When is it time to put down a chicken? EDIT: Hen died

[peterlund]

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How deep would you need to go into the skin? I know that many times humans have abscesses that cause issues (nerve, toxicity etc.... ) so I would give this a try... Not sure what I would need to expect in depth of the actual lance or what do do there after.... ? Suture?

 

[Jeffross1968]

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I can tell you for sure that when our BO had bumblefoot, I called every vet inside an hour from my house. None dealt with poultry. I called two TSC's, one 25 minutes in one direction, the other 45 minutes in the other, and they had no ideas for me. I called my local feed store, and one about 30 miles away, and neither knew of any vets that dealt with poultry. So, I'm not saying some people haven't put forth the effort, but I did at least check.

 

[CMV]

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Not usually that deep- maybe an 1/8 of an inch. I like to use a sterile Exacto knife so you can cut it as wide or as narrow as you like, and still use the fine tip to help scrape out the goo.

Ksane-Not too many people can afford to take their chickens to vets. We'd love to, but in this tough economy it is not always possible. Please don't judge. It's not helpful to the situation.

 

[Ksane]

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Not judging at all. He said they're pets but then added "not like our dog of course". It doesn't sound like money was the issue. Please don't YOU judge. It's all a matter of priorities and seldom do chickens rate very high on the list. Oftentimes the same people who claim they can't "afford" a vet visit are the people with new cars, new furniture, vacations, etc. Claiming you can't "afford" a vet isn't always the honest truth. When I worked at a vet clinic we put down many many dogs that owners claimed they couldn't "afford" to treat. Then they'd drive off in their Mercedes. If one were to be honest it wasn't that they couldn't afford it, it's that the animal didn't mean enough to them. Just trying to be honest instead of hypocritical.
And Jeffross-if you ask if they'll see poulty you'll get a no. If you ask if they'll see birds, they do. People don't consider chickens 'worthy' of vet care, vets included sometimes.

 

[Jeffross1968]

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Not judging at all. He said they're pets but then added "not like our dog of course". It doesn't sound like money was the issue. Please don't YOU judge. It's all a matter of priorities and seldom do chickens rate very high on the list. Oftentimes the same people who claim they can't "afford" a vet visit are the people with new cars, new furniture, vacations, etc. Claiming you can't "afford" a vet isn't always the honest truth. When I worked at a vet clinic we put down many many dogs that owners claimed they couldn't "afford" to treat. Then they'd drive off in their Mercedes. If one were to be honest it wasn't that they couldn't afford it, it's that the animal didn't mean enough to them. Just trying to be honest instead of hypocritical.
And Jeffross-if you ask if they'll see poulty you'll get a no. If you ask if they'll see birds, they do. People don't consider chickens 'worthy' of vet care, vets included sometimes.

Well, I didn't ask about poultry or birds. I specifically asked if they treated chickens, and was told no. As for the money issue, not that it's anyone's business, but that is partially the issue. That's why I called locally, and am not willing to travel 3 hours to Raleigh or something. I'm sorry if not putting my chickens on the same level as my dog is offensive to someone, but that's the case. Everyone gets to draw that line somewhere, and I, personally, would not presume to tell someone else where to draw that line. As a chicken owner, you should understand that there are a great many animal activists that don't believe you should cage animals at all.

So yes, I could take some of the money I had set aside to buy my children Christmas presents, hop in my 1988 Jeep Laredo with a broken leaf spring, and drive 6 hours round trip to a vet to diagnose a chicken that might likely die anyway. Or, I could put it out of it's misery (the hen died yesterday on it's own, and the roo I culled today), maybe even shed a tear at their passing, and remember them for the healthy birds they were. And then sit outside with my remaining flock, have an adult beverage, and remember that everyone is different, and try not to be judgmental about the way other people live their lives or treat their family, pets, and tomato plants.

 

[indi]

I am truly sorry for the loss of your two chickens. I was going to say something about something but I can't remember so I'll just say I am really sorry. They are happy now.

 

[CMV]

Sorry for your loss.

 

[andrea98]

Did you cut the growth on the rooster to see if it was a tumor or a pocket of puss? I'm sorry for the loss of both of them

 

[speckledhen]

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Considering that the hen was a sex link, a high production hen, could very well be that she had egg yolk peritionitis or was laying internally or had impacted oviduct, all of which are related and could be interchangeable terms in that there is no cure. It's a chronic condition with these hatchery hens. Chicken hens are the only animal on the planet who get spontaneous ovarian tumors like human women. I just lost one who had a large fibroid mass blocking her oviduct, not a classic internal layer, but same outward appearance/downhill slide and outcome. Nothing to be done.

Egg binding is not the same as internal laying--egg bound means there is an actual egg blocking the oviduct that may be in a bad position or too large to pass and you can sometimes maneuver that out of the hen yourself. Internal laying is not anything you can fix.

 

[Jeffross1968]

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Considering that the hen was a sex link, a high production hen, could very well be that she had egg yolk peritionitis or was laying internally or had impacted oviduct, all of which are related and could be interchangeable terms in that there is no cure. It's a chronic condition with these hatchery hens. Chicken hens are the only animal on the planet who get spontaneous ovarian tumors like human women. I just lost one who had a large fibroid mass blocking her oviduct, not a classic internal layer, but same outward appearance/downhill slide and outcome. Nothing to be done.

Egg binding is not the same as internal laying--egg bound means there is an actual egg blocking the oviduct that may be in a bad position or too large to pass and you can sometimes maneuver that out of the hen yourself. Internal laying is not anything you can fix.

You know, considering she was a high production hen, we were just talking about how she never really got up to speed on laying. At her best, she'd lay 2 in a row and take a day off. Sometimes only a day in a row. Then, at the same time she turned lethargic, she stopped laying. Or she might have stopped laying a day prior. Would the poor laying for her breed have signaled an issue? Or just coincidence...