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Barnyard Buddies:  new chicken mama w/ maybe an ill 9 month old hen  |
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CascadeFootHillsFarmgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
133 Posts
Stephanie
Granite Falls
Wa.
USA
133 Posts |
 Posted - Jan 03 2011 : 5:40:12 PM
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Hi Ladies,
My Dominique is not acting normal today. She's sitting in the nesting box and chatting at me in a different tone. She does like to sit but has never stayed this long.
That being said it is very cold here, almost a week of under 40. We have snow and ice on the ground and I'd probably like to nest in too if I were a hen.
But she is acting slightly weak too. After calling the co-ops I was told to look for discharge from the nose area for an air sack issue and to put her on antibiotics OR that it could be a blown out egg or she could be egg bound.
So I separated her, gave her fresh water and food. Put about a teaspoon of raw apple cider vinegar in her water (for the first time) and got a heat lamp on above her. She is in the garage. With in a few minutes she is up eating, flew up to the side of the brooder and is acting a bit more herself.
Please tell me what you think is going on.
My fear is that she was limpy when I tried to move her off the eggs.....could she just be broody? I wouldn't know what that looks like.
We don't have a rooster.
Thanks,
Stephanie
"A cabin with plenty of food is better than a hungry castle." Irish Quote |
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CascadeFootHillsFarmgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
133 Posts
Stephanie
Granite Falls
Wa.
USA
133 Posts |
Posted - Jan 03 2011 : 5:46:34 PM
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just in the time I wrote that out I went back in and she has had diarrhea 2 times, the first one not as loose but the second one is very runny.
PS what do I do for the other hens...? I am going to scrub all I can and replace all their bedding. There are some frozen things I can not fix tonight.
The weather is supposed to warm up tomorrow and then I can I give it even a more complete cleaning.
Thanks!
"A cabin with plenty of food is better than a hungry castle." Irish Quote |
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sherrye
True Blue Farmgirl
3775 Posts
sherry
bend in the high desert
oregon
USA
3775 Posts |
Posted - Jan 03 2011 : 6:39:11 PM
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hi stephanie, so sorry your girl is sick. do you have corn meal. it will help tighten her poo. did she have runny poop before the vinegar? there are a lot of live enzymes in the vinegar. if she is not used to it, it could have gotten things going. does she have a runny nose? is she puffy faced. the vinegar is a good thing for her. corn meal will help. i would give her yogurt or probios or raw milk to drink. she could be broody. since she is alone now. i would give her an egg or two. or a golf ball to sit on. if she is broody she will not leave her nest box. since you are in wash. its surely winter. not best time for chicks. let us know what you figure out. hope this helps some happy days sherrye
the learn as we go silk purse farm
farm girl #1014
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sherrye
True Blue Farmgirl
3775 Posts
sherry
bend in the high desert
oregon
USA
3775 Posts |
Posted - Jan 03 2011 : 6:46:16 PM
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just received your email stephanie, please let me know if she still acts sick. i will help all i can. happy days sherye
the learn as we go silk purse farm
farm girl #1014
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CascadeFootHillsFarmgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
133 Posts
Stephanie
Granite Falls
Wa.
USA
133 Posts |
Posted - Jan 03 2011 : 7:21:22 PM
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Thanks for the note. She is in the garage, warm and toasty, she is pooping a lot. I will give her some corn mean to nibble on. I had never given them any acv until tonight once I moved her in here. I thought I'd use it as my "medicine" until I heard from you all. I just gave maybe a tsp her water. It's a chick waterer, not sure what size, maybe 3 cups or so of water.
I do have some probiotics and I will give her a smidgen of that too. I will give her 2 eggs back and let her sit. I bet it'll calm her down.
She's always been our little sitter and come to think of it she's been sitting a lot more lately. I thought it was just b/c it was cold out for the last 5 days.
She did lay today, that is good news right?
She is also eating and drinking.
If she gets perky again....she's not even laying down now...she's up and flying up to the sides of the brooder,
when should I put her back in the hen house?
update: just went in and she is roosting on the edge of the brooder (we didn't put the chicken wire lid on.
I took 2 eggs from today in and she looked at them eagerly. Then I placed her down by them and she started making a sweet clucky sound like I have been hearing a lot of lately and started nudging them under her.
Right now, all is normal.
So....what does a broody hen do? Do they come off just to eat and drink?
How long will it last, do they keep laying if you take the eggs out daily? She sits on everyone elses eggs daily.
Thanks for writing.
Stephanie and our Dominique (Little Amelia)
"A cabin with plenty of food is better than a hungry castle." Irish Quote |
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kristin sherrill
True Blue Farmgirl
11303 Posts
kristin
chickamauga
ga
USA
11303 Posts |
Posted - Jan 03 2011 : 8:28:32 PM
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Sounds like a broody hen to me. But that's strange in this weather. Mine aren't even laying right now. maybe 1 or 2 every few days. But it does sound like yours is. Mine would make that clucky noise too. And it takes 21 days to hatch chicken eggs. Some hens will get up to eat once a day. But most of mine do not. I always keep food and water in the crate with them just on case. But most will stay the whole time on the nest. I have a mamma and her 5 chicks still in a coop. I opened the door for them to go outside today but they didn't. It was a beautiful day too. They are about 2 months old now.
I hope that's all that's wrong with her. I'm sure she's loving the heat though.
Kris
Happiness is simple. |
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CascadeFootHillsFarmgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
133 Posts
Stephanie
Granite Falls
Wa.
USA
133 Posts |
Posted - Jan 03 2011 : 10:38:27 PM
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She is roosting for the night.
I fed her some peas rolled in corn meal and pro-biotics. She ate 5 peas.
She did drink and eat earlier.
She has a sweet cooing noise when I kneel and talk to her.
I am thinking she was just broody and maybe had weak legs from sitting all day long. I'd thought she was possibly egg bound b/c she seemed weak and just wanted to squat. I will keep an eye on her for sure.
Thanks for your notes!
"A cabin with plenty of food is better than a hungry castle." Irish Quote |
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sherrye
True Blue Farmgirl
3775 Posts
sherry
bend in the high desert
oregon
USA
3775 Posts |
Posted - Jan 04 2011 : 07:38:43 AM
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good morning stephanie, i am hoping your little amelia is better today. i need to ask. you checked her bum for a broke egg? just lift her up and gently touch her area around her vent. like touching a souffle.you do not want to crack one while checking. i assume no runny nose or puffy face. is her poo better? chicken poo is made up of dark poopy part and the white is urine type stuff. so if she is stressed it would be runny also. i think she is up and out of the nest box because of new surroundings. i agree with kris. she is probably broody. its up to you, do you want chicks in 21 days. lots a work in cold climate. if she is better today i might think about putting her back in with her friends. keep an eye on her. keep your hospital room set up. if you need it it would be ready for you. i like to prepare and be ready for challenges when they come. i am looking now at another milking machine so i have back up.we are buying a incubator soon. we are going to do our own eggs to chicks. we like to have around 150 hens producing eggs. they are the money that helps feed the bugger livestock hay. well hope she is better and you can rest. papa and i are smack dab in the middle of oregon. cold yes was 6 the other night. rather normal for now. happy days sherrye
the learn as we go silk purse farm
farm girl #1014
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RedHoopWoman
True Blue Farmgirl
513 Posts
Kathryn
Yoder
Colorado
USA
513 Posts |
Posted - Jan 04 2011 : 09:07:32 AM
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It sounds like coccidiosis is affecting your hen,this will cause a weak disposition and diarrhea with a roached back that progresses to bloody diarrhea and death of the bird,there are many different types of protozoa that cause this,for conventional treatment you would have to take a sample of the stool to a vet to identify the right one and then treat with the appropriate coccidiostat as they are not all the same,you can get coccidiostats over the counter at farm supply stores or hatcheries but you'll be kind of rolling the dice on whether they will be effective on treating the particular bug affecting your hen.
You can cull the bird or try treating her with doses of garlic,giving a smashed,well pulped clove a day along with some bran mash and honey as a restorative,a pen filler or 3cc plastic syringe with the end cut off works well for dosing chickens.
Comfrey leaves and other fresh bitter greens might help and warm bran mashes,cultured buttermilk and plenty of honey will help support her.
"Today's Mighty Oak is just Yesterday's Nut" |
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CascadeFootHillsFarmgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
133 Posts
Stephanie
Granite Falls
Wa.
USA
133 Posts |
Posted - Jan 06 2011 : 5:28:23 PM
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Thanks for the help and information.
It turns out to be just a mopey broody hen. Thank goodness she is fine, healthy.
These Dominiques have given me the biggest scares. Once when they moved out of the brooder they were sun bathing and I thought they were dying in the heat.
Now a broody, chattering and dreamy eyed "I don't want to be taken off the nest so I am not going to stand up" hen. Then she snaps out of it and runs down the ramp. She laid today so maybe she's only 1/2 broody. Anyways, glad I learned about it now.
Hopefully my fear and freaking out will help someone down the road!
Thanks again ladies,
Stephanie & Amelia
"A cabin with plenty of food is better than a hungry castle." Irish Quote |
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msdoolittle
True Blue Farmgirl
1152 Posts
Amanda
East Texas
USA
1152 Posts |
Posted - Jan 06 2011 : 8:35:04 PM
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I'd say with 99% surety that you have a broody (which you now know). Yes, initially it will freak you out, but it's perfectly normal. It is a bit odd to happen in winter, but no one told the hen that, right? lol. I would only advise to hold off on antibiotics in any of these unsure situations in the future (which you did). No one wants a sick animal, but antibiotics are just not needed as much as you'd think.
I have had coccidiosis in my flock (very common in warm wet weather, usually when they are 3 months old or so), and now I have avian pox (also a fairly common ailment). Neither of which require the use of antibiotics as the primary drug of choice.
You did the right thing by isolating, keeping her warm, and watching her food/water intake. Good job.
FarmGirl #1390
www.mylittlecountry.wordpress.com |
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Barnyard Buddies: new chicken mama w/ maybe an ill 9 month old hen |
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new chicken mama w/ maybe an ill 9 month old hen
