Implant for Blaze

That's really good to hear, Rick, sounds as if it was all worthwhile. And your close observation of what is happening is most interesting. And how good to hear of a hen who is kind to another who is evidently not quite on top of her game - only too often, the opposite is the case.
 
Hopefully she will return to normal (behaviour wise) after she has fully refeathered Rick. Birds will often sit with other birds when they are ill if they are either their friends or even more commonly if they happen to be at the bottom of the pecking order themselves, don't know why.
 
Yes, she seems to be eating well enough and has been getting brighter over the last week. She has started being a bit of a bully to Betty and Aerial again which, I suppose, is a good sign! Comb smaller and face quite pale but just because she is well and truly off lay I think. A full covering of fluffy pants again at last!
I must get around to weighing her again. She was 1.85kg just before the implant. Feels a bit light but that may be just an impression because her feathers are quite thin at the moment so she feels less substantial than the others.
Just need those ropey flight feathers to fall out now!
 
Last post (I promise) on this until she comes back into lay (or doesn't) next spring - but I'm so chuffed how well she has feathered up! Including flight feathers now and, with a huge stretch of the imagination, she's now laced! :)
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P.S. She's very miffed in this picture but my attempts to get a reasonable photo and ran off to hide behind a bale!
 
Big difference in the last three weeks, since your previous photo, Rick. Her feathers look all properly lined up and overlapping now, as if she's just been to the hairdressers. Agree about the lacing, how amazing. If implants are that good, maybe I could do with one.
It would be nice to share that sequence of photos with your vet, Rick, if you haven't already.
 
Rick,
she looks lovely, will she lay again, do you think?
My old Speckeldy, Jojo, has not laid an egg for months now, she must be over 3 but without the problems Blaze has had, just trots around, nipping at the others (not the best tempered hen I've ever owned) and getting fatter, looked monstrous during her moult as she was so fat!
The gloss on her feathers speaks for her health.
 
Thanks Marigold, Val,

Good idea emailing the pictures to our vet - I'll do that.

Hopefully the rest will have given her shell gland a chance to recuperate and after the normal couple of misfires in the spring she will be back to natural laying. There's a reasonable chance of that by general accounts and if she lays smaller eggs like Teabag did after a similar hybrid crash (that she sorted out herself) then I'll be very happy.

It does seem to be a risk that these commercial hybrids run and pretty common maybe after 18 months judging by it happening in one way or another to all 3 of mine but I’m hoping that once past the burn out that normally kills them then they might enjoy a more normal metabolism and life span. I cant help but think that a good moult does a hen the world of good - I’ve never had any of mine moult to near bald like I'm guessing Jojo did but I'm expecting my CLB Betty to do that sooner or later, being a pure breed that does things sensibly!
 
Looks like it has taken years off her Rick, she looks really good. Glad it has worked out for you.
 
Marigold said:
If implants are that good, maybe I could do with one.
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For what it's worth, Marigold, I had the human equivalent and I definitely WOULDN'T recommend it unless absolutely necessary. I'd certainly think twice about inflicting it on one of my girls after my experience!
 
I can't imagine how or why someone thought to try a licensed chemical castration treatment for dogs on a hen - defiantly a last option when its stop laying or PTS.
If people could moult though I bet there would be Suprelorin boutiques springing up all over the place!
 
While I'm here - (in for a penny, in for a pound!)
Blaze laid an egg today! I know it was her because I’ve had 3 eggs yesterday and 4 today from 3 layers (one blue each day from Betty who has been laying all week like that - what’s going on!!)
It was a very large egg with a rough shell, but seems strong, and poor covering with cuticle.
I am assuming that its a henopause glitch as the implant should be good for a couple more months. She has put on a lot of weight as well as a full coat and is looking fantastic - going to have to watch the weight I think but she's eating the same as the rest and not laying generally.

... Another odd shaped egg today, this time in the nest box. I might be wrong - perhaps Aerial going off lay. (and another blue!)
 
And in conclusion...

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Teabag laid an egg first thing this morning (it was there before I went to work.) Then Blaze spent an hour and a half on the nest.
~~~

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Betty spent a couple of hours in the afternoon sitting on the nest with Blaze and Teabag checking on her several times. (maybe Teabag would have had a go at Blaze's egg if Betty wasn’t sitting on it - I hope not)
~~~

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Teabag joined Betty in the nest for 10 mins (dont know what that was about!) Then no more nest sitting till I got home and found a shiny teabag egg and a smudged but quite respectable Blaze egg (no blue egg from Betty)
~~~

So the implant has worn off in only a couple of months and she is back in lay. Supposed to last 6 months but at least she seems to be laying proper shells again and in the nestbox.
 
Love the CCTV footage. Hopefully she will now only lay the very occasional fully shelled egg.
 
Since the one off a couple of months ago... Blaze laid the most perfect egg I've ever had this morning! She's picked a funny time to do it :)
.... closely followed by the weirdest egg I have ever had!
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