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[Warriorgal]

That's funny. Joffrey picking on your partner! They both want your attention! I just remembered didn't joffrey have a poorly stage not so far back? I guess he's fine now.
Jemima had a quiet night in my livingroom and boy did she smell! She had some sweetcorn and pellets this morning and wanted out so she is back in the run today. Her poop seems a little bit more brown and pasty today not so liquidy, so I hope that means an improvement. I will be keeping a very close eye on her. She can probably come back in later. And my broody brahma betty is also back outside after two nights in the cage in my garage. Bless her. Big silly hen she is! Thankyou for your help and advice. My hens mean the world to me especially jemima as she is the last of my original hens. If she goes because of old age that will be hard enough but if it's something treatable then I must do everything I can. She's only 3 1/2 yrs.

Oh bless, i hope these signs are promising for Jemima and she recovers quickly I guess in a day or so you will hopefully notice if she is recovering ok. You are doing your best. Joffrey did have a wheezy speel and loose droppings a while back. I think he had a bit of a cold, he still is a bit wheezy when he rushes about the garden and I pick him up and notice it. 3 and a half years I guess can still be young for a hen? In not sure how long they live for im guessing at least 6 years ? hopefully a lot longer than that. Apparently we are due some more bad weather soon, so I guess hatches down for a day or two.

 

[CCUK]

I'm not so sure if I need to deal with sour crop on her aswell. It never rains, it pours with me. I've just been out to the coop and she was running away from me when I tried to pick her up so that is definitely an improvement! It's nearly blizzard like conditions here at the moment. When is spring going to arrive? Hopefully it won't last long. We all need some decent weather now. It always makes us feel better with a bit of warm sunshine! I've been stocking up on lice and mite powder for the imminent return of the itchy scratchies! If you dust for mites get the powder/spray with permethrin in it. It works alot better and quicker than diatomaceous earth. I'm cleaning mine out later if the weather improves so I'll put some in the nest boxes and around the coop.

 

[happyhens1972]

Have you tried laying off the sweetcorn? It may be irrelevant but it is, by its very nature, sweet and high in sugar so if she has a bacterial imbalance in her gut, you may be inadvertently 'feeding' the bacteria, causing a bloom. It might be worth seeing if she improves after a day or two without it.

As for the dreaded red mite, I treated the coop with woodworm treatment before adding the chooks this year, which is permethrin based, and it's meant to be long lasting (up to ten years on woodworm) so I'm hoping for long lasting effects in the coop. Not ten years, of course, but maybe a season?? There is a ton of DE in there too but I am well aware that the DE won't be effective against an infestation, it's really only effective as a low-level deterrent as it just takes too long to kill the little blighters!.

 

[CCUK]

I never really thought of that with sweetcorn. That will cause an upset in the morning when they get withdrawIs! I got advised to use Famotidine to treat for potential sour crop. Famotidine is prescription only but I can get pepcid ac from the chemist. The other is gas x which is simeticone or alka seltzer! I'm not sure whether I should use these and if I do if she hasn't got sour crop could it be harmful? I also got to about using caneston? Would you recommend any of these? To much information can also be confusing!

 

[happyhens1972]

Unfortunately, with these things, it's so often a case of trying this and trying that. My personal policy when dealing with anything that involves potential crop issues or poop problems is to go back to basics and work from there. Sweetcorn is not only high in sugar and will therefore feed any bacteria (good or bad) but, just like in humans, is quite difficult to properly digest and often comes out not too dis-similar to how it went in (sorry - gross!) If there are crop issues, then you need to make things easy on it for a while, with soft, easily passed foods. Whenever I've had birds with crop issues, I have fed pellets if they take them, egg (chopped or scrambled) with added garlic and natural yoghurt and live maggots from the fishing shop. The maggots remain alive for some time and will eat any rotten matter in the crop and I believe the agitation caused by their movement also help things to move along. The egg provides nutrition, the garlic is great in a whole bunch of ways, but will also help with circulation if that comb of hers has frostnip/bite or even just general circulatory issues and the yoghurt helps provide good bacteria both in the crop and the gut. I, personally, have never used, or needed to use, any 'medicaments' for crop issues but as long as they are used sparingly, I can't see them causing problems if the crop is, in fact, just fine.

Be aware that alka seltzer will fizz quite profusely and you don't want anything coming up and being aspirated so go easy xx

If you can get Nutri Drops, they are without a shadow of a doubt, my absolute 'go-to' when dealing with ANY illness. They really can give that much needed boost when everything else seems to be failing or taking too long to give results. The fact that they go straight to the bloodstream rather than relying on digestion is a huge bonus when the digestion system is an area for concern.

 

[504707]

I never really thought of that with sweetcorn. That will cause an upset in the morning when they get withdrawIs! I got advised to use Famotidine to treat for potential sour crop....

I hope your hen is doing better now.

How is everyone dealing with this second blast of snow we are having atm?

In other news, we FINALLY decided on the names of the chickens: Brownie, Spot and Pheasant

 

[CCUK]

She hasn't got worse but she isn't much better. She stayed in the coop with the others last night. I've just spent the last hour shovelling snow, deicing wateters and I've had to bin two feeders full of snow!
That's some nice names for your hens. I hope your managing alright at the moment. I think we're all more than ready for spring!

 

[boskelli1571]

I never really thought of that with sweetcorn. That will cause an upset in the morning when they get withdrawIs! I got advised to use Famotidine to treat for potential sour crop. Famotidine is prescription only but I can get pepcid ac from the chemist. The other is gas x which is simeticone or alka seltzer! I'm not sure whether I should use these and if I do if she hasn't got sour crop could it be harmful? I also got to about using caneston? Would you recommend any of these? To much information can also be confusing!

I'm not sure who advised you to use Pepcid (famotidine) but I can find nothing to indicate that it should be given to chickens. When you think about the digestive tract of the chicken it is quite different to the human so I'm not sure what effect it may have.
Laying off the sweetcorn is a great idea, return to basics as suggested by happyhens1972.

 

[CCUK]

I'm not sure who advised you to use Pepcid (famotidine) but I can find nothing to indicate that it should be given to chickens. When you think about the digestive tract of the chicken it is quite different to the human so I'm not sure what effect it may have.
Laying off the sweetcorn is a great idea, return to basics as suggested by happyhens1972.

Hi. Got a few different things advised to me in my other thread.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...b-and-runny-poop.1227832/page-2#post-19694443
I haven't given her anything apart from some nutri drops and a bit of a massage. She does seem a little bit more active today and won't let me catch her! That's more normal. She isn't right though. I fear if it is peritonitis she won't be with us much longer. So long as she appears to be OK and not in pain I'll have to leave her be.

 

[504707]

Oh my gosh! Look at this beauty! First egg ever