Shadrach's Ex Battery and Rescued chickens thread.

[ManueB]

Thank you so much for all your replies. I love reading your thoughts, it very much helps me to sort my own. Talking of how to cope with death is always complex and requires nuances, be it for animals or humans.

If I wasn't in grief with Vanille's death I would never have considered taking a hen to the vet. I agree with Shadrach and Ribh and Perris. I believe in letting nature take it's course. However, just now I feel like I can't just not try to do something for Caramel, and because we are not able to handle her, taking her to the vet is the only step I can take.
I could rationalize this and say I'm not able to tell if she labors because of some lethal disease or if it's something that could actually be cured. And, I'm not taking her to a vet I know, I only went there once to have my cat neutered. It's a clinic with a team of 8 and it's known for doing incredible work with all kind of animals. The two vets who own the clinics are very dedicated and have developed many specialized skills, equipment, are involved into wild life rescues, abused animal and diminishing animal suffering. So, it's nothing like your local incredible vet Shadrach or Gregnlety but I think I can trust that they will be competent. Might be expensive but for this one time I can allow it.
And I can think of it as a learning process also, I've never taken a sick animal to a vet, so I will see if it conforts my opinion that one should just let nature do what it does, or if I change my mind.
I've mentioned before that my ex-batts are real fighters, several included Caramel have been through really hard times when I thought they would die and made it through. Maybe the difference with those you take care of, Shadrach, comes from the fact that mine only stayed for three months in the battery. Vanille had been very ill in September but she got better and gained 9 months of life, not much for us, but worth it for her I believe.
The truth is my heart says I'm unable to watch that look Ribh mentions of a hen facing it's death so soon. It may be a selfish decision. It will be the right one if she heals, if not it will depends on how much stressful it is for her I guess.

 

[ManueB]

Tax for all the sad talk. A rooster that prefers dry soil ? Maybe he's just following his sweetheart. Our relationship has improved since he found Chipie again and I'm letting him do his stuff when opening and closing the coop.

 

[Ribh]

Thank you so much for all your replies. I love reading your thoughts, it very much helps me to sort my own. Talking of how to cope with death is always complex and requires nuances, be it for animals or humans.

If I wasn't in grief with Vanille's death I would never have considered taking a hen to the vet. I agree with Shadrach and Ribh and Perris. I believe in letting nature take it's course. However, just now I feel like I can't just not try to do something for Caramel, and because we are not able to handle her, taking her to the vet is the only step I can take.
I could rationalize this and say I'm not able to tell if she labors because of some lethal disease or if it's something that could actually be cured. And, I'm not taking her to a vet I know, I only went there once to have my cat neutered. It's a clinic with a team of 8 and it's known for doing incredible work with all kind of animals. The two vets who own the clinics are very dedicated and have developed many specialized skills, equipment, are involved into wild life rescues, abused animal and diminishing animal suffering. So, it's nothing like your local incredible vet Shadrach or Gregnlety but I think I can trust that they will be competent. Might be expensive but for this one time I can allow it.
And I can think of it as a learning process also, I've never taken a sick animal to a vet, so I will see if it conforts my opinion that one should just let nature do what it does, or if I change my mind.
I've mentioned before that my ex-batts are real fighters, several included Caramel have been through really hard times when I thought they would die and made it through. Maybe the difference with those you take care of, Shadrach, comes from the fact that mine only stayed for three months in the battery. Vanille had been very ill in September but she got better and gained 9 months of life, not much for us, but worth it for her I believe.
The truth is my heart says I'm unable to watch that look Ribh mentions of a hen facing it's death so soon. It may be a selfish decision. It will be the right one if she heals, if not it will depends on how much stressful it is for her I guess.

A lot depends on your relationship with your chickens. Lots here on BYC view them only as livestock & have no qualms about culling them. Others, like @MJ & myself keep them more as pets. MJ has access to a very good avian vet & some disposable income. Until recently I had no access to a vet & very little disposable income. The rest fall somewhere inbetween. I view any trip to the vet as a learning experience. Mine keeps chickens herself, as do many of her associates, but often it's an exchange of information, chickens being what they are.

 

[Perris]

Tax for all the sad talk. A rooster that prefers dry soil ? Maybe he's just following his sweetheart. Our relationship has improved since he found Chipie again and I'm letting him do his stuff when opening and closing the coop.
View attachment 3197860

how are the chicks coping with the new arrangements @ManueB ?

 

[BDutch]

Sunbathing time after locking the chickens in.

I always in prison them in the coop and run when nobody’s at home.

Starting to tile my daughters cellar this afternoon.
Good place to be with this temp. (30C)

 

[ManueB]

how are the chicks coping with the new arrangements @ManueB ?

