Video of my sick Hen =(

[poopnroost]

Her age is 6 months she eats a mix of chick starter cracked corn and pellets..... I have the mix because I have younger birds too .. I actually noticed she was acting odd after I gave them yogurt one day could have been I just never noticed she was ill ... they also have treats like watermellon bread strawberries lettuce tomatoes cantalope and they are free to range in their pen area not alot of grass its quite shady I keep them under the trees from view if halks in our area ... All the other hens are very heathly their color is great the are energetic and lively.. Today I placed Grace back in with her sisters ..she is eating and drinking well and i thought she needed to be back to lift her spirits ... I bought meal worms yesterday and she LOVED them ate a bunch and that kind of got her kick started to eat her feed ..now shes eating that too ..
She is acting like any other chicken just not as energetic she seems to be taking it easy and its well deserved for what she has been through .. I also got more antibiotic for the water for all the hens (just in case) I wanted to add a small amount in their water but cant figure out the ratio it doesnt say on the pouch I know it will make 100 gals of 100 mg Tetracycline ..and if you add more the mgs increase..... right now the math skills arent the best and im figuring a 1/4 teaspoon per gal uuugh Im truely guessing of course ... I also wanted to add I wasnt giving them oyster shells yet so i tossed some down on the ground yesterday ... I still feel like Im walking on egg shells (no pun intended) but I dont want to feel too comfortable with her because if its EYP this could be ongoing .... she hasnt laid an egg ..to be honest Ive never seen what hen (s) were laying ... although I know Ive never seen my reds only my whites in the brooding boxes .. I didnt buy my birds for the meat I heard they make lovely pets easy and fun to have children learn from I wanted my grandbabies to learn and help out ..My grandaughter Emily loves them ...i thought the eggs would be a bonus but i could care less if I ever got another egg at all if it would keep Grace from all this again... I love all my animals I have two chihuahuas three RI reds 3 whites two silkie showgirls one is a rooster.. i have i believe he is a Maran roo and Maran hen ..... Im probably giving my maran roo to a friend he loves birds raised roosters before and he fell in love with Gavin my roo when he saw pics i told him I would think about it but seeing he is a mean rooster to the hens he may just get an early christmas presant =) .....

 

[Fly 2006]

OMG, I only caught up with this thread yesterday and have been so hoping for a recovery for your chook, I was teary eyed when I read your update and saw the pics, you really do seem to have pulled her through the worst of whatever she has, well done to you

 

[leadwolf1]

At 6 months old, I wouldn't typically think of EYP. That is usually seen in chickens around 2 - 3 years. Although I'm sure that there are exceptions to that. Is there anyway she could have gotten into something poisonous? Moldy feed?

FYI...at 6 months old, she is a pullet. I think the term hen may have thrown a few of us off. We really should have asked how old she was from the beginning

 

[poopnroost]

geee I learn something new everyday ....Pullet ??? ok ... as far as the EYP the reason I was thinking that is due to finding shell less eggs and broken eggs in the pen area .. one day she was standing next to what looked like just the eggs whites on the ground no shell no yolk ...

I just went to check on her she isnt interested in the banana I just gave them but she was cleaning her feathers etc. she was pecking for bugs and such and looks ok .. Im still worried but a bit relieved.. I gave her another dose of the doxy last night before i went to bed ..

Doxycycline is a very powerful antibiotic I gave her about 150 mg total in the last few days so it wasnt alot but seemed to bring her back from near death.. to see her now you wouldnt know she was the same chicken other then she still isnt 100% ...

Its funny how little the place I got her from knows about chickens I mean I bought her there you would think they would be trained in basic chicken raising info .. there just seems to be noone around other then farmers here and they just tell you to chop their heads off and eat them...

I did what I thought I had to do I was grasping at straws and figured... what do I have to lose ..and was lucky enough to get what ever it was under control for now ..Live and learn I guess ...I know I will lose my babies in time but Im so very blessed she is still here cooing away and making me smile .. I gained alot of insight and plan on getting a book to help me ... so a trip to the book store is in the near future ..

 

[leadwolf1]

It is not unusual for pullets that are just starting to lay to not get the eggs totally right. Shelless, double yolks, tiny, strange shapes are all seen when those pullets are getting their reproductive tract working

I'm so glad that she is doing much better I would give her a few more days of the antibiotic to be safe. No since stopping when you are getting such good results. It was nice of you to share with your girl It's crazy how quickly they get firmly embedded in our hearts

 

[poopnroost]

yes Im still going to give her the antibiotics ..she stayed with her friends all day but im keeping her in a pen alone at night to see if she is laying ..so far nothing ??? and her appetite is odd things she would usually love she is snubbing .. she also acts better alone in the grass getting her food bugs grass stuff like that then with the other birds ,,????? she has me puzzled could she have an egg stuck ?? gosh this is so hard ... we did do a vent check up to our first knuckle and didnt see or feel anything Maybe she hasnt started laying yet ?? so hard to tell with all the birds... her color is better though im really happy with that...

 

[willowbranchfarm]

So glad she is better. You've taught everyone not to give up. Great Job!!!! If you hadn't done what you did she wouldn't have made it.

 

[poopnroost]

For all of you who supported me through Grace's ordeal you will be pleased to know I still have her... In fact all my hens are healthy and happy as too my roos ... I even have new additions to the family .. This site got me through some really hard times (being a newbie at the whole chicken raising thing) .. I recently moved and now my worries have changed from dealing with disease to dealing with wild animals ..I found a baby coyote trying to get a quick meal one morning... good thing my bedroom sliders face the coop and the chickens sounded a warning I chased him away but for days after I kept a close watch.. All I could picture was he left to gather the troops ..its been over a month now haven't seen him or any others but Ive been told that there are other things around Fisher cats etc to worry about .. So no rest for this mother hen..

 

[princess12]

My chicken is acting the same way how to help her????