size, but one is way, way heavier than the other. She is even heavier than my BO. But my heaviest bird was my EE Baby, before she passed. so looks can be deceiving for weight in chickens to be sure. Hopefully it is just a strained leg and she'll recover with some rest, that might just be her normal weight and look. My BO has a long body and a more bulbous butt. Hope she gets better soon!