When it rains it pours.
I'm starting a new thread because this is a new issue with a new hen.
This started 2-weeks ago with my chocolate orpington. Initially I posted about her crop issues here. While in the process of medicating & monitoring this hen's crop, I found 3 other hens whose crops weren't emptying overnight. I posted about them here. One of the hens is my 9 month old buckeye named Nugget.
I gave Nugget coconut oil for a few days. Her crop decreased in size, but was still not empty in the mornings, so I decided to treat with Miconozole. WIthin a couple days her crop was empty in the morning. I completed the 7 days of treatment on March 8. Most of the time I was giving her the Miconozole during the dark. She is a spunky, friendly, and bold hen. She was NOT a good patient, and medicationg was a struggle. Whereas I could treat the other hens on their roosts, I had to remove Nugget and carry her over to the storage side of the coop where I had more room to work with her (in other words, wrestle with her). I noticed a few days in that when I would put her on the floor in the semi-dark coop, she would shrink towards the ground. She would weave back and forth like a snake about to strike before walking foward. I considered maybe she was scared of me about to pick her up and force the Miconozole in her mouth - although she's not a hen I'd ever desribe as fearful. It seemed more likely that this was because of the darkness and the odd shadows the lantern throws about the coop.
I've since seen her do this odd manuevering a few times in various settings, and now I'm curious what the cause may be.
Here is a video. It was taken in the dusk on a rainy day (low light). Nugget is doing the "duck and weave" manuever in the very start of the video, although it's tough to see because I was not down on her level. The best view is right after she loses her prized pine shaving to Miyagi, and then she does the duck and weave very nicely for the camera. She does it once more in the last couple seconds of the video. She resembles a boxer who is circling an opponent before moving in on them. Only she isn't "moving in" on anyone or anything, instead she's just moving forward.
She does not appear to be off balance. I don't think it's a wry-neck thing. But I did start her on vitamins E & B complex just in case. Her crop has been consistently emptying overnight for well over the past week. She is eating, pooping normally, and otherwise behaving normally. She does not do it all the time. In fact I think it happens most when lighting is limited. Are there side effects of Miconozole that might cause this? Could it have impaired her vision? Or perhaps it's unrelated to the Miconozole? Two other hens have completed a 7-day Miconozole treatment without issue.
If anyone has any theories or ideas, I'd appreciate hearing them.
I'm starting a new thread because this is a new issue with a new hen.
This started 2-weeks ago with my chocolate orpington. Initially I posted about her crop issues here. While in the process of medicating & monitoring this hen's crop, I found 3 other hens whose crops weren't emptying overnight. I posted about them here. One of the hens is my 9 month old buckeye named Nugget.
I gave Nugget coconut oil for a few days. Her crop decreased in size, but was still not empty in the mornings, so I decided to treat with Miconozole. WIthin a couple days her crop was empty in the morning. I completed the 7 days of treatment on March 8. Most of the time I was giving her the Miconozole during the dark. She is a spunky, friendly, and bold hen. She was NOT a good patient, and medicationg was a struggle. Whereas I could treat the other hens on their roosts, I had to remove Nugget and carry her over to the storage side of the coop where I had more room to work with her (in other words, wrestle with her). I noticed a few days in that when I would put her on the floor in the semi-dark coop, she would shrink towards the ground. She would weave back and forth like a snake about to strike before walking foward. I considered maybe she was scared of me about to pick her up and force the Miconozole in her mouth - although she's not a hen I'd ever desribe as fearful. It seemed more likely that this was because of the darkness and the odd shadows the lantern throws about the coop.
I've since seen her do this odd manuevering a few times in various settings, and now I'm curious what the cause may be.
Here is a video. It was taken in the dusk on a rainy day (low light). Nugget is doing the "duck and weave" manuever in the very start of the video, although it's tough to see because I was not down on her level. The best view is right after she loses her prized pine shaving to Miyagi, and then she does the duck and weave very nicely for the camera. She does it once more in the last couple seconds of the video. She resembles a boxer who is circling an opponent before moving in on them. Only she isn't "moving in" on anyone or anything, instead she's just moving forward.
She does not appear to be off balance. I don't think it's a wry-neck thing. But I did start her on vitamins E & B complex just in case. Her crop has been consistently emptying overnight for well over the past week. She is eating, pooping normally, and otherwise behaving normally. She does not do it all the time. In fact I think it happens most when lighting is limited. Are there side effects of Miconozole that might cause this? Could it have impaired her vision? Or perhaps it's unrelated to the Miconozole? Two other hens have completed a 7-day Miconozole treatment without issue.
If anyone has any theories or ideas, I'd appreciate hearing them.
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