My First Non-Hatchery Internal Layer...I'm so Tired of This

[speckledhen]

Yes, they do hide illness. They break of the tips of their beaks, they get bumblefoot, they lose parts of their combs, they get tears in their sides from the roosters, and I've dealt with all that. Most of it is very obvious when it happens. This is quite insidious, this internal laying thing; sneaks up on us. Diana, I know how you feel about necropsies, but since this isn't a contagion, I doubt it would do much good to know why it's happening. Respiratory illness would be the only thing I'd consider a necropsy for, really.

 

[hen-thusiast]

I can't believe you are going through this.... yet again. It just isn't fair.

I really hope she comes around.

 

[jjthink]

So sorry this is happening.
Hoping Cherry will feel better.

JJ

 

[dlhunicorn]

Diana, I know how you feel about necropsies, but since this isn't a contagion, I doubt it would do much good to know why it's happening.

We will have to agree to disagree on that point... soooooo many things that can only show up in histology (and you will never know for SURE what is going on till you do the necropsie from a proper poultry pathology lab... seems to me since this is a chronic recurring problem a call to the state vet would picque their curiosity and they would do the necropsies) . I have followed so many posts where the birds where under veterinary care and when the necropsie results came back it turned out to be soemthing owner and vet alike had missed.​

 

[speckledhen]

You could certainly be right about that and I really don't disagree with you that it would be a good thing, but I'm not the only one making the decisions about how far to go to treat the birds, if you get my drift.

 

[Judy]

I know what you mean about hiding -- I found one today with about 1/3 of her top beak broken, in a jagged edge -- huh? How on earth? And I have too many roos (will be gone tomorrow, thank goodness) so I keep looking on their flanks for evidence of too much amorous activity --

I am so suspicious of all the soy in these feeds. Women are taking soy products all the time as a sort of substitute for "HRT" - hormone replacement therapy, estrogen, etc. What is that doing to our chickens, whose hormonal genetics are already being manipulated all the time? Ugh. And there is really nothing we can do about it, on a practical level.

 

[dlhunicorn]

back on the other board were many discussions on this... i did a lot of research and I am not convinced on the soy issue... I could be more persuaded on GM issues but only in that it involves roundup issues.
Backyard flock owners are much more demanding nowadays about NOT losing their birds (attachment issues) whereas in the "good ole days" that was just par for the course and well we all know the industry/commercial people are happy if they have two years from them. Genetics also play a role and recent findings on the fact that chickens are a valuable cancer research animal because they are the only animal with spontaneous occuring cancer (adeno) not to mention all the viral cancers...
No, there are just too many other factors to take into consideration to convince me is a "soy" issue JMHO

ETA: Cyn I was not mentioning treatment... just for finding out what the cause is (necropsies)

 

[speckledhen]

Di, I'm sure you recall that we did open up these girls and with pictures of diseased organs from that huge Diseases of Poultry reference book and others, we checked, as best we could being new to it, the condition of the organs in each girl who passed. Other than the massive amts of congealed infection and egg material in the oviducts, the liver, heart, intestines, lungs, etc. were all glowing with healthy color. Obviously, we did not and could not perform lab tests on these hens ourselves.
The only one whose heart was not right was my poor little Delaware pullet, who had one chamber imploded/collapsed and her chest full of that dark arterial blood. She was just about to come into lay, had always been a bit smaller than her sister, etc, so we figured that she had an undiagnosed heart defect that caused her death as her body was being challenged by the impending laying function.

 

[EweSheep]

If I had to have my birds autospied every time, it would cost me over $300 dollars each since they go directly to U of I who they will conduct all birds that are dying or already dead.

Sometimes my vet can make a diagnosis at the best of his ability of what he has available at his fingertips. Like for example, when my girls were internal layers, he found alot of eggs inside of them so it is around $15 dollars for xrays without the visit. That I could afford and none of the girls made it because I didnt catch it in time or tried treating them the best I can for so long. Not fun for them to have eggs piling up in their system. Infection is so great too.

Yes it is frustrating for most of us to have our good girls to endure the process but it is up to us whether it would be the best way to go. Not all of us have that access to the wonderful and cheaper care from a university or poultry vet.

Cyn, could that heart disease be genetic or like us in human, suddenly a torn aorta? Some heavy breeds are more prone to it.

I hope sooner or later, our birds will survive like the cycle of life of diseases going on in humans. We survived the black death, so can the birds with their MG, whatever diseases they would carry on that might benefit their offsprings better when they do come across with it. Survival for the strongest will prevale (sp).

 

[KatyTheChickenLady]

I don't know, it just seems with it happenning so many times in one flock, without the birds being related, that it must be something external that they all have been exposed to. Have the hens with the same issue been in with the same rooster? Do chickens pass any disease or infection through . . . what 's the word here . . .LOL . . . through mating?