Okay, I have a bunch of questions and wanted some opinions please.
I have 4 girls, 2 are originals from my starting my flock and are Plymouth Barred Rocks, both are almost 6yrs old, and I also have a 2yr old Golden Laced Wyandotte and a 2yr old Brown Leghorn.
Lacey, my GLW has bumblefoot.... I didn't have anyone willing to hold her for the surgery, so I took her to my vet. (Thank God- he showed me how to do it, since this was a first for me. And let me just say, the pus gunk that he removed is more like thick cheese! Ewww) Anyway, she finished her antibiotics today and I'm still wrapping her feet daily. When she first started limping, occasionally, I saw the one foot and but when I took her in, we found she had it one both feet! I have some of those chicken "booties" ordered.. and she now has brownish/red tint scabs on her feet, no more heat, no limping or anything. Even with wrapping her feet up, she gets them filthy each day in the dirt bath. So if I put her in the booties, should I still wrap her feet first? Also, it's getting hot here (So CA), and I generally turn on the hose around a fruit tree, letting the water puddle (in grass, not dirt) so they can play and drink in it... a favorite thing of theirs, but should I avoid her getting her feet wet? (I'm thinking of a scab getting rubbed off, even in booties?) Or maybe wrap her feet before putting on the booties?
Next, one of my older girls, Gabby pulled or tore a muscle/tendon/something in her thigh... last year(Aug). I took her to the vet then because I couldn't figure it out, but nothing was broken. She's not underweight, in fact she's my lard-butt of the group, but she still limps, it's worse after she's been sitting or laying down for a while. Any ideas to make life a little easier? She only lays occasionally, but she's a pet and the #2 in the flock.. no one bothers her, she bothers the others.
Anyone heard of arthritis in chickens? My other old gal, Hazel has grown really long nails.. (think of an old dog, where you can only cut so much off), and one middle toe now bends at a joint, but it bends to the side, and looks slightly swollen, but she's never limped, no heat or anything. She's the head girl of the group. Should I be concerned about this?
And lastly, when Foggy, the BL molted last year, her comb "seemed" to shrink a little, before it hung down over her one eye.. completly, but afterwards it's not as large it seems. It doesn't flop over her eye anymore, which is good for her, but I wondered if this was common???
Thanks!
I have 4 girls, 2 are originals from my starting my flock and are Plymouth Barred Rocks, both are almost 6yrs old, and I also have a 2yr old Golden Laced Wyandotte and a 2yr old Brown Leghorn.
Lacey, my GLW has bumblefoot.... I didn't have anyone willing to hold her for the surgery, so I took her to my vet. (Thank God- he showed me how to do it, since this was a first for me. And let me just say, the pus gunk that he removed is more like thick cheese! Ewww) Anyway, she finished her antibiotics today and I'm still wrapping her feet daily. When she first started limping, occasionally, I saw the one foot and but when I took her in, we found she had it one both feet! I have some of those chicken "booties" ordered.. and she now has brownish/red tint scabs on her feet, no more heat, no limping or anything. Even with wrapping her feet up, she gets them filthy each day in the dirt bath. So if I put her in the booties, should I still wrap her feet first? Also, it's getting hot here (So CA), and I generally turn on the hose around a fruit tree, letting the water puddle (in grass, not dirt) so they can play and drink in it... a favorite thing of theirs, but should I avoid her getting her feet wet? (I'm thinking of a scab getting rubbed off, even in booties?) Or maybe wrap her feet before putting on the booties?
Next, one of my older girls, Gabby pulled or tore a muscle/tendon/something in her thigh... last year(Aug). I took her to the vet then because I couldn't figure it out, but nothing was broken. She's not underweight, in fact she's my lard-butt of the group, but she still limps, it's worse after she's been sitting or laying down for a while. Any ideas to make life a little easier? She only lays occasionally, but she's a pet and the #2 in the flock.. no one bothers her, she bothers the others.
Anyone heard of arthritis in chickens? My other old gal, Hazel has grown really long nails.. (think of an old dog, where you can only cut so much off), and one middle toe now bends at a joint, but it bends to the side, and looks slightly swollen, but she's never limped, no heat or anything. She's the head girl of the group. Should I be concerned about this?
And lastly, when Foggy, the BL molted last year, her comb "seemed" to shrink a little, before it hung down over her one eye.. completly, but afterwards it's not as large it seems. It doesn't flop over her eye anymore, which is good for her, but I wondered if this was common???
Thanks!