Moved into the health board as now I'm worried!

charlielavin

charlielavin

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Hello

I posted a few weeks ago as my cream legbar started taking extended afternoon naps, nothing to worry about I thought, but she seems to be getting worse. She's stopped laying over a week ago (she's just started laying for the first time too!). She's almost suffering from Narcolepsy and just nodded off in the middle of the pen. Our cat even went up to sniff her this morning and she didn't wake up until the last moment. I also found some bright red blood in the hen house this morning, and inspecting her vent she had spots of blood around her vent. I only wormed her last week and no other signs of pests. Any ideas?

I'm starting to panic abit, I only lost one earlier this week to a fox and I couldn't bear another to go. Could it be she's egg bound?

Any advice greatly appreciated.

Charlottex
 
Hi, is she straining at all? As if trying to lay? Is her vent open and wider than normal? If she is resting and sleepy i don't thin kshe will be egg bound- they are normally very restless and keep straining and trying to pass the egg- it could be anything really - my best advice would be a vet who knows poultry- sorry to be so vague :(
regards, David :)
 
Not at all David, thank you for getting back to me so promptly. It's just so weird she has a range of symptoms. Her vent does look wider than normal and very wet (!?) if that makes sense. Her bottom is moving all the time, that's what made me think egg bound. Maybe there's two things going on and I'm trying to put them together. She is still eating and pooing (sorry for being vulgar!), I'll try and get her to the vet and see what they say. Is it worth giving her a quick bath? In for a penny in for a pound as they say, I'm desperate to do something to help her.
 
Hi,

I expect you have already organised the vet appt.... but just a thought- We had an egg bound hen, gave her a warm soak/bath with epsom salts and she just relaxed in it for 20 mins. She seemed to like it.

Have you checked her crop? we were so wrapped up in ours being egg bound, she actually had an impacted crop......which the vet didn't spot until I asked him to feel the rather large lump.....
 
Hello,

It always hard to diagnose a bird when we have not examined her ourselves. We would however agree with Elmwood that you check your hen’s crop.

There are a few potential causes for the blood around her vent. One could be that she has Red Mites. These can sometimes disappear in the daytime and return at night. They often hide in crevices and around the perches. We would therefore advise that you go into the house at night with a torch and look around the perch, under her wings and around the vent. If you have other hens it would be worth checking these too. If you do have other chickens, these could be pecking at your hen which will cause the symptoms you have described around her vent.

Overall, we advise that you take your chicken to the vet so that they can provide a correct diagnosis and medication.

Best Wishes,

Chicken Vet
 
Hello thanks for all the replies, its still a bit of a mystery but she's definitely perked up.

She had a visit to to the vet (sadly not the one who knows anything about chickens, she's away on holiday). He thought it might be an infection (no egg after an 'inspection' :shock: and I found some blood in the hen house) and suggested baytril. It seemed to do the trick and she's much happier, though is still yet to lay again (that's 3 weeks now). I'm hoping she's just recovering? Any ideas?

I didn't think it could have been red mite, as I'm quite fastidious when it comes to cleaning out everyweek and use poultry shield and diatom (as per Tim's instructions). Also its been really cold here in Cumbria, minus 5 some mornings and I thought they were inactive in cold weather - but having said that I'm still a novice!! :?

I did notice little black spots on her comb, I'm not sure if that's related to her illness or mites?. The vet didn't say much about it at the time, but I think I'm lucky he knew what a chicken was! ;)

love Charliex
 
Hello Charlie,

It can take several weeks for a hen to lay again after illness and stress so do not worry about this as it is quite normal.

Black spots on the comb can be due to parasites. To treat ectoparasites you can use a variety of products. Diatomacious Earth (MiteX) can be applied directly to the bird and also used as a dust bath and scattered in the nest box. There are other products available that do not have a license for poultry such as Ivermectin 0.8% spot on drops. These can be used in conjunction with the powder. Although your bird is currently not laying you do not have to discard her eggs, however, any birds in lay should have their eggs discarded for a minimum of 7 days following treatment. We would advise that you seek veterinary advice before using any unlicensed preparation. At the same time treat the house with detergents that will treat any infestation. It does however seems that you carry out a very thorough cleaning process each week therefore you may not need to treat the environment again. Just keep checking regularly, especially as the warmer weather approaches.

We would definitely recommend your bird has some additional multivitamins to aid her recovery. Another product which is fantastic following the use of antibiotics is Beryl’s friendly bacteria, it is a sort of “Yakult” for hens and it helps to restore normal gut flora following stress and illness. We do hope your bird continues to recover, please let us know how she gets on.

Best Wishes,

Chicken Vet
 
I don't normally find any Red Mite activity until May. I find the number of searches we get for our red mite page ramps up then too and continues until October.

Sometimes I will get an egg that has blood stains on it. I usually just say ouch because nothing else ever happens after. I hope your bird recovers in the same way.
 
Good news!

Your little CLB laid an egg today, just so relieved she's back on form. She's gone from strength to strength and it back to her chirpy self!

A big thanks to everyone who wrote comments, as a novice its always good to have someone to bound ideas off and of course get reassurance!

Charliex
 
Hello Charlie,

We are glad to hear that you hen is back to her usual self. We hope the advice was helpful.

Best Wishes,
Chicken Vet
 
Hello Chicken update!

Our lovely CLB is has been laying regularly (I always take that as a good sign), but I've noticed she keeps putting her head to one side and closing her eyes. I'm really confused, as she seems ok, but for this. I even found her asleep under the house today. I'm hoping she just leans her head to one side because she's got a large comb (See picture!).

Any suggestions?
 

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