- Apr 10, 2014
- 2
- 0
- 7
Hello,
I'm new to BYC and really hope someone can provide me with some advice so I can better help my poorly chickens!
I have four chicks, they are all different breed (White Sussex and a Rhode Island Red Hybrid - the two poorly ones, a Black Rock and a grey speckled hen - not sure of her breed).
The chickens are coming up three years old, we bought them from a breeder in Oxfordshire and they have been pretty well up until now, apart from some feather pecking/bullying and one incidence of sour crop about six months ago. These are my first chickens, so it's been a journey of discovery!
I will stop waffling and give details of the two poorly chicken's symptoms:
Kiev (the White Sussex) has had a mucky bum for a week or so but in the last couple of days has become increasingly withdrawn from the group and spends most of the day hunched in a corner or lying flat on the floor closing her eyes. She has a very pale comb and I'm really struggling to get her to eat, but she is drinking. Her poos have been very liquidy and I would say are dark green in colour.
When she is disturbed and does start moving around her tail is up and, apart from being slow, behaves relatively normally. She keeps bending down looking as if she is going to peck at some food and then just doesn't - she shouldn't get my hopes up like that!
I am really not sure what is wrong with Kiev. They were last wormed about 6 months ago, so I thought perhaps it could be that? Although I would have thought the others would be affected too. I have flubenvet 1% which I have added to their feed but as Kiev isn't really eating I'm struggling to get any into her. I don't know if I can mix it with the water (and I worry that I'd be over dosing the other chickens!)
Nugget is behaving in a similar manner, withdrawn from the group, sitting/standing hunched up on her own all day, but she seems to be contracting her abdomen constantly and when I get close she sounds like she is struggling to breath a bit. Her comb is purple coloured. Her abdomen is swollen and very warm ,and she waddles when she walks. I can seem to manage to get Nugget to eat a little if I put it right in front of her beak but she doesn't seem to be taking any water, despite my efforts.
Nugget also has a mucky bum, but as I say, I think they have different problems.
I have felt Nugget's abdomen and there is no sign of an egg so I don't believe she is egg bound, I am worried she is suffering from egg yolk peritonitis. Nugget's crop also feels basically empty, I can just feel grit in there and that worries me greatly.
Nugget, again seems to look relatively normal when she is disturbed from her hunched position and walking (slowly) around, with her tail up, but her head just gradually sinks into her neck and she will come to a halt and stand there again.
I really am at a loss. I have added cider vinegar to their water, there is flubenvet in their pellets, I tried soaking pellets in water and feeding them both the mush as I thought they might find that easier, I have tried them on scrambled egg but neither are interested (the healthy two were!) I have tried getting water into them by gently dripping from a syringe near their beak in an attempt to encourage them to take in some water...
I went back home at lunch to check on them and there is no change.
Any help/advice would be greatly appreciated. It makes me sad to think of them in pain/discomfort.
Thank you in advance,
G
I'm new to BYC and really hope someone can provide me with some advice so I can better help my poorly chickens!
I have four chicks, they are all different breed (White Sussex and a Rhode Island Red Hybrid - the two poorly ones, a Black Rock and a grey speckled hen - not sure of her breed).
The chickens are coming up three years old, we bought them from a breeder in Oxfordshire and they have been pretty well up until now, apart from some feather pecking/bullying and one incidence of sour crop about six months ago. These are my first chickens, so it's been a journey of discovery!
I will stop waffling and give details of the two poorly chicken's symptoms:
Kiev (the White Sussex) has had a mucky bum for a week or so but in the last couple of days has become increasingly withdrawn from the group and spends most of the day hunched in a corner or lying flat on the floor closing her eyes. She has a very pale comb and I'm really struggling to get her to eat, but she is drinking. Her poos have been very liquidy and I would say are dark green in colour.
When she is disturbed and does start moving around her tail is up and, apart from being slow, behaves relatively normally. She keeps bending down looking as if she is going to peck at some food and then just doesn't - she shouldn't get my hopes up like that!
I am really not sure what is wrong with Kiev. They were last wormed about 6 months ago, so I thought perhaps it could be that? Although I would have thought the others would be affected too. I have flubenvet 1% which I have added to their feed but as Kiev isn't really eating I'm struggling to get any into her. I don't know if I can mix it with the water (and I worry that I'd be over dosing the other chickens!)
Nugget is behaving in a similar manner, withdrawn from the group, sitting/standing hunched up on her own all day, but she seems to be contracting her abdomen constantly and when I get close she sounds like she is struggling to breath a bit. Her comb is purple coloured. Her abdomen is swollen and very warm ,and she waddles when she walks. I can seem to manage to get Nugget to eat a little if I put it right in front of her beak but she doesn't seem to be taking any water, despite my efforts.
Nugget also has a mucky bum, but as I say, I think they have different problems.
I have felt Nugget's abdomen and there is no sign of an egg so I don't believe she is egg bound, I am worried she is suffering from egg yolk peritonitis. Nugget's crop also feels basically empty, I can just feel grit in there and that worries me greatly.
Nugget, again seems to look relatively normal when she is disturbed from her hunched position and walking (slowly) around, with her tail up, but her head just gradually sinks into her neck and she will come to a halt and stand there again.
I really am at a loss. I have added cider vinegar to their water, there is flubenvet in their pellets, I tried soaking pellets in water and feeding them both the mush as I thought they might find that easier, I have tried them on scrambled egg but neither are interested (the healthy two were!) I have tried getting water into them by gently dripping from a syringe near their beak in an attempt to encourage them to take in some water...
I went back home at lunch to check on them and there is no change.
Any help/advice would be greatly appreciated. It makes me sad to think of them in pain/discomfort.
Thank you in advance,
G
