Today I found my chicken laying in direct sunlight and shaking/unable to stand

[catballou]

I am so alarmed right now. My husband loves rescuing old decrepit tractors. These and other various farm equipment spring hydraulic leaks all the time, and all over the place - often in close proximity to the run. Empty buckets, still with a coating of fluid, are in a pile by the barn or at the water hydrant at the chicken run. The gravel in front of the barn and a patch of dying grass near the run are covered in fluid. I've seen our chickens foraging in all of these places when I let them out. Since I haven't had any birds with these symptoms, I can only assume they're extremely lucky. I will clean up the buckets, but there's nothing I can do for the gravel and other oily areas. In addition to our resident fox, just another good reason to keep them penned up and never free-range again.

Fence off the area your husband has contaminated. It's illegal to do what he's done, by the way.

 

[BarnyardChaos]

Fence off the area your husband has contaminated. It's illegal to do what he's done, by the way.

This is a farm in a rural area. We have machinery. Machinery has a lot of hydraulic lines to operate things like hay balers, brushhogs, plows, seeders, and so on. It's common for lines to leak - that's why hydraulic fluid is sold in 5-gal buckets or 55-gal drums in farm stores - and it is expensive. When a hydraulic line breaks while he's in the field or our gravel driveway, what do you suggest he should do? Put a bandaid on it? Fix it himself, or pay the implement dealer $XXXX and wait 3 months to fix it? It's not like he's intentionally dumping the fluid on the ground!

Every farmer who has machinery has this same issue. It's not illegal to have mechanical breakdowns, it's just the nature of farming.

 

[Aunt Angus]

This is a farm in a rural area. We have machinery. Machinery has a lot of hydraulic lines to operate things like hay balers, brushhogs, plows, seeders, and so on. It's common for lines to leak - that's why hydraulic fluid is sold in 5-gal buckets or 55-gal drums in farm stores - and it is expensive. When a hydraulic line breaks while he's in the field or our gravel driveway, what do you suggest he should do? Put a bandaid on it? Fix it himself, or pay the implement dealer $XXXX and wait 3 months to fix it? It's not like he's intentionally dumping the fluid on the ground!

Every farmer who has machinery has this same issue. It's not illegal to have mechanical breakdowns, it's just the nature of farming.

No joke about hydraulic fluid. It does get everywhere. And when something springs a leak, it sometimes gushes! Can't exactly mop it up if we're in the pasture...

 

[catballou]

This is a farm in a rural area. We have machinery. Machinery has a lot of hydraulic lines to operate things like hay balers, brushhogs, plows, seeders, and so on. It's common for lines to leak - that's why hydraulic fluid is sold in 5-gal buckets or 55-gal drums in farm stores - and it is expensive. When a hydraulic line breaks while he's in the field or our gravel driveway, what do you suggest he should do? Put a bandaid on it? Fix it himself, or pay the implement dealer $XXXX and wait 3 months to fix it? It's not like he's intentionally dumping the fluid on the ground!

Every farmer who has machinery has this same issue. It's not illegal to have mechanical breakdowns, it's just the nature of farming.

I understand that. You said he leaves buckets with stuff in them all over. I just made a suggested

 

[BarnyardChaos]

I understand that. You said he leaves buckets with stuff in them all over. I just made a suggested

A misunderstanding then. I said, "Empty buckets, still with a coating of fluid." We've just finished hay season using 2 tractors with assorted hydraulic implements, used the skidloader to help build a barn, a ditch digger to install a septic tank and discharge line, and a bulldozer to modify the lagoon. Still working an area of pasture to level it out for a new corral. It's all a work in progress.

He drains the buckets as much as he can, then tosses them into a pile to be washed out with soap and used for other things. We always need buckets! We just haven't got to finish that chore yet. The stain in the grass is easily dealt with (scrape, fresh soil and re-plant the grass). And I'll ask him to remove the contaminated gravel in front of the barn and put down fresh.

I can't imagine how my Dad and granddad managed 400 acres of wheat and pasture without a skidloader. It's the most useful piece of equipment we have, next to my washing machine LOL

 

[catballou]

A misunderstanding then. I said, "Empty buckets, still with a coating of fluid." We've just finished hay season using 2 tractors with assorted hydraulic implements, used the skidloader to help build a barn, a ditch digger to install a septic tank and discharge line, and a bulldozer to modify the lagoon. Still working an area of pasture to level it out for a new corral. It's all a work in progress.

He drains the buckets as much as he can, then tosses them into a pile to be washed out with soap and used for other things. We always need buckets! We just haven't got to finish that chore yet. The stain in the grass is easily dealt with (scrape, fresh soil and re-plant the grass). And I'll ask him to remove the contaminated gravel in front of the barn and put down fresh.

I can't imagine how my Dad and granddad managed 400 acres of wheat and pasture8 without a skidloader. It's the most useful piece of equipment we have, next to my washing machine LOL

Yes, I have two hayfields myself. I understand that. It just sounded like he had stuff dripping in a lot of places, and not very good for chickens. I hope your girls get better soon!

 

[BarnyardChaos]

Yes, I have two hayfields myself. I understand that. It just sounded like he had stuff dripping in a lot of places, and not very good for chickens. I hope your girls get better soon!

Sorry for making it sound worse than it is! But it only takes one mistake, and I'd have a sick or dead chicken.
It's not me with the sick chickens - it's the OP, @chikensandhen .

 

[catballou]

Sorry for making it sound worse than it is! But it only takes one mistake, and I'd have a sick or dead chicken.
It's not me with the sick chickens - it's the OP, @chikensandhen .

Oh! Om sorry. I lost track of who was who.
True tho, on the one mistake.
I we've all made them.

 

[chikensandhen]

Hi everyone I just wanted to update you all on what is going on. Sadly we had to put Pasta down yesterday as she had gone downhill pretty fast. She would no longer open her eyes and her breathing became heavy and deep. I knew I had to do it to give her peace. I have called every major vet in my area but nobody is doing necropsies, the only guys who do them said that there is an avian flu going around so they cannot do it now. This stinks because I will not really know for sure what it was.

My other hen is alright, she eats a bit and drinks, I have not seen her have any seizures anymore but otherwise is very lethargic and stays in one spot all day. I would like to ask if it would be alright to put her back in with the rest of the flock. I feel she must be getting depressed of being alone but I don't want this to be some spreadable infection that could get the rest of my birds sick. I assume I am but am I really in the clear?

 

[Aunt Angus]

Hi everyone I just wanted to update you all on what is going on. Sadly we had to put Pasta down yesterday as she had gone downhill pretty fast. She would no longer open her eyes and her breathing became heavy and deep. I knew I had to do it to give her peace. I have called every major vet in my area but nobody is doing necropsies, the only guys who do them said that there is an avian flu going around so they cannot do it now. This stinks because I will not really know for sure what it was.

My other hen is alright, she eats a bit and drinks, I have not seen her have any seizures anymore but otherwise is very lethargic and stays in one spot all day. I would like to ask if it would be alright to put her back in with the rest of the flock. I feel she must be getting depressed of being alone but I don't want this to be some spreadable infection that could get the rest of my birds sick. I assume I am but am I really in the clear?

Honestly, if it is something communicable, they've all been exposed already. Just know that chickens who have been away from the flock will have to reestablish themselves in the pecking order.

How long has she been away from them?