*Update - Unsuccessful Spay. Anyone have experience with Suprelorin implant and/or spay? Egg yolk pe

[Wol1]

Quote:
And parasites. They decrease what the chicken's body can absorb. I think this has happened with mine. I need to treat very early in the spring.

Quote: I'm not sure. It seems to work for the factory egg farms. Or, I guess if they die, they're just inventory losses. My girls do forage. We have a portable fence which I move every few days. They are also let out in the evening to forage. And a few usually join me in the garden when I'm working. Lots of BIG juicy, crunchy grasshoppers right now.

My Rhode Island Reds, Black Australorps, and Ameracaunas have done well, with the exception of dear Mary Lou, who has one thing after another. The golden comets are sweet and friendly (except to the other non-golden comet hens), produce lots of eggs, and seem to have a massive mortality rate. If I had purchased these I would be horrified by what I had done by paying to bring them into the world. These were from our neighbors.

 

[Wol1]

Here's a place to buy Cal-Nate generic

http://www.amazon.com/Durvet-Fluids...RQGET1FPV&dpSrc=sims&dpST=_AC_UL160_SR160,160_

 

[kculbert]

Oh my gosh! Just checked back in after a lengthy absence and saw your post Wol1. I am so sorry about Sweetpea but so appreciate your willingness to share. The diagram is awesome and I will definitely reference it if I need to go through another spay. I have no idea if my vet removed Zelda's ovaries or uterus and didn't know enough to ask at the time.

It is about time for Big Fatty to get another Suprelorin implant. She hasn't started squatting or laying yet but her comb is getting big and red again and she is definitely acting like her old bossy self. I am going to wait a little bit and check her every day for signs of distress or difficulty laying eggs. I am stretching it out as long as I can because we just had an MRI and spinal tap done on our French Bulldog at a specialist plus two other dogs on meds and one trip to the emergency vet.

My buff orpington, Ella is dropping shell less eggs at night. I am occasionally finding a soft shelled egg or a odd-shaped and thin-shelled egg in the nest. She is the same age as Big Fatty and poor Zelda.

I logged on to read about proper calcium dosage and am about to go out and give her some liquid calcium. I am going to go ahead and worm them and treat them for mites while I'm at it. I am hoping that I'm not going to be looking at a case of egg peritonitis again. I'm not sure I could handle another surgery, particularly with all that is going on with our dogs.

I hope the calcium will help. If not, I guess we'll try the implant on Ella too.

This is exhausting! Particularly because I think I am pretty much doing everything right.

 

[Chickenwolf]

Kculbert
Have u been giving your hens oyster shell to forage on?
Usually u put it out for calcium consumption
It can be bought at local feedstores
Liquid calcium is good too
Like u have been giving them
As long as they are getting calcium in some form is good
Calcium causes eggshells to be more stable in structure

 

[Wol1]

KCulbert, so sorry to hear of your continuing problems with Ella and Fatty. It's so frustrating. I understand about the cost issue. We have one who had a crop full of gunk that I had to have a vet clean out. She almost starved to death, but is now regaining her strength. She is having diarrhea, though, despite worming with two wormers. My husband's mother died early this month, and he flew back to Taiwan twice within a month. I don't regret the expense at all, but we had to tap our emergency savings. All of our annual/semi-annual bills (life insurance, car/home insurance, etc} are due this month, too. And the dog got cut on the fence and needed to see the vet and get stitches and medications. Aargh! The thought of taking this chicken back to the vet is stressful.

I was still getting softshell and deformed eggs, and many fewer eggs than usual the last few weeks. Eight or nine/day out of 20 hens, with only a few starting to molt. I started putting the calcium gluconate in their drinking water (about 2.5 ml/gallon - a complete guess}. They have been laying more eggs, and the shells are much stronger. I have no proof it's because of the calcium gluconate. I'm going to keep using it weekly and see if the improvement continues.

If anyone has two flocks with problems, it would be helpful to all of us do a slightly more scientific test and give one flock the calcium gluconate but not the other.

Chickenwolf, I give mine layer feed and they have access to oyster shell and eggshells. They consume both rapidly. Since chickens seem able to choose what they need, it seems they simply aren't getting enough calcium. The vet who saw my two with egg peritonitis asked about feed and calcium supplements and said I was doing everything right. Since they were both golden comets, he thought it may be a breed issue, as they have laid an egg a day for 2 1/2 years without a molt.

 

[Chickenwolf]

Ok
Both u guys hang in there. I hope things will get better soon.

 

[mg15]

Sweetpea died yesterday. She was successfully spayed, which I will write about later, as I learned so much important information. She was recovering excellently, and I took her back yesterday for a follow-up check and antibiotic injection. They took her to the back for the injection. The vet said that when the tech lifted her up so he could give her the injection, Sweetpea had some kind of attack/seizure and just dropped dead. He tried to rescusitate her, but couldn't. I have been in a state of grieving disbelief. Shock. Brought her home and buried her next to Honeybun.. Upshot of the spaying is that it is only necessary to remove a portion of the oviduct and uterus. I will be back with info on that soon. RIP Sweetpea (golden comet next to Ameracauna) Feb 2013-Aug 2015.

So sorry I have been following you. This thread and I understand

 

[Wol1]

Thank you, MG15. I knew when we got the girls, the day would come when they would die, but it's still hard. They each have their personality. I think I'm approaching the point where I realize it might be best to shower them with affection, and put them down while holding them, like I did with Honeybun. She felt safe with me and just drifted away on my lap. Sweetpea..... it hurts that she was possibly frightened and I wasn't there to reassure her. I really don't want that to happen again.

 

[mg15]

I am at the same juncture. A+ and Speckles both succumbed out of my sight and had been staying at the vets for recovery
A+ was in awful shape with the perontinitis. Rushed her to the Doctor but she died on the table
Never again and I hope the girls yours and mine health.

 

[kculbert]

It's all so terrible, isn't it? We get chickens and are so excited about the eggs. Then the process of egg production kills them. Ella has stopped laying and dropping eggs. I do not feel any swelling in her abdomen thus far so I am hoping for the best.