Shell-less eggs or something else?

[Eggcessive]

Let us know how Cadbury’s vet appt goes today. It is a good opportunity to get a fecal float done to look for worms or parasites. Take in a ziploc bag with a fresh dropping if you plan to get one.

 

[Sefirothe]

Cadbury had an xray, no eggs seen in her. She provided a poop sample in her carrier that they’ll test for parasites and she’s coming home with metronidazole.

 

[Sefirothe]

@Eggcessive

Any good tips on how to get 1.4 ml of liquid into a chicken twice a day? I kind of wish they had given me pills.

 

[Sefirothe]

Fecal came back with no parasites.

I've tried a few things to get meds into her, soaked it into a couple pieces of bread and stuffed those down her like a pill. It took a loooot of bread to soak up all the liquid tho. Tried soaking her food pellets in warm water to make an oatmeal like consistency and mixed the metronidazole into that in a small dish and put it in her pen. Cadbury's not super enthused about eating it on her own tho.

I also just straight up squirted the liquid into her beak. She's definitely feeling better because she put up the biggest fight over this and I'm sure some of it is in the feathers on her neck.

I think next I might try mixing the metronidazole with some plain Quaker Oats, just enough to soak up the liquid and see if she'll eat that on her own.

Last resort, call the vet back and see if I can get pills. Chickens are so much easier to just pill.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I would just direct oral dose her with a needless syringe.

I place the hen on a table or somewhere waist high (convenient for me and my back!). I stand against the table and pull the hen to my belly/chest. Drape my left arm over her and lock her in with my elbow and body (she's basically under my arm pit/elbow) but you have that left hand free to help hold the head and pull down wattles, so you can give the medication. Hope that makes sense.

Once you do it, it gets easier each time. If she's hard to catch, take her off the roost early in the morning for meds or wait until roosting. If you are giving meds 2X a day, just grab her in the morning from the roost, then at night when she goes in for roosting.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...dications-to-all-poultry-and-waterfowl.73335/

 

[Sefirothe]

I would just direct oral dose her with a needless syringe.

I place the hen on a table or somewhere waist high (convenient for me and my back!). I stand against the table and pull the hen to my belly/chest. Drape my left arm over her and lock her in with my elbow and body (she's basically under my arm pit/elbow) but you have that left hand free to help hold the head and pull down wattles, so you can give the medication. Hope that makes sense.

Once you do it, it gets easier each time. If she's hard to catch, take her off the roost early in the morning for meds or wait until roosting. If you are giving meds 2X a day, just grab her in the morning from the roost, then at night when she goes in for roosting.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...dications-to-all-poultry-and-waterfowl.73335/

The video in that article was very very helpful this morning. Med delivery was pretty much uneventful this morning! Thank you!

 

[Eggcessive]

I use the same method as Wyorp Rock mentioned to give meds. I give 1/2 ml, stop and let them swallow, then repeat until it is gone. The method in the article is very good as well. Most chickens will not take nasty meds in food, unless you can crush a pill in scrambled egg. Glad that you got the meds in her.

 

[Sefirothe]

Just coming back to put a close to Cadbury's saga.

This morning when I went out to clean/feed/collect eggs, I saw there was a lot of blood on the poop board/roost. I checked everyone over and couldn't find any injuries. Cadbury's back end around her vent was totally plucked clean of feathers and she had poop caked to her skin.

I checked the camera history and the blood was under where she was roosting. I can only think she was pooping blood. She was back to being hunched/puffed up and not wanting to eat again. I noticed on the cameras yesterday the flock ganging up on her again too.

I made the decision to cull her. She was weak enough that she didn't fight being caught or anything. It was over quick and after there wasn't much muscle spasms afterwards even.

I couldn't quite bring myself to cut her open tho. I just firmly believe her digestive/reproductive tract wasn't right from the get go.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Just coming back to put a close to Cadbury's saga.

This morning when I went out to clean/feed/collect eggs, I saw there was a lot of blood on the poop board/roost. I checked everyone over and couldn't find any injuries. Cadbury's back end around her vent was totally plucked clean of feathers and she had poop caked to her skin.

I checked the camera history and the blood was under where she was roosting. I can only think she was pooping blood. She was back to being hunched/puffed up and not wanting to eat again. I noticed on the cameras yesterday the flock ganging up on her again too.

I made the decision to cull her. She was weak enough that she didn't fight being caught or anything. It was over quick and after there wasn't much muscle spasms afterwards even.

I couldn't quite bring myself to cut her open tho. I just firmly believe her digestive/reproductive tract wasn't right from the get go.

I'm sorry to hear about Cadbury

Thank you for the update.