Happy as can be little birdies ! I don't know how they survive all the prey birds flying around seeing their utter lack of common sense, they're scattered all over the garden most of the day! Chipie is now bullying them. The little cockerel, named Gaston, after our friend farmer, is trying to mount her and keeps getting severely told off! Théo is ignoring them except if they come under his nose, he'll tell them away.
They are still roosting in that small nest hole in the coop wall 2m high, and it's becoming very crowded. Will they have the idea of perching on one of the free roosts by themselves or should I put them there at night ?

The little one is three weeks late in growth and I still can't tell if it's a cockerel or pullet. Merle, the black bantam, is also I hope a pullet though she plays rough with Gaston.
How is your "first generation" of chicks faring ?

Starting to tile my daughters cellar this afternoon.
Good place to be with this temp. (30C)

A better idea than changing all the windows of the house, which is our current enterprise for today with 34C. Lucky my partner has the spanish habit of having a nap from two to five.

 

[Shadrach]

Yes indeed. And as someone who is already in old age (or at least getting there rapidly) I am acutely aware of what I would and would not want done on my behalf medically.
Manue's hen does not sound like she has a reproductive issue which is so common with these breeds and so often the cause of their death. It sounds like either something in her throat or more likely some kind of respiratory infection. That may not be curable either of course but if there is a competent vet they may be able to advise.

I've read on a bit and it seems Manue's vet is competent so it's worth a try.

 

[no fly zone]

Sky is back to laying eggs, and I found her sitting on two in the nesting box. Removed them, as we are not hatching any more.

 

[Iluveggers]

The pecking order shuffle begins! My chikcne are between 5-8ish weeks, and I have observed a few of them today after being let out to forage, fluttering around and puffing their chests out at each other. Wonder who is going to be the top? I was very surprised to see my Faverolles and Orpington “winning” a couple of the stare downs. A few of them don’t seem interested in thr scuffle, but those two look to be the top right now.

Any thoughts on what to expect? No violence so far, just chest puffing and a few air pecks while fluttering/scurrying around loudly.

 

[RoyalChick]

I've read on a bit and it seems Manue's vet is competent so it's worth a try.

Yes, I saw that and am glad for @ManueB and for Caramel.

It has been an interesting discussion and stirs up some emotions. It comes at a tough time for me as I am treating, maybe over-treating, a sick pullet and am consciously making the euthanize or keep treating decision every day. It is hard.

The extreme cases are much easier.

• A vigorous chicken who gets a superficial wound - I am sure we would all clean it up and treat with some sort of infection prevention spray/cream
• An elderly chicken who after a long decline is lethargic and clearly in their final hours - I am sure we would all agree with @Ribh that the kindest thing is to keep that chicken calm and in a familiar place and let nature take its course
• A badly wounded chicken in pain with no prospect of recovery or repair - I am sure we would all agree that euthanasia is the kindest thing to do

It is the cases in between that challenge us the most and as @GregnLety said, sometimes you just need to follow your heart. Hopefully that 'heart' is informed by experience or advice from others whose intent is good and who have some knowledge (whether they are a vet or not).

And the ex-batts may be the hardest group of all for whom to decide these things. To accept that they will die soon is not the same as seeing them as a dead chicken walking.

I think we would all agree that even an ex-batt with reproductive issues deserves a dab of Vaseline to help her with her scaly leg mites. Probably also OK to add extra protein to help her through a tough molt.

Those are easy because, maybe with some help from people here, we can figure it out for ourselves and can do the treatment ourselves.

But what if we don’t have those skills or knowledge? If we have the means to consult someone with more knowledge (a vet) and there is one available, should we deny the dead hen walking ex-batt that service?

A couple of examples come to my mind. One is an abscess near the eye. It is likely to look awful and cause pain. Left untreated it can lead to death in a variety of ways. I am guessing only the most experienced would be confident in their diagnosis (vs a tumor for example) and even fewer would feel confident in wielding a scalpel to relieve the pressure and remove the pus and cure the animal. I would take that chicken to a vet if I could.

Another is impacted crop that has not cleared with the usual at home remedies. Crop surgery can work. It can be done at home. But for the faint of heart that is another example where a vet could intervene and return that hen’s quality of life. Again, I would go the vet route if I felt the vet was competent to handle it and I could afford to do so.

I think my point is that these are very individual decisions. Each chicken is different, and each individual’s circumstances are different. I think it is fine to have some principles to help guide these decisions, but I am wary of anyone who believes they know the answers.

So, bravo to Manue for having the courage to hear our conflicting views, and bravo also to her for following her heart.
And of course, all best wishes to Caramel..

I understand I have now likely over-stayed my welcome so I apologize and I am off out to assess quality of life for my poor sick Bella.