Implant for Blaze

rick

rick

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Blaze is going to the vet this evening for an implant to stop her laying.
I've been posting bits and pieces about her condition lately but thought it would be good to start a record of what happens next.
She is a 2 1/4 year old commercial hybrid that appears to have burned herself out with constant egg laying through 2 winters and without a molt. Now laying shell-less eggs despite a good layers diet and this has been going on for a couple of months.
Unfortunatly it has now reached the point where her flock pecked her badly around and in the vent yesterday, encouraged by the loose egg she was passing.
She is now cleaned up and in a seperate pen on the side of the coop and on a corn only diet until the implant takes effect. The corn diet will be insufficient for egg production and may send her into a molt. Obviously it's not a good diet and will only be temporary.
The implant is going to cost £83 with a compulsory follow up consultation so just short of £100 which, given that the implant is at least £50 off the shelf is very reasonable I think.
 
When Elisa, a TNN, prolapsed in the Dordogne 4 years ago we put her on a corn only diet- I presume you mean wheat not sweetcorn Rick. She laid one more egg and then stopped, which allowed the prolapse to heal (she's still with us). It was a tip I heard of used to stop show hens laying in the cages. I now know that the reason it works is hens need around 17% protein to lay consistently and that laying rate reduces as the protein level reduces until they stop completely on the 8% in wheat. Our neighbours hens are on a wheat and layers pellet mix, making up for the lack of protein with a diet of bugs found when free-ranging. That's a rather unpredictable amount, but they lay every few days at the moment so they aren't finding many insects I think.
 
Well, Chris, it did make me wonder about the corn. I rang BHWT thinking they would be familiar with what happens to these girls and they suggested that a 'corn' only diet would stop her laying (or trying to.) Perhaps it's an American thing but I only know corn to be sweetcorn. I started her on wheat last night but had some sweetcorn in the fridge - needless to say she was very impressed with the rations this morning but it's back to wheat from now on.
Thanks
 
As you know sweetcorn is very fattening and contains natural sugars which wreck the digestive flora Rick (promotes bad bacteria), although I don't know the protein content I'd guess the same as wheat. However Blaze is going to be on that diet for such a short time perhaps sweetcorn is OK? Problem will be that if spoilt on that she won't want to eat pellets. So on balance I'd say wheat is the better option. I think 'corn' in America is the general term for 'grain' in UK.
 
Its funny - spend so much time thinking about them getting a complete diet, poor rations goes against the grain! (bad pun there :)

In a similar way the visit for her implant misfired this evening because the pack contains two implants and only one syringe. Being a vet's honed instinct to dispose of a used syringe it got thrown away. You would think for the price they would supply each implant with its own single use syringe! Take two tomorrow.
 
rick said:
n a similar way the visit for her implant misfired this evening because the pack contains two implants and only one syringe. Being a vet's honed instinct to dispose of a used syringe it got thrown away. You would think for the price they would supply each implant with its own single use syringe! Take two tomorrow.
Click to expand...

I'm afraid you've lost me Rick, did the vet not have a cabinet full of syringes at her disposal?.
 
Its a special big one that the implant fits into dinosaw - I think it would also have a plunger in the needle bore rather than designed for liquid. The implants are about proportion of a cylindrical half matchstick I think. Apparently they completely dissolve so there’s nothing to remove when they’re used up.

I found this youtube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dzYXqUisfEE
 
Can't believe she threw one them away, we all have DOH! moments I suppose.
 
Mission accomplished! She didn’t put up any fuss and the implant is under the skin at the base of her neck between her shoulders. There's a small puncture wound sealed with a bit of glue.
She seems quite happy. The wounds from pecking around and under her vent are healing well and the low protein diet has stopped the egg production. Going to slowly return her to pellets over the next week as the implant should be taking effect but if she does lay before then she's safe in the side run.
 
I'll be really interested to hear how Blaze gets on Rick. I'm glad its all gone smoothly.
 
Thanks Chickenfan (Linden is very well, by the way.)
Blaze has a crust of yellowish white around her vent today that was stubborn to wash off but it looks like the same stuff as the calcium cap on a firm poop (just never seen it stuck round a vent before.) But all their poops are a bit odd/runny lately due drinking a lot in the heat.

Sorry, I know - too much information!

2 1/2 days after implant produced another loose egg.

