I think I'm going to lose Ethel tonight. Just when they all started laying finally (yesterday, at 27 weeks, the last two laid their first eggs - all nine are the same age). She's one of my Speckled Sussex, and she's at the bottom of the pecking order. Been laying for a couple weeks now, though. But not today or yesterday.
She's had labored breathing all day today, wheezing with every breath and coughing or sneezing (I can't tell which) fairly frequently. It got up to 7F today (-15 with windchill), but everyone came outside to forage in the run anyway. Ethel came with them, and poked around in the compost a bit. I tried giving her scrambled egg, but it was very hard to separate her, and she didn't seem especially interested in it. This morning, she did drink a lot of water when I brought out a new bowl to replace the frozen one, but her poops looked just like water too, not normal poops.
Tonight no one seemed to want to go back inside the coop. Maybe because I scared them by putting fresh pine shavings down? Maybe because there was a scary block of wild birdseed I thought they might like to peck at to keep busy? Anyway, I had to lure them in one at a time, and Ethel was the last one hiding under the coop while everyone else was inside. I sprinkled some meal worms on the ground, but she was unimpressed. So I went inside and scrambled another egg. She was still huddled under the coop, breathing heavily and loudly, but she slowly came out when I put the egg down and called her. She wasn't interested in the egg, but I was able to grab her and put her inside the coop with the heat lamp on. Then I brought in the scrambled egg and fresh water, but Ethel flew up to the roost and fell asleep while everyone else was gobbling egg and drinking.
She just sounds and looks so miserable. I hope whatever she has, she doesn't give it to anyone else!
She's had labored breathing all day today, wheezing with every breath and coughing or sneezing (I can't tell which) fairly frequently. It got up to 7F today (-15 with windchill), but everyone came outside to forage in the run anyway. Ethel came with them, and poked around in the compost a bit. I tried giving her scrambled egg, but it was very hard to separate her, and she didn't seem especially interested in it. This morning, she did drink a lot of water when I brought out a new bowl to replace the frozen one, but her poops looked just like water too, not normal poops.
Tonight no one seemed to want to go back inside the coop. Maybe because I scared them by putting fresh pine shavings down? Maybe because there was a scary block of wild birdseed I thought they might like to peck at to keep busy? Anyway, I had to lure them in one at a time, and Ethel was the last one hiding under the coop while everyone else was inside. I sprinkled some meal worms on the ground, but she was unimpressed. So I went inside and scrambled another egg. She was still huddled under the coop, breathing heavily and loudly, but she slowly came out when I put the egg down and called her. She wasn't interested in the egg, but I was able to grab her and put her inside the coop with the heat lamp on. Then I brought in the scrambled egg and fresh water, but Ethel flew up to the roost and fell asleep while everyone else was gobbling egg and drinking.
She just sounds and looks so miserable. I hope whatever she has, she doesn't give it to anyone else!
