My Ivy.. Latest Relapse...She's Gone

[Serrin]

Uh oh!! Ya hear that Dutch, old man? Better shake a tail feather and get busy!! Your job is about to be outsourced!!!

 

[speckledhen]

Ivy is recovering, yet again. She is finally gaining weight, her color is coming back and we've pulled her back from the brink for a second time. I can't believe she is still with me--I was sure she was going to die this time. Here is a pic of Ivy eating out of a pan and in the background, the fluffy wide butt of her daughter, Fern. Ivy hasn't begun laying again yet, but I think she will soon.

and, Fern, who has laid one egg, finally. If Ivy had not fully recovered the first time, we would not have our Fern.

 

[WriterofWords]

You are a miracle worker with those birds. I'm glad to see she's doing so well!

 

[usschicago1]

I feel like i know ivy i have read so much about her. Do you have any idea what causes this? I can see this happening in dirty conditions but your very clean!
Cynthia i admire what you do and i do not think i would have the patience...Congradulations for helping her threw her unique life.

 

[ijon1]

You have to call Ivy the come back kid. Good luck.

 

[speckledhen]

The tendency toward salpingitis and/or internal laying is genetic/hormonal. I've lost six girls to this, but saved Ivy and one of my hatchery Buff Orps, Ginger, who was in the same shape as Ivy this last time. It's not due to dirty conditions--in some high production type birds, like most hatchery RIRs, Barred Rocks, etc, the cloaca becomes "loose" and sucks feces back into the oviduct, causing an ecoli infection. It's not caused by anything external and can't really be prevented. That means that Ivy may do that again in the future, but as she approaches four years old, I think maybe laying less may make her less prone to any reproductive infections. At least, I hope.

I think if she was really laying internally this last time, rather than just having an ovarian infection, that the penicillin wouldn't have done the trick for her. Knowing when to start antibiotics can be tough, since chickens often hide their illness until they are too far gone. I suspect that someone less "hands-on" might just find a dead bird and dispose of it, never realizing what happened. This is probably quite common, really. I just usually see when one of my girls is "off", though not always soon enough to do anything about it, even if I could.

 

[chris_m90731]

glad to hear she's all good.

 

[usschicago1]

Wow thats really interesting. I wouldnt think genetics. (i was thinking they were bred for dirty conditions and you were over-clean

) Thats amazing you can spot this. I think you are right hopefully she will STOP laying altogether soon.

 

[ozark hen]

Cynthia, do you think if a person kept a light on ( I know you are against this and do not do it)to extend the daylight hours.........could this possibly be one of the causes for internal laying? I do not mean that this happened at your place just wondering if birds were forced to lay more if this COULD happen??
I am so glad Ivy recovered. You do keep a journal on all these conditions and happenings around your place do you not? It would make a good "go to" book on chicken problems.

 

[speckledhen]

Hahaha, no journal, Carrie! Maybe all I write on here could be compiled into a "Perils of Speckledhen" book, LOL. I do think (and this is my own opinion) that adding light to keep them laying could possibly exacerbate this condition, if they are already predisposed to it. I try to let them have their natural rhythms, but even then, if a hen lays and lays and lays, there isn't much you can do to stop her, other than starve her like forcing a molt, not something I would do or agree with. I also think that broody types are less likely to suffer from these reproductive woes since they take long breaks from laying during the year. Dr.Peter Brown and I have had conversations about this and he says there is no prevention, no permanent cure, etc. It's just in their makeup (plus suggested maybe I not get birds from that source anymore, which I don't plan to do).