My ex batt hen had a distended crop. I massaged it and runny black fluid came out of her beak and the crop is nolonger distended. What now? I have given a small dose of veg oil because I suspect a blockage.
Keep an eye on her. If it fills up again, the crop is probably blocked and needs unblocking by a vet. Remember crops do fill up and look big but then empty again. The best time to check it is before letting her out in the morning when the crop should be empty.
I have 3 young hens and a cockerel, the hens have just started laying except 1 who is very thin and seems to be going blind. The cockerel is keeping her away from the others so I have seperated her and whilst I work out what to do. I am off to check for red mite and dust her and the coup but I am worried about her eyes?? Any ideas?
The poultrykeeper website has some information on this here, under the the ‘External’ tab: http://poultrykeeper.com/poultry-diseases-and-disorders.html
“This can be due to a trauma to an eye such as a scratch but will normally only affect the one eye. If the bird is missing the mark, the most common cause is a Vitamin A deficiency. Blood spots in eggs can sometimes increase with Vitamin A deficiency. Deficiency is unlikely to occur from improper diet (especially these days with formulated balanced feeds being available), but is more likely an underlying health problem that is causing absorbsion difficulties within the digestive system such as Worms, or Coccidiosis. Look for other signs and symptoms for the underlying problem and treat accordingly. To help with the Vitamin A deficiency, Cod Liver Oil, (2%) mixed into the normal food ration can help. Too much Vitamin A is toxic to chickens so don’t go overboard.”
Hi again
Got my chickens last week and all seem ok & some have started laying The Cream Legbar however seems to have a sore right eye. It is virtually closed all the time but I cannot see any pus or infection. So far I have bathed it with a mild saline solution twice today. She is eating fine and actually laid he second egg today. Any suggestions?? Thanks Paul
If it is infected, she may need antibiotics from your vet.
Hi
I have 3 chickens that have the run of the garden and are sometimes confined to their run. They eat well and are laying one egg each a day. They are under a year old. I have had them since last July.
My query is that one of them walks around like she’s too heavy for her legs and keeps squatting. she walks with her tail drooped too. Her appetite is great, I have see her lay, I have never wormed them. She seems to need to sit down and rest alot too. What do you think it could be? To look at her she looks healthy apart from the posture. Thank you
Sounds like she has egg peritonitis / is egg bound. Normally she wouldn’t lay though if this were the case.
You really need to worm your hens regularly (6 months being the minimum for low infection pressures). Finding a worