I just need to rant, really.
I adopted four ex-commercial (not battery or cage, either barn or FR) hens two months ago. Now, obviously I expected them to have some health issues, and was prepared for at least one to pass away because that's not uncommon in rehoming. One is in great shape and has laid almost every single day. Carol is a tiny little brown thing but lays huge eggs and is top hen. Maggie, a big pale hen but third in the hierarchy, laid daily at first, took about ten days off during and after worming, had some odd shells, but has got back to laying nice eggs daily.
But the other two... Michonne has had vent gleet this whole time. It was so bad when I got her that she couldn't poop. Her vent was cemented shut. Took me a while to even figure out what it was. It's improved to the point where I don't have to bathe her, and just clean her twice a day with a cloth and soft bristled tooth brush. I've been using anti-fungal cream (which nuked the early signs in Maggie after worming in one treatment), neem oil, and lately gentian violet mixed with coconut oil (because it can be irritating). It's improving but so, so slowly. And this heat wave is not helping. Vet said there's nothing they can do, though I have read nystatin can help? I'm waiting until the full worming course is over, and hoping she'll improve after that, but then I'll be taking her to the vet again. Second dosing starts on Tuesday for a week. She laid well right up until worming, then took nearly two weeks off, but she's back now). She's a scruffy thing, but she seems to be going throw a random, super slow moult, as she's losing feathers starting at her neck, but new ones are coming in right after them.
And then we have Daryl. Daryl LOOKED the picture of health but she laid shell less eggs. She was also riddled with worms. Second day of worming she passed more worms than poop. And of course she was rather skinny. But she's number two in the hierarchy, perfectly feathered, "flies" as well as Maggie and Carol... comes and helps herself to left overs in the kitchen when I'm not watching (I have very little work space so dirty pans go on the floor until washing up time). And yet she's always produced shell less eggs. It's driving me up the wall. She took nearly three weeks off laying at all, from the first day of worming right up until this morning. This morning she laid TWO shell less eggs. They have to be hers. They were right next to each other, and one was just a yolk. Neither had been broken, so I'm positive they were laid at the same time, by the same hen. She's had antibiotics in case there was an infection in the shell gland. She's been wormed and she's put weight on. She looks and feels so healthy, and she's active and much happier than when she first arrived. She just won't put a shell on her eggs! Why, Daryl? Why?? What do I have to do??
Now, as I said, I expected to have to work on these girls, and that would have been fine but on top of all of this, in the last two months I've had two of my three rabbits go into gut stasis (a fatal condition if not treated quickly), The Wub and Milo, then The Wub nearly choke to death because she wasn't chewing her food properly, and both of them needing dental treatment, which was the cause of the gut stasis and choking. I am SO fed up of having sick animals! Also paying vet bills... even with the rabbits being insured.
The Wub also peed red last night but I'm pretty sure that's the strawberries she had the day before. She's an additional needs bun, so on top of cleaning Michonne's butt every day, I have to clean The Wub's every two days as well!
And now it looks like my hens have scaly mite... although I'm starting to think it's actually from them banging their ankles on the door frame of the run. I'm oiling the girls legs at night, but I've also put turf down either side of the door so they can step over the frame rather than clanging their legs on it.
Why is the universe doing this to me? What did I do in a past life??
I adopted four ex-commercial (not battery or cage, either barn or FR) hens two months ago. Now, obviously I expected them to have some health issues, and was prepared for at least one to pass away because that's not uncommon in rehoming. One is in great shape and has laid almost every single day. Carol is a tiny little brown thing but lays huge eggs and is top hen. Maggie, a big pale hen but third in the hierarchy, laid daily at first, took about ten days off during and after worming, had some odd shells, but has got back to laying nice eggs daily.
But the other two... Michonne has had vent gleet this whole time. It was so bad when I got her that she couldn't poop. Her vent was cemented shut. Took me a while to even figure out what it was. It's improved to the point where I don't have to bathe her, and just clean her twice a day with a cloth and soft bristled tooth brush. I've been using anti-fungal cream (which nuked the early signs in Maggie after worming in one treatment), neem oil, and lately gentian violet mixed with coconut oil (because it can be irritating). It's improving but so, so slowly. And this heat wave is not helping. Vet said there's nothing they can do, though I have read nystatin can help? I'm waiting until the full worming course is over, and hoping she'll improve after that, but then I'll be taking her to the vet again. Second dosing starts on Tuesday for a week. She laid well right up until worming, then took nearly two weeks off, but she's back now). She's a scruffy thing, but she seems to be going throw a random, super slow moult, as she's losing feathers starting at her neck, but new ones are coming in right after them.
And then we have Daryl. Daryl LOOKED the picture of health but she laid shell less eggs. She was also riddled with worms. Second day of worming she passed more worms than poop. And of course she was rather skinny. But she's number two in the hierarchy, perfectly feathered, "flies" as well as Maggie and Carol... comes and helps herself to left overs in the kitchen when I'm not watching (I have very little work space so dirty pans go on the floor until washing up time). And yet she's always produced shell less eggs. It's driving me up the wall. She took nearly three weeks off laying at all, from the first day of worming right up until this morning. This morning she laid TWO shell less eggs. They have to be hers. They were right next to each other, and one was just a yolk. Neither had been broken, so I'm positive they were laid at the same time, by the same hen. She's had antibiotics in case there was an infection in the shell gland. She's been wormed and she's put weight on. She looks and feels so healthy, and she's active and much happier than when she first arrived. She just won't put a shell on her eggs! Why, Daryl? Why?? What do I have to do??
Now, as I said, I expected to have to work on these girls, and that would have been fine but on top of all of this, in the last two months I've had two of my three rabbits go into gut stasis (a fatal condition if not treated quickly), The Wub and Milo, then The Wub nearly choke to death because she wasn't chewing her food properly, and both of them needing dental treatment, which was the cause of the gut stasis and choking. I am SO fed up of having sick animals! Also paying vet bills... even with the rabbits being insured.
The Wub also peed red last night but I'm pretty sure that's the strawberries she had the day before. She's an additional needs bun, so on top of cleaning Michonne's butt every day, I have to clean The Wub's every two days as well!
And now it looks like my hens have scaly mite... although I'm starting to think it's actually from them banging their ankles on the door frame of the run. I'm oiling the girls legs at night, but I've also put turf down either side of the door so they can step over the frame rather than clanging their legs on it.
Why is the universe doing this to me? What did I do in a past life??
It always seems to happen at once. Have you heard of something called Zolcal D? It is a calcium supplement you add to the water it has Vit D and magnesium in it. It should help with soft shelled eggs. Can't really help with the rabbit apart from we give ours applewood to chew on. They seem to like it.
