| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| farmmilkmama |
Posted - Aug 17 2011 : 07:20:20 AM
We had to do a mercy killing this morning. 
Does anyone know what was wrong with this chicken? About a week ago she started acting weird and hanging out by herself in the yard. A couple days later she would be sleeping all the time and laying down. Two days ago she wouldn't leave the coop. Last night we went in to close up the coop and all the other chickens were walking on her and picking at her. We put her in a crate to separate her from flock and gave her food and water. This morning she was still alive but I realized I needed the crate to move the babies outside for the day and when I went to move her she couldn't move the bottom half of her body and the bottom of the crate was covered in lime greenish/yellowish stuff. She never moved after that, but was still "alive". Her stomach was huge and rock hard.
Does anyone know what happened? We've never had this particular thing happen before.
--* FarmMilkMama *--
Farmgirl Sister #1086
Be yourself.
Everyone else is already taken.
-Oscar Wilde
www.farmfoodmama.blogspot.com
www.thehmmmschoolingmom.blogspot.com |
| 12 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| batznthebelfry |
Posted - Aug 20 2011 : 1:50:06 PM
Amy honey you are not a dork...lol.....chickens are a hard animal since they have so many different ailments with all different things that can go on.....its so easy to miss things with them as one day they are running, eating ect, next day they are dead & you never saw it coming...hang in there sweetie...they are worth it....Michele'
Chickens rule!
The Old Batz Farm
Hen #2622 |
| JessieLovesToCraft |
Posted - Aug 20 2011 : 07:48:01 AM
sorry about the loss of your chicken :(
Farmgirl Sister #3404
Jessie
A wise girl knows her limits, but a real girl realizes she doesn't have any! |
| farmmilkmama |
Posted - Aug 20 2011 : 04:41:55 AM
Michele - thanks for the explanation - I think from what you described it was a blocked gizzard. My chickens are free range and have total access to grass and all sorts of other things. I'd never heard of this one before! Thanks for all the information - I'm such a dork, I didn't even know until know that a pale comb meant something. :)
--* FarmMilkMama *--
Farmgirl Sister #1086
Be yourself.
Everyone else is already taken.
-Oscar Wilde
www.farmfoodmama.blogspot.com
www.thehmmmschoolingmom.blogspot.com |
| batznthebelfry |
Posted - Aug 18 2011 : 12:09:56 PM
When you say her tummy area was hard do you mean the area under her or the area where her crop is?...if its the under part of her & she is having a lime green & yellow poo I would say from experience she had a blocked gizzard...they can still poo but its always the colors, texture that you are noticing.....they will start to grow weak...the crop area will not empty as fast or not at all....there is no way to help them when this happens because by the time she started to act off she was already in big trouble.....does your chickens have access to grass? this is the biggest problem for gizzard bound...the long blades get twisted up like a nest inside & the gizzard can't cut it all up to get it out so the other food that goes in gets less & less because the grass is taking up all the room in it....so they are starving to death....there is no way to stop this if you free range but if you have them in a run make sure any grass they get is cut very short & don't give them lots of grass clipping at one time cause they will over eat it if not used to it....I have only been able to save one gizzard bound hen by massaging the gizzard & feeding her only very wet feed...it took over a week of many daily messages but in the end she was able to poo correctly....
if the crop area at the neck was what you were talking about then she was crop bound.....she wasn't drinking enough water & the feed sorta cemented inside her....but with that one you would have seen her throwing up or spiting up any water she drank...the front of her would have been all wet....if this should ever happen take a syringe of warm water & force it down her...massage the area until its lose, put more water in her & then grab her legs, turn her head down to the ground & massage the area to force it out...do not leave her down too long...bring her back up repeat water, turn her down again & massage to make her throw up, repeat until its clear water coming out....now she will be very tired so put her in a dark safe area to rest until she is up & moving on her own...This one is dangerous but if you notice a hard crop area deal with it as quickly as you can & you should be able to save her...feed some wet feed or wet raw oatmeal for a few hours.
A pale crown & waddles indicts low white blood cells & no panting....if ever pale purple or deep purple indicts low oxygen & they try to pant or take very large breaths.
I hope this helps you in the future...but I so understand the mercy killing & you did the right thing for that hen.
someone mentioned egg bound....with this you would have seen her waddling side to side & her wings down maybe dragging the ground..the hardness of the body would have been up closer to her vent area & back...plus if you massaged her you would have felt the egg up closer to the back area not under her.....Michele"
Chickens rule!
The Old Batz Farm
Hen #2622 |
| oldbittyhen |
Posted - Aug 17 2011 : 11:53:57 AM
I sure hope it does not happen again...
"Knowlege is knowing that a tomato is a fruit, Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad" |
| farmmilkmama |
Posted - Aug 17 2011 : 11:48:42 AM
Thanks Tina and Cindy for your suggestions! I guess at this point we won't know since we didn't do any "internal investigation". If it happens again though I think we might.
--* FarmMilkMama *--
Farmgirl Sister #1086
Be yourself.
Everyone else is already taken.
-Oscar Wilde
www.farmfoodmama.blogspot.com
www.thehmmmschoolingmom.blogspot.com |
| oldbittyhen |
Posted - Aug 17 2011 : 11:42:43 AM
usualy when their comb/wattle is pale, it means they are old/older and they are no longer laying, but, from what you described, and she was young yet, it could have been a tumor also, chickens do get cancer, unless you want to do a nercropsy(sp), you probaly will never know for sure...
"Knowlege is knowing that a tomato is a fruit, Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad" |
| farmmilkmama |
Posted - Aug 17 2011 : 11:30:32 AM
Nope, 2010 and I just looked and she hatched out end of June actually. So June of 2010. So...14 months old?
--* FarmMilkMama *--
Farmgirl Sister #1086
Be yourself.
Everyone else is already taken.
-Oscar Wilde
www.farmfoodmama.blogspot.com
www.thehmmmschoolingmom.blogspot.com |
| oldbittyhen |
Posted - Aug 17 2011 : 11:25:48 AM
May of this year?
"Knowlege is knowing that a tomato is a fruit, Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad" |
| farmmilkmama |
Posted - Aug 17 2011 : 09:37:10 AM
Tina - she was born last May, her wattle and comb were pale pink.
--* FarmMilkMama *--
Farmgirl Sister #1086
Be yourself.
Everyone else is already taken.
-Oscar Wilde
www.farmfoodmama.blogspot.com
www.thehmmmschoolingmom.blogspot.com |
| oldbittyhen |
Posted - Aug 17 2011 : 09:27:02 AM
she could have had a stroke, she may have something in her craw that would not break down and caused a blockage, she could have eaten something that was poisenous, and as Cindy said, could be egg bound, how old was she, was her comb and wattle still deep red...
"Knowlege is knowing that a tomato is a fruit, Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad" |
| prariehawk |
Posted - Aug 17 2011 : 08:41:45 AM
I'm sorry you lost your chicken. Could she have been egg-bound? Maybe the egg didn't develop right?
Cindy
"Vast floods can't quench love, no matter what love did/ Rivers can't drown love, no matter where love's hid"--Sinead O'Connor
"In many ways, you don't just live in the country, it lives inside you"--Ellen Eilers
Visit my blog at http://www.farmerinthebelle.blogspot.com/ |
