LittleCknMomma
In the Brooder
- Jun 25, 2018
- 13
- 20
- 36
So our daughter (11 yo aka The Chicken Momma) has 5 hens and her favorite one (Celstia, Tia for short) has been sick for a week. Here’s what we’ve observed, what we’ve tried and how she is today... And, I’d appreciate any thoughts, ideas or suggestions on what to do next.
So, Monday of last week (7 days ago) TCM thought something had gotten Tia because she couldn’t find her. Dad later found her lying down in some tall grass where they free range and took her to the coop because she wouldn’t get up. She just laid back down when he set her down and did not roost. TCM found her in the same spot the next morning and put her up into one of the nesting boxes that the hens don’t frequently lay in. That way she could check on her during the day without going inside the coop/run. She stayed there all day and didn’t move. So, we brought her in and put her in a dog crate lined with hay in our basement where it’s more comfortable. At that point, she had stuff all around her vent that was a pale, whitish yellow. I began scouring the internet.
On Wednesday, I came to the conclusion that perhaps she was egg bound because she does lay larger than normal eggs sometimes that are also sometimes misshapen on one end (kind of like a cone head on a baby that’s been in the birth canal for awhile ). From what I read, I decided maybe she was egg bound and began treating her as such: epsom salt sitz baths, and oiling her vent (I put the first batch in her hiney hole, God love her, and she gave it back to me with some poop), keeping her in a dark quiet place. We did this daily, for days, massaging her vent as she bathed. She became quite lethargic for a few days. Wasn’t eating or drinking and wouldn’t stand up. I used a gloved hand and put it up her correct vent opening to oil her up on Friday but did not feel an egg at all and was up to about my 2nd knuckle. We were able to get her to take some water with electrolytes and game her some calcium as well.
During this time, she has not been standing or walking at all. Any movement (which has been rare) has been made using her wings to drag herself around. When feeling around on her, I felt a large, hard spot under her belly just in front of her vent area. More internet research and I became concerned that perhaps this was a tumor that was causing her to have lost the use of her legs. I called our vet and scheduled to have her put down this afternoon .
THEN, this morning, she took a fair amount of food and water from the Chicken Momma, more than she’s been taking over the last week, and a little later I came into the basement and saw her sort of standing up, but by the time I got to her she was lying back down. We went back to check on her about lunchtime. She had pooped quite a bit of normal looking poop (firmer than it had been being, but super strong ammonia smelling) and she was sitting in it. She is alert and occasionally makes her little chicken noises when we’re with her. We bathed her hiney off and took her out into the backyard to see if she’d move about at all. She laid down but when prodded she stood and took a few steps. SO I CANCELLED THE APPOINTMENT WITH THE VET!!! I don’t know what’s wrong with her, if she’s getting stronger/better, what else we can try, or what!!! Do any of you have any thoughts or suggestions???
So, Monday of last week (7 days ago) TCM thought something had gotten Tia because she couldn’t find her. Dad later found her lying down in some tall grass where they free range and took her to the coop because she wouldn’t get up. She just laid back down when he set her down and did not roost. TCM found her in the same spot the next morning and put her up into one of the nesting boxes that the hens don’t frequently lay in. That way she could check on her during the day without going inside the coop/run. She stayed there all day and didn’t move. So, we brought her in and put her in a dog crate lined with hay in our basement where it’s more comfortable. At that point, she had stuff all around her vent that was a pale, whitish yellow. I began scouring the internet.
On Wednesday, I came to the conclusion that perhaps she was egg bound because she does lay larger than normal eggs sometimes that are also sometimes misshapen on one end (kind of like a cone head on a baby that’s been in the birth canal for awhile ). From what I read, I decided maybe she was egg bound and began treating her as such: epsom salt sitz baths, and oiling her vent (I put the first batch in her hiney hole, God love her, and she gave it back to me with some poop), keeping her in a dark quiet place. We did this daily, for days, massaging her vent as she bathed. She became quite lethargic for a few days. Wasn’t eating or drinking and wouldn’t stand up. I used a gloved hand and put it up her correct vent opening to oil her up on Friday but did not feel an egg at all and was up to about my 2nd knuckle. We were able to get her to take some water with electrolytes and game her some calcium as well.
During this time, she has not been standing or walking at all. Any movement (which has been rare) has been made using her wings to drag herself around. When feeling around on her, I felt a large, hard spot under her belly just in front of her vent area. More internet research and I became concerned that perhaps this was a tumor that was causing her to have lost the use of her legs. I called our vet and scheduled to have her put down this afternoon .
THEN, this morning, she took a fair amount of food and water from the Chicken Momma, more than she’s been taking over the last week, and a little later I came into the basement and saw her sort of standing up, but by the time I got to her she was lying back down. We went back to check on her about lunchtime. She had pooped quite a bit of normal looking poop (firmer than it had been being, but super strong ammonia smelling) and she was sitting in it. She is alert and occasionally makes her little chicken noises when we’re with her. We bathed her hiney off and took her out into the backyard to see if she’d move about at all. She laid down but when prodded she stood and took a few steps. SO I CANCELLED THE APPOINTMENT WITH THE VET!!! I don’t know what’s wrong with her, if she’s getting stronger/better, what else we can try, or what!!! Do any of you have any thoughts or suggestions???
