The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Poultry & Waterfowl => Topic started by: egbert on September 21, 2010, 02:18:24 pm
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OK - what on earth has happened to my happy chook house!
This morning my 4 chooks were wandering about happily. I noticed a large egg from one of the ex-bats I got in April which was a normal egg but sitting in a very wet patch with bloody streaks on it.
Just been called out now by my inlaws who have seen the ex-bat lying on her side, still alive barely, with the other 3 eating her alive from the bottom end. YUCH! The poor chook is completely red raw and bleeding from her bum, and absolutely stinks. :'(
What on earth is wrong with her? And my god, why are chickens so nasty! :-\
Definitely the last dinosaurs! :-\
Anyway, I got them away from her - she did one almighty jump in the air but is still moving. I have put her in a cat box, but TBH I dont expect her to last more than an hour. I have called my neighbour to come dispatch her for me, but he wont be here till after work. Not sure what else I can do. ???
I am having a bad week. Yesterday I found out I may be losing my job. Today I am losing a hen. I may just hide in bed with my kids all day tomorrow, I don't want to lose a 3rd thing. :-\ :-\ :-\
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I don't know, sorry, but doesn't sound good :( From what I've read about chooks they can gang up on an individual one and be quite vicious, but someone from here with more experience will perhaps give you a better answer.
As for the job, that's a real toughy, I hope it works out for you.
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They can pick on one another as a pecking order but i would have thought this is a chook that they see as having a virus or health issue detrimental to the flock, they will kill a bird if it is a threat, just like crows or jackdaws.
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If they see any cut or split or redness hens tend to home in on it and peck, especially around the vent.
Not much you can do for her I guess, but may be handy to have some anti feather pecking spray or stockholm tar ready in case it starts to happen with any others.
Thanks
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If they see any cut or split or redness hens tend to home in on it and peck, especially around the vent.
Just about to say the same thing... any small wound etc can be made tons worse in a short space of time...
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I agree with what everyone above has said, as my nasty Black Rocks are forever pecking each other & drawing blood, even though i spray them with anti-peck.
Just gotta keep her isolated for a few days & her wounds clean.
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she may have prolapsed and then the other chickens will attack.
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i agree with ellisr.you need to kill her now. she will be in a lot of pain. the sad news is she would most likely have died from it even if the others had not helped. nothing you have done could have helped its just unlucky for the chuck. sorry that your losing your job.
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Whats a prolapse?
She is dead now, and stiff so looks like she went very quickly after being put in the cat box. :-\
Poor lady. :(
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OK - Have now looked at prolapse. Thats makes sense as the egg was large this am.
I assume that her eggs are fine - although a little offputting knowing it was bloody and the cause of her horrific death. ???
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The eggs will be fine it is an unfortunate freak of nature when this happens but we all have to just handle it in the most humane way possible and the quicker the better.
Sorry for your loss I know how it feels the fox has just wiped out my chickens and geese in broad daylight.
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Sorry to hear that Ellis :-\
Poor chooks have a lot of nasty ways to go - what a life!
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Sorry to hear the bad news egbert on both fronts.
Don't worry about the third thing tho' - that is just a myth. Believe that things will get better. :)
Really sorry to hear about your losses to ellisr
Ian
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it must just be a bad few day for hen's dying, i have lost more this week than i have in 3years :'(
sorry for everyones losses, in cases like this sometimes it's best not to dwell on it, and move on
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Must be the time of year - Sandy lost two last week, I lost one 2 days ago and another about 2 weeks ago. Very nearly lost my two new LS babies - they went AWOL at teatime yesterday and I had to go out and leave them. It was pitch black when i go back so went out to the paddock with a torch and a dog and found no sign of them. When I went out this morning they were in the run so they must have been there all night. I never checked that!
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I had this happen to one of my hens, i caught the offender in the middle of eating the egg while the chicken was trying to laying it, if you have hens that eat the eggs this can be the next step for them as they wait for eggs to be laid, sometimes if they can see the egg they will start before it is laid and then cause damage to the laying hen. I culled the offending hen immediately as I did not want her to start on the next hen. Hens can be canabalistic, I have used purple spray on a damaged chicken, they seem to leave it alone then.
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I was told that purple spray seals in an infection. Anyone else heard that?
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;) i have had groups of chickens attack one or two chickens until blood is drew, when anti peck and stockholm tar have failed i use bumpers / glasses as a instant fix, not the easiest things to fit but 100% results and much better than loosing a bird, i keep them in stock all he time just incase.
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they are not kind, but nature rarely is...in my early days with birds some drakes killed a sick duck by gangraping her, poor thing could not get away. but same here, she probably would have died anyway, just a little later...
So sorry to hear about your job, hope all will work out :&>
Chickenfeed - can you elaborate bumpers and glasses??? :&>
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Sorry egbert, I hope things work out. I have lost one recently too. My lovely friend Ros told me that if you see a chicken is sick it is often too late to help them. They tend to hide their illnesses because if they show weakness the top of the pecking order tend to pile in for the kill.
I sincerely wish your problems are holding a blessing that will open doors in your life. Sending Love. Julia XXX :love:
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Horrid but nature, my brother told me about the chap who had a headless chicken and it lived for 18nts!! google headless chicken!
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:wave: sorry i just took it for granted bumpers were well known about my greatgrand father used them.
i buy mine from my local merchant, ebay has them on atm item no 290477828693. glasses i have not used myself but know of people that do google them or look them up in a old poultry book. when i use them i put one on each bird thus putting a end to pecking order and letting injuries heal, they dont look nice a first the chickens can still eat, drink and preen itself just cant pluck other birds or peck at flesh.
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Sorry to hear about all the dead chooks.
I've lost 3 myself in the last 3 weeks :'(
Maybe there is something in the air!
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Hi Annie
We use purple spray for the horses have used it for years on cuts and grazes etc, also used it on the dog when he lost a dew claw, never had a problem with it but I guess there is always the chance that it could seal infection, I wouldn't use it unless i had cleaned up the wound first and flushed it out, then dry and use the purple spray, that way it should work.
Dawn
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The more you read about chickens it can put you off, now I don't feel so bad about getting some to eat!!!!! I just read that the heads blink etc for ages when they are cut off, I know the legs twitch....blimy, fancy seeing a whole lot running around headless...youre not having me on are you??????? I mean articles on google are not fact ALL the time ;) Anyway, my father in law used to spray that purple stuff on my hands when I had dermititus from working in my cafe years ago, it did look very attractive :o
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Hi Sandy, purple hands! lovely, I presume it is the same stuff (Gentian Violet) that we used to be given for babies when they had thrush in the mouth, imagine how I used to look when I was breastfeeding, purple hands dont seem so bad now eh LOL.
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I had that too!!!!!!!!!!! very pretty, I love purple!