Ranting Chicken's Reproductive Ill health.

[SkyAJK]

Mint laid a lash egg today - Salpingitis. Now she is on antibiotic. I read more articles on BYC about Salpingitis.

The more I read, the more I feel that I am not feeling so positive.
Then came the part where it says Salpingitis can also be caused by mycoplastma......

I got a tiny pekin rooster from a poultry market and he was sick. I treated him almost 2 months now, he seems to be recovered well, but I don't know for certain that he has/not has or recover/not recover. If I integrate him with my flock..then they might be infected and all might have Salpingitis. This is a high risk.

So to be or not to be, that is the question. It is not simple to snap the living day light out of him while he is so cute,running, eating and enjoying his single roostery life.

Still ranting and ranting I am, I have no solution that will let me sleep peaceful at night.

There are so few things in life that ignorance is a bliss, this isn't one of them.

 

[SkyAJK]

.....condition has not improve, I will just rant on to release my stress and writing it out loud can bring some perspective to the situation.

 

[SkyAJK]

.......Mint's lash egg condition improved with antibiotic, then back to being sick again and so it went to 3 lots of antibiotic separately. Off antibiotic she pooped out a few lash eggs, but eating, running and looking rather ok.....

This morning she stopped eating, sitting there with eyes close, tail down. I love her all the way to the moon and back, I did all that I know how to..she got implant to stop laying egg last September.....

There isn't anymore can be done, there is no point of taking her to the vet because they will say...etc.. and operation...etc. scan, ultrasound, Xray and then what? ....kinder to put her down that would be the final after a big hole in my purse.

I know what need to be done...I am just sad that my girl is not going to be around, she is just a bit over 2 years old....For now I will watch to see how she is doing, if it gets to the stage where it is kinder to let her go, then off she goes.

This is the part I do not love about having chickens, the reproductive ill health, and to date non of my chickens live to their ripe old age, they all die of mostly reproductive issues.

I am not adding more to my current flock. This year, I can see that potentially 2 of my hens will die. Then this come to the part of me learning to off with their head myself instead of...the Vet.

 

[cavemanrich]

SkyAJK :hugs ​

Consider getting chickens from a different source/breed.
I never encountered such things as reproductive issues in my flock,,, for over 25+ years

 

[Bawkbok]

Then this come to the part of me learning to off with their head myself instead of...the Vet.

I'm sorry your girls are going through this. It is difficult to watch one deteriorate due to reproductive issues as they tend to wax and wane. They act better and then they dive and back up again. Only you know when the time is to let them go.
The first time is difficult....so difficult. You'll find the strength you need at the time when it is time.

We all know that they don't live forever. Seeing the massive egg they produce, we collect and what they go through to produce that scramble egg is painful.

I know how you feel. After our Golden Comet suffered with Salpingitis for so long and we had to send her on I told myself no more production birds.
Due to timing, availability and our flock, we now have a Cinnamon Queen who is phenomenally gorgeous, a happy, fun bird to have in the flock, a master bug thief, chatty and cheerful on the darkest days. She lays huge eggs - never missing a day. As I collect them, I often wonder how something so big can come out of something so small. It's like labor and delivery every day with no time off at all, including winter. ugh.
But, this is why she is here and I am grateful to have her and will enjoy her for however long she is healthy and living a large chicken life.

The pain is real with every loss but the heartache eventually goes away. Take joy in knowing you give your flock a good life and they know / feel your love.

 

[Justagalwithchicks]

I'm sorry you are going through this with your sweet hen. You can tell by your words how much you love your chickens. They have the best life a chicken can have with you. I have lost two hens in two years with he same problem as yours. Big hugs

 

[SkyAJK]

Update: Sick hen Mint is ...better? Might be...??

She stopped eating the mealworms I got her and she only eat corns with the flock now. That is she is not eating by herself, but when I give them corns as treat the whole flock goes crazy and she is quietly eat some. She eats nothing else with her flock.

She talks a bit more now, her comb has more pink in it, but her tummy is solid hard and round. She pooped out a lash eggs here and there. I give her some calcium tablet with hope that it helps push out those lash egg. She is no longer lay egg.

Last night I had a dream that Mint was sitting on my lap and I saw a maggot on her feather, I picked it out and then they became a so many that I squatted them in my palm, I can still hear the pop sound.

Mint does not object or react whenever I touch her big tummy. She is quiet, spend most of the time sitting with eye close here and there. She does sometimes wonder around the garden, pecking at this and that.

As she was not eating/drinking before to now eating only certain food with her flock and drinking by herself. That is an element of improvement, but all in all she is not really. I give her another week to see further improvement and by this time next week if thing stay the same I will let her go. It might be sooner depending on if she looks uncomfortable.

 

[Mother of Chaos]

Update: Sick hen Mint is ...better? Might be...??

She stopped eating the mealworms I got her and she only eat corns with the flock now. That is she is not eating by herself, but when I give them corns as treat the whole flock goes crazy and she is quietly eat some. She eats nothing else with her flock.

She talks a bit more now, her comb has more pink in it, but her tummy is solid hard and round. She pooped out a lash eggs here and there. I give her some calcium tablet with hope that it helps push out those lash egg. She is no longer lay egg.

Last night I had a dream that Mint was sitting on my lap and I saw a maggot on her feather, I picked it out and then they became a so many that I squatted them in my palm, I can still hear the pop sound.

Mint does not object or react whenever I touch her big tummy. She is quiet, spend most of the time sitting with eye close here and there. She does sometimes wonder around the garden, pecking at this and that.

As she was not eating/drinking before to now eating only certain food with her flock and drinking by herself. That is an element of improvement, but all in all she is not really. I give her another week to see further improvement and by this time next week if thing stay the same I will let her go. It might be sooner depending on if she looks uncomfortable.

I'm so sorry. You've done so much for her! If she doesn't turn the corner soon, I agree that giving her a peaceful release is the right thing to do.

These production breeds just break my heart.