3 days. Desperate to be in the nest box so I’ve partitioned a couple off for her so if she lays she is not attacked. Obviously having some balance/perception issues - while I was watching she was preening her underside but then, instead of lifting her head the right way, continued through under her wing and back up to horizontal (a loop the loop with just her head!) Body then followed through and she somersaulted off the shelf. It was pretty bizarre! Was warned of some temporary odd behaviour or sleepiness.
 
Day 7 since the implant and Blaze is a bit subdued, roosting early, but otherwise seems ok. I’ve been putting her in the side run while I’ve been at work but no sign of egg on the floor for the past 4 days (can usually spot an eggy patch even if its been eaten.) She still has a red underside which comes and goes in intensity. Interestingly, where she has new skin after healing from the pecking, it is white so the rash-like red area (where there have been no feathers for months) is still a bit of a puzzle. No sign of moulting as yet but our vet said that a follow up visit by appointment shouldn’t be necessary but to let her know how things are going in 3 weeks time. I really hope she moults - after Teabag moulted heavily she seemed to get a new lease if life and vitality. Blaze is looking a bit light and scruffy at the moment. Its a huge relief to stop her laying - I feel like she now has a chance without being permanently separated from the flock (which wouldn’t be sustainable or fair.)
 
That's really interesting Rick. Somehow I'd missed your post last week, so I had some catching up to do. I gather the balance problems sorted themselves out? Very strange. Does she still have the urge to get in the nestbox? I would imagine that, after a whole week, the implant would be working, so no more eggs.
 
I edited my previous post with updates so I didn't blitz the timeline Marigold. The balance issues and oddness seem to have passed. I think she must be having some odd sensations in the nether regions but is now showing less interest in the nest box. I've risked leaving her in with the rest of the flock today as it seems pretty unlikely she will lay again.
 
Looks like the moult has started. She has been generally quiet and standing separate from the others but tail up - just sleepy as far as I can tell. This morning standing in a pile of feathers! Will have to try to pick up as many of them as possible before Aerial gets there as she has a taste for small feathers.
 
What are you feeding her now, Rick? Presumably now she doesn't have to be stopped laying by being given low-protein wheat instead of pellets, she could be helped through the moult by some high- protein treats, plus Nettex Mineral Powder for all of them as they approach moulting time.
 
She's been back on full rations of layers pellets with the rest of them for the past 3 days Marigold (with half a small cabbage a day between them all.) Since this started I have been trying to avoid extra protein all round as a very small deficit seems to moderate egg production quite nicely. After all, a diet of layers pellets only is designed to maximise egg production and not necessarily in Teabag and Aerial’s long term interests. Betty (who is pure-bred) doesn’t lay as frequently anyway.
But if she is going to grow a new set of feathers then a bag of meal worms for treats will be in order as you say. Good idea with the minerals and pro-biotic too - its been a bit complicated lately and easy to forget to get back into a general routine.

Of course - pecking pin feathers! That's going to be the next thing!
 
Well it's been 2 weeks since Blaze had her implant and she is still looking sleepy and likes standing in the corner but isn't being bullied as far as I can tell. She shakes her head often but no sign of respiratory problems - its like someone with a bit of a fuzzy head shaking it maybe.
Otherwise eating, drinking and slow but interested in things.
She has nearly stopped shedding feathers and has a complete covering (wherever there is a space) in newly emerging pin feathers. No sign that she or the others are pecking them and I saw her preening gently around them earlier. The covering includes across her bald underside of months (Hooray!) She still has a red patch on her belly but the pin feathers there seem healthy (goodness knows! - coming to think she just is red there and I've only noticed since she's been bald and mistook it for a symptom.)
The moult is not quite as hard as Teabag's when she was recovering (not from an implant but a more natural oviduct catastrophe.) Still got her very tatty flight feathers but I remember they were the last ones Teabag replaced.
Is rather loose re droppings though that seems to be getting better and I put it down mostly to a bit of stress. They had Avipro Avian in their water the day before yesterday so that will have helped.
Absolutely no signs of laying - nothing egg like at all, an off lay vent and she has stopped sitting in the nest box.

... when Blaze is standing in the corner Teabag often goes and stands next to her with a concerned manner. Blaze did that with Brownie when she was off colour. Bless 'em!
 
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