Shadrach's Ex Battery and Rescued chickens thread.

[Shadrach]

I agree on the usefulness of vets if a chicken is in trouble in many cases too.

Before joining BYC actively I was on a Dutch chicken forum. I learnt a lot from experts on that forum about keeping/ dealing with chickens. But I didn't agree on spending much money on vets/antibiotics for chickens with a respiratory or an internal problem.

It seemed the vets often subscribed antibiotics without knowing the cause of the health problem. Sometimes the chickens healed, sometimes they didn’t ’. And the ones that healed after being in a bad state often died a month later. I believe antibiotics kill the good bacteria too, and make the chickens vulnarable for all kind of diseases after a while.

My story. The year after I started with chickens I had sneezing chicks. Most people on this forum told me to go to a vet for antibiotics. One person said, don’t if you want a strong flock. I followed the last advice. All chicks survived. After a few weeks they got better. One chick needed 6 weeks to recover. these chicks never got sick. And I still have 2 of them today. 7 years old.
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Last year these oldies (black Dutch ) hatched a few eggs (bantam RIR) for maintenance.

I must admit I subscribe to the keeping the tribes healthy and thriving by minimum chemical intervention. Antibiotics are great for somethings. They've saved a lot of lives, chickens lives as well, if that is important to you.
As you suggest, the casual dispensing of antibiotics for often unknown causes is appauling.
Very roughly it's close the flock.
Permit breeding but manage it.
Supply clean secure accomodation.
Not everyone is going to agree with me but the next on the list is, Free Range. It makes such a difference to their physical and mental health.
Treat the problems I can identify if the prognosis is good and I have the right chemicals and equipment.
After that it's down to them.
This doesn't mean I neglect them as most should be able to gather from my posts.

 

[Shadrach]

Do chickens have a uterus?

They do It's between the Isthmus and the vagina.
The shell is formed in the uterus. It takes about 24 hours to form a proper shell.

 

[no fly zone]

So pleased we don't have racoons here.

You have stoats. I will pass on those.

Also, I have a clear line of sight; albeit a narrow one. Got my security cameras armed to alert me if that trash panda shows up.

 

[Marie2020]

Yes I assumed that. In humans a total hysterectomy (vs a partial one) includes removal of the ovaries.

I am assuming Elizabeth died of something like that. She couldn’t put a shell on her eggs either and died very suddenly. In all honesty her’s wasn’t a bad way to end (waaay too young of course). She was out foraging with everyone and at the end of the day came in and instead of roosting just lay down on the coop floor. She died maybe an hour later.
Rest In Peace Elizabeth.

Lost for words as Agatha is going through similar, she's too weak to forage and it's to cold to put her outside

 

[Marie2020]

I'm not giving myself false hope here but the swelling has reduced in the abdomen!.
I've ust massaged her and a bit of mess came out then splashed warm water too clean her before i quickly added more honey into her vent.
She's eating I had too go against only the pellets and water as they were not deteriorating very well and she wouldn't eat
What I did was watered porridge into quails mash and a tiny bit of sardine with oil plus the calcium. She seemed more interested in food as my dog and cat was eating

I made her have coconut oil before bed last night I think that's been a great help. But that honey in the vent works like magic. I bought this honey during lockdown too help with breathing problems, this works for that extremely well.

 

[Marie2020]

Agatha was on my lap and my dog came near too say hello and she almost jumped on top of him. I couldn't believe it
She's now taking a rest in her box. I let her outside for about ten minutes too wander but its cold out there and she is sleeping now

 

[ManueB]

Agatha was on my lap and my dog came near too say hello and she almost jumped on top of him. I couldn't believe it
She's now taking a rest in her box. I let her outside for about ten minutes too wander but its cold out there and she is sleeping now

Good news, hopefully she will get better!

 

[ManueB]

Your French word "flegme", is it's root in phlegmatic?
Great word to describe the English. I think the Welsh and Scottish come with a bit more passion in general.

Same origin from ancient greek , we changed the phi to f. My memories of three wild summers spent in Lanarkshire as a teen are indeed more like you describe the Scottish.

As you suggest, the casual dispensing of antibiotics for often unknown causes is appauling.

Not everyone is going to agree with me but the next on the list is, Free Range. It makes such a difference to their physical and mental health.

I see some similarities with human medicine. When I was a child we were prescribed antibiotics way too often even for things that were clearly viral. It's very different now. Some doctors are saying that sports and outside activities should be elements they could prescribe.

 

[RoyalChick]

I see some similarities with human medicine. When I was a child we were prescribed antibiotics way too often even for things that were clearly viral. It's very different now. Some doctors are saying that sports and outside activities should be elements they could prescribe.

I must be an older generation than you. As a child I was never given antibiotics for anything. It didn’t seem to be ‘a thing’ then for healthy kids not in a hospital.
You got shots, and broken bones got a plaster cast, and the standard treatment for pretty much anything respiratory seemed to be Vicks Vaporub and hot lemon with honey.
I was also more-or-less free range. I don’t know if it was a safer time or whether lack of news media meant my parents were less well informed of the dangers of letting a ten year old go anywhere she wanted on her bicycle with the only requirement being to be back before dark!

 

[no fly zone]

The raccoon didn't show up until I had already gone to bed.