KippleKat
In the Brooder
- Apr 3, 2020
- 3
- 4
- 11
Hi everyone,
After 7 months of research and getting all the equipment I needed I started my chicken keeping journey 3 weeks ago with a small garden flock of bantams. I researched the best local breeder based on reviews and believed I was getting healthy birds. I visited them multiple times before purchase and never observed anything wrong.
I collected them at 27 weeks old. After a day I had sneezing in the flock andmy Sussex bantam had raspy breathing. I went back to the breeder who gave me the option of returning them or Tylan. I chose the Tylan as I was worried the poor things would be culled if I returned them. After 10 days on Tylan the issues went away and breathing sounded all clear again, I treated the whole flock to be safe. Since then 3 of the four bantams have been laying almost daily, lovely healthy eggs. I let them free range nearly all day and they have access to layers pellets and vitamin enriched water.
The youngest of the flock, a New Hampshire Red bantam has started to show signs of sickness. She was walking about two days ago like she was egg bound and acting lethargic/puffed up, I got ready to do the Epsom salts bath but when I went out to bring her in she had gone into the nest box finally and managed to lay a large egg within an egg, the outer shell was all thin and badly formed with some blood, the egg inside it had a perfect shape and shell formed correctly. (I’ll attach photos) Once she laid it she showed immediate improvement and went back to her normal self.
Two date later and we are back to how she was previously acting the same. She doesn’t show any interest in the nest box at all and she has eaten but not drunk any water that I have seen today. She’s gone back to roost with the others for the night in the coop but is clearly in pain. I gave her two Epsom salt baths today and gently massaged her abdomen, I could feel something but it’s hard to tell what I was meant to feel being a first timer. It seemed squishy but with something that felt like it might be an egg shape in there, I did glove up and attempt the finger into the vent but I didn’t get far enough in before she clearly was upset so I stoped so not to stress her any further.
She spent about 3 hours in the dog crate in doors with food and water today in a warm room. I fed her calcium carbonate on grape halfs as that’s all she seems to be interested in at the moment.
When she went back out after that baths she seemed to perk up for about an hour then started being lethargic again, although she stayed with the flock continually for the rest of the day and came to me when I called her over. However her poop is coming out runny and light brown/yellow.
I understand laying their first eggs can be difficult, but it seems to me like ETP or egg binding issues. I don’t want to see her suffer but I’m also reluctant to give up and have her PTS unless I’ve tried everything I can.
Any suggestions or ideas?
After 7 months of research and getting all the equipment I needed I started my chicken keeping journey 3 weeks ago with a small garden flock of bantams. I researched the best local breeder based on reviews and believed I was getting healthy birds. I visited them multiple times before purchase and never observed anything wrong.
I collected them at 27 weeks old. After a day I had sneezing in the flock andmy Sussex bantam had raspy breathing. I went back to the breeder who gave me the option of returning them or Tylan. I chose the Tylan as I was worried the poor things would be culled if I returned them. After 10 days on Tylan the issues went away and breathing sounded all clear again, I treated the whole flock to be safe. Since then 3 of the four bantams have been laying almost daily, lovely healthy eggs. I let them free range nearly all day and they have access to layers pellets and vitamin enriched water.
The youngest of the flock, a New Hampshire Red bantam has started to show signs of sickness. She was walking about two days ago like she was egg bound and acting lethargic/puffed up, I got ready to do the Epsom salts bath but when I went out to bring her in she had gone into the nest box finally and managed to lay a large egg within an egg, the outer shell was all thin and badly formed with some blood, the egg inside it had a perfect shape and shell formed correctly. (I’ll attach photos) Once she laid it she showed immediate improvement and went back to her normal self.
Two date later and we are back to how she was previously acting the same. She doesn’t show any interest in the nest box at all and she has eaten but not drunk any water that I have seen today. She’s gone back to roost with the others for the night in the coop but is clearly in pain. I gave her two Epsom salt baths today and gently massaged her abdomen, I could feel something but it’s hard to tell what I was meant to feel being a first timer. It seemed squishy but with something that felt like it might be an egg shape in there, I did glove up and attempt the finger into the vent but I didn’t get far enough in before she clearly was upset so I stoped so not to stress her any further.
She spent about 3 hours in the dog crate in doors with food and water today in a warm room. I fed her calcium carbonate on grape halfs as that’s all she seems to be interested in at the moment.
When she went back out after that baths she seemed to perk up for about an hour then started being lethargic again, although she stayed with the flock continually for the rest of the day and came to me when I called her over. However her poop is coming out runny and light brown/yellow.
I understand laying their first eggs can be difficult, but it seems to me like ETP or egg binding issues. I don’t want to see her suffer but I’m also reluctant to give up and have her PTS unless I’ve tried everything I can.
Any suggestions or ideas?
