What did you do with your flock today?

[PopoMyers]

Well, today found one of the hens have a prolapse and vent gleet. I saw it as she went to roost, so she was easy to catch. I had put her in a cage, went to do something and she had gotten out.! She got to roam the yard for awhile, and it was dusk, so I approached her, and she actually didn't run, let me pick her up, and then put her in a more secure cage. For tonight she is on a table under the porch roof. I will begin treatment tomorrow. The prolapse isn't as bad as Pepper had a couple years ago, so hopefully it won't take 3 weeks.

 

[Shetland lover]

Well, today found one of the hens have a prolapse and vent gleet. I saw it as she went to roost, so she was easy to catch. I had put her in a cage, went to do something and she had gotten out.! She got to roam the yard for awhile, and it was dusk, so I approached her, and she actually didn't run, let me pick her up, and then put her in a more secure cage. For tonight she is on a table under the porch roof. I will begin treatment tomorrow. The prolapse isn't as bad as Pepper had a couple years ago, so hopefully it won't take 3 weeks.

You've got this! It'll be much easier dealing with it having gone through it before. Wishing her a speedy recovery!

 

[PopoMyers]

You've got this! It'll be much easier dealing with it having gone through it before. Wishing her a speedy recovery!

The end of her comb is a bit bluish. Is this a sign of something else? To my surprise, she did not become anxious or jumpy, was just still and relaxed in her soak and blowdry without my holding her at all. How can I tell if she is trying to pass an egg? her belly didn't seem distended, and her vent is not pulsing, and she is passing small poops. I put her back in her cage, and she is happily eating birdseed candy and drinking. I did pop a 600 mg calcium tablet in her beak.

 

[Jenbirdee]

I had to rescue my Ducks several times today from all the light branches falling out of the trees. It’s such a windy day. They were screaming and hiding under bushes every time a branch fell. I had to come out and pick it up.

 

[SkyAJK]

With my flock today I will give my 100% attention to my sweet Isa Brown girl - Basil, she is on the verge of having reproductive issue.

Her feather is tatted, she is skinny, her comb is looking almost like swollen, and the colour is pale pink. I love her so much, I am too scare to eat her eggs because it took so much from her to produce a big egg each day. She is only 2 years old. I think about what to do for her in my waking hours.

She run to me whenever she has issue or being bully by the other. I run to her for a big hug and cuddle.

 

[Shetland lover]

View attachment 4242790
The end of her comb is a bit bluish. Is this a sign of something else? To my surprise, she did not become anxious or jumpy, was just still and relaxed in her soak and blowdry without my holding her at all. How can I tell if she is trying to pass an egg? her belly didn't seem distended, and her vent is not pulsing, and she is passing small poops. I put her back in her cage, and she is happily eating birdseed candy and drinking. I did pop a 600 mg calcium tablet in her beak.

A bluish or purple tint to the comb can indicate issues with the cardiovascular system as it can show that there is insufficient blood oxygen.
However, your girl has a large comb so given the small amount of blue, it could just be that that part of the comb is cold, you know like how we can get a blue tinge to our fingers in cold weather. Her comb looks otherwise red and isn't shrivelled, which are good signs. My boys' combs sometimes look like that on colder days so to reassure myself it's unlikely to be a cardiovascular problem, I gently massage the bluish area for few seconds. If the blue/purple colour goes almost immediately, I figure it's likely just cold.
I would keep a closer eye on your girl, given she's not well but I wouldn't panic unduly.
As far as trying to lay is concerned, if she's a normal weight you can usually feel if there's an egg if you feel from the cloaca down towards the belly. You can also try to feel internally for an egg but use lots of lubricant and go very carefully because of her prolapse. If an egg is stuck, hens often pass no stool or have watery diarrhea so if her poops are normal, it's usually a good sign. If there is an egg stuck, repeat the calcium and the Epsom salt bath. Also, don't forget to switch her to an all corn diet and try to limit the amount of light she receives. We need her to go off lay so she gets chance to heal that prolapse. Hemorrhoid cream is good for shrinking swollen tissue and keep the area clean.

 

[PopoMyers]

A bluish or purple tint to the comb can indicate issues with the cardiovascular system as it can show that there is insufficient blood oxygen.
However, your girl has a large comb so given the small amount of blue, it could just be that that part of the comb is cold, you know like how we can get a blue tinge to our fingers in cold weather. Her comb looks otherwise red and isn't shrivelled, which are good signs. My boys' combs sometimes look like that on colder days so to reassure myself it's unlikely to be a cardiovascular problem, I gently massage the bluish area for few seconds. If the blue/purple colour goes almost immediately, I figure it's likely just cold.
I would keep a closer eye on your girl, given she's not well but I wouldn't panic unduly.
As far as trying to lay is concerned, if she's a normal weight you can usually feel if there's an egg if you feel from the cloaca down towards the belly. You can also try to feel internally for an egg but use lots of lubricant and go very carefully because of her prolapse. If an egg is stuck, hens often pass no stool or have watery diarrhea so if her poops are normal, it's usually a good sign. If there is an egg stuck, repeat the calcium and the Epsom salt bath. Also, don't forget to switch her to an all corn diet and try to limit the amount of light she receives. We need her to go off lay so she gets chance to heal that prolapse. Hemorrhoid cream is good for shrinking swollen tissue and keep the area clean.

Whew! Thank you for the reassurance. No egg, and she is coming out of her molt, so I don't think she's laying according to how her little vent looks and her narrow pelvic distance. I am letting her have wild bird food(Yay, treats!) and not layer feed. It's not that cold here, for chickens, anyway, but I will keep an eye on her comb. Good news is I tried an essential oil infection blend (my own concoction) along with the miconazole cream and hemorrhoid cream yesterday, and there was no gleet mess on her feathers this morning. Doing today's 2 doses just to be sure it's gone. The prolapse has shrunken as well. Praying this is a one week treatment, and not 3 weeks like I had to do with Pepper 2 years ago.
Other news, the cockerels haven't been mean yet, and are still afraid of the bosses, so for the time being haven't become a gourmet roast yet. There seems to be a small demand for black, or CM roos, so I might be able to sell them for what I paid.
Hiw are your cute littles?

 

[Shetland lover]

I had to rescue my Ducks several times today from all the light branches falling out of the trees. It’s such a windy day. They were screaming and hiding under bushes every time a branch fell. I had to come out and pick it up.

As far as they're concerned, the sky is literally falling in on them...

 

[Shetland lover]

With my flock today I will give my 100% attention to my sweet Isa Brown girl - Basil, she is on the verge of having reproductive issue.

Her feather is tatted, she is skinny, her comb is looking almost like swollen, and the colour is pale pink. I love her so much, I am too scare to eat her eggs because it took so much from her to produce a big egg each day. She is only 2 years old. I think about what to do for her in my waking hours.

She run to me whenever she has issue or being bully by the other. I run to her for a big hug and cuddle.

Poor girl!
Are you able to get superlorin implants in Australia? It's basically a contraceptive/hormonal implant that goes into the chicken's breast and stops them laying for anything up to 6 months.
They're actually designed for dogs but are pretty effective in giving hens a break from laying. Giving them a break is often a great help in staving off reproductive issues and has saved many an ex-battery hen over here.
Isa Browns are a commercial hybrid created for the egg industry and are bred for maximum egg laying not robust health or a long life. Their average lifespan is only 2-4 years.
They are some of the sweetest girls in the chicken world and give the best cuddles. I miss my girls every day

Really hope Basil comes through this

 

[Shetland lover]

Whew! Thank you for the reassurance. No egg, and she is coming out of her molt, so I don't think she's laying according to how her little vent looks and her narrow pelvic distance. I am letting her have wild bird food(Yay, treats!) and not layer feed. It's not that cold here, for chickens, anyway, but I will keep an eye on her comb. Good news is I tried an essential oil infection blend (my own concoction) along with the miconazole cream and hemorrhoid cream yesterday, and there was no gleet mess on her feathers this morning. Doing today's 2 doses just to be sure it's gone. The prolapse has shrunken as well. Praying this is a one week treatment, and not 3 weeks like I had to do with Pepper 2 years ago.
Other news, the cockerels haven't been mean yet, and are still afraid of the bosses, so for the time being haven't become a gourmet roast yet. There seems to be a small demand for black, or CM roos, so I might be able to sell them for what I paid.
Hiw are your cute littles?

Sounds like treatment is going well! Great news

It's not cold here yet either -definitely colder though - but I've noticed that the back quarter inch of Ferdy's and Stan's combs are bluish first thing in the moring and just before bed. Once they get moving their combs are back to normal bright red.

Hopefully your boys will never turn mean, CM roos are pretty even tempered on the whole. Strong girl bosses also help keep them civil. I'm positive that's why Ferdy turned out such a gentle, good boy.

My lot are all doing well. They're all going through a really heavy moult so look dreadful and are a bit short-tempered with the new kittens.
My two new pullets are the friendliest little girls and are growing into lovely little hens. As intended, are giving Gladys a break from Stan's, ahem, 'attentions'. She's 7 early next year so getting a bit long in the tooth for his shenanigans
Ferdy lost his vision in his left eye defending the ladies from an attack from a Peregrine falcon. He's adjusted really well to being blind in one eye. You'd never know just looking at him as he was lucky enough to keep the non-functioning eye.