Soft shelled issue for 11 months, I'm seeing a real problem now....

[Acefit411]

UPDATE # 2:

As of today, Lady has stopped eating. She has been given 500 mg of calcium each day, she has given us an egg or 3 since the onset of this issue - but now has isolated herself from the rest. She still has red comb and wattles, which will buy me some time to get to the vet (currently, I'm in GA visiting my mom - BF taking care of all my girls).

I land tonight in NY and I will see my vet tomorrow. She's excellent.... Just so worried. I'm hoping that its just an antibiotic, but this might be a recurring problem with her.... In that case, the best might be to put her down

 

[Acefit411]

UPDATE #3:

Back from vet... NO infection, NO swelling in abdomen... Given 1 injection of calcium and a 1 month supply to administer at home. The good doctor told me to keep her in a dark place only allowing 5-6 hours of light to push her system into not producing eggs.

She's not herself... Not eating her favorite foods is a concern for me. Surprised the doctor (avian / farm animal vet) would suggest dry cat food - but she did!!!! She said it's high in calcium and she finds its better then oyster shells. She also suggested egg shells, witch I already do.

I inquired about doing a hysterectomy, she said that's an option, but to wait to see how this works.
NO guaranties no matter what....

For ever worried about these little guys,
~anna

 

[Acefit411]

UPDATE #4:

After all that's she's going through....now treating for vent gleet with Nystatin (3rd day).
NOT eating at all.. I forced her to have yogurt with wheat germ yesterday ( about two tblsp.). I can tell she has a lot less energy from not eating, her wattles and comb are just staring to fade a bit, tail still in air. No droppings this morning to speak of. I was able to get her to take a calcium pill yesterday (vet gave us 4 weeks of injectable calcium to be given once a week).

I have tried to offer everything!!!!! I'm at a loss of what to do next...I don't care if she ever lays an egg again, I just want her to live.
Do I take her to the vet again to be put down? Please help

 

[casportpony]

Maybe it's time to try an antibiotic like Baytril and to start tube feeding her fluids, then fluids mixed with baby bird food. Call your vet and ask if they can set you up with the antibiotics, tube and syringe. You can get the baby bird food at Petsmart and Petco.

Two great threads on how to tube feed:

• https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...cken-and-give-subcutaneous-fluid#post_9910754

• https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...-for-visuals-very-detailed-post#post_11652991

Ask for a size 18 french feeding tube (catheter) like this:


A 35ml catheter tip syringe like this:


This is what Petsmart and Petco sell and it also come in a smaller container:



How To Crop Feed Your Bird Diagram



-Kathy

 

[afoshawk119]

Is there a liquid human calcium? One of my Rhode Island Reds is doing the same thing but she has had trama lately, we had a bear attack and she wandered in the woods for days before we found her. But it has been a few weeks now and it just started.

 

[Acefit411]

I have used injectable calcium once a week (from vet), with human calcium by mouth (250-500 mg) every other day. I'm still having issues
Keeping hope, good luck to you.

 

[casportpony]

You can get liquid calcium at Tractor Supply - Calcium Gluconate 23% (230mg/ml). You can give it orally or as an injection. You'll find it in the cattle section.




-Kathy

 

[Acefit411]

OKAY, I'm in need of some ADVICE PLEASE!!!!

I have been nursing back to health a RIR (LADY) who has been having laying issues and is at the bottom of the pecking order....
I noticed something amiss around Labor Day, and she has been brought to the vet and taken away for the older flock on September 9th.
I have cleared up the infection from the yolk that was left in her belly with Metronidazole. She had 11 or 12 days at 250mg. It was about day 4 before she was showing signs of eating again. Every day she is eating more, alert and making chichen noices again. Poop near normal for what she is eating.

I started seeing the last few days that she's very weak in her stance and off balance. Her appitiate is increasing every day, bright eyed, comb still a little pale.
I put her into the coop late last night, and noticed she was pushed out be the rooster (his favorite), she didn't eat with the girls and stayed next to me. It was very hard for her to make the perch to be away from the others. She tried jumping down, and the other hens ganged up on her.

Lady stayed in one spot until I picked her up. I noticed that she was bleeding from her foot (now a missing toe).
I'm sure Lady is missing her free range time and just being a chicken......if I let her free range by herself, will it allow her to get her strength back?
Have her muscles atrophied that much? Is there something else going on that I don't know about?

What would you all do?

 

[ten chicks]

Have you given her any vitamins? Weakness/off balance issues are concerning. Clean and apply an antibiotic ointment to her foot(nothing ending in "caine/cane"toxic to chickens). I would take out one of your docile hens and pair the two together,this way she will have a friend and may help with the pecking order. When you place the two hens back into coop and there is still aggression, i would remove the most aggressive hen and separate her for a couple of days,this should change the dynamics of the pecking order.

Apparently decreased appetite is a common side effect from drug,some of the less common side effects are lethargy and weakness(listed only the issues that she is exhibiting)possible this may be her problem.

 

[casportpony]

OKAY, I'm in need of some ADVICE PLEASE!!!!

I have been nursing back to health a RIR (LADY) who has been having laying issues and is at the bottom of the pecking order....
I noticed something amiss around Labor Day, and she has been brought to the vet and taken away for the older flock on September 9th.
I have cleared up the infection from the yolk that was left in her belly with Metronidazole. She had 11 or 12 days at 250mg. It was about day 4 before she was showing signs of eating again. Every day she is eating more, alert and making chichen noices again. Poop near normal for what she is eating.

I started seeing the last few days that she's very weak in her stance and off balance. Her appitiate is increasing every day, bright eyed, comb still a little pale.
I put her into the coop late last night, and noticed she was pushed out be the rooster (his favorite), she didn't eat with the girls and stayed next to me. It was very hard for her to make the perch to be away from the others. She tried jumping down, and the other hens ganged up on her.

Lady stayed in one spot until I picked her up. I noticed that she was bleeding from her foot (now a missing toe).
I'm sure Lady is missing her free range time and just being a chicken......if I let her free range by herself, will it allow her to get her strength back?
Have her muscles atrophied that much? Is there something else going on that I don't know about?

What would you all do?

Does she feel thin? If so, she might have EYP even though you treated her with metronidazole.

-Kathy