The Accidental Smallholder Forum

Livestock => Poultry & Waterfowl => Topic started by: egbert on June 22, 2011, 05:56:43 pm

Title: Help - poorly chicken
Post by: egbert on June 22, 2011, 05:56:43 pm
Hi

Can you help work out what is wrong with this chicken - she is our only ex-bat remaining and we have had her over a year. She has a dirty bum, and is all fluffed up and unhappy but we cant feel an egg anywhere, although it could be soft shelled.

We are off now to give her a bath, but her back end looks raw and nasty - I have added a photo, but please note we have lubed her up a bit so it does look a bit more slimy than it is. Any ideas what this could be?

(http://i183.photobucket.com/albums/x105/windy-world/th_photo.jpg) (http://s183.photobucket.com/albums/x105/windy-world/?action=view&current=photo.jpg)
Title: Re: Help - poorly chicken
Post by: It-needed-a-home on June 22, 2011, 06:05:17 pm
Sounds like mites !! Dust her down and she should pick up in a few days
Title: Re: Help - poorly chicken
Post by: egbert on June 22, 2011, 06:07:26 pm
None of theothers have mites though? We have her in a bath and her vent is pulsating madly.
Title: Re: Help - poorly chicken
Post by: Dizzycow on June 22, 2011, 06:12:23 pm
Has she been laying ok up until now? We had a prolapsed chicken who had a tiny, shell less egg stuck en route. I'm sure somebody will know what it is, but this looks as though she is possibly egg bound. This link is useful;

http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/how-to-treat-egg-binding-in-chickens.html (http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/how-to-treat-egg-binding-in-chickens.html)
Title: Re: Help - poorly chicken
Post by: egbert on June 22, 2011, 06:16:39 pm
Thats handy, thanks. We have given her a warm bath for a good 20 minutes, keeping the water warm. Nothing passed, so will have to look at the heat treatment next.
Title: Re: Help - poorly chicken
Post by: egbert on June 22, 2011, 11:25:22 pm
Well 3 hours in a dark box on her own, and she appears to have passed a soft egg (which she was eating by the time we got in there) and seems perkier.  :) :)

Hopefully she will be better tomorrow.

Title: Re: Help - poorly chicken
Post by: Dizzycow on June 23, 2011, 05:20:22 pm
That's brilliant! We kept ours in isolation for a couple of days, just to be on the safe side. She was fairly pee'd off about it, though! Glad all's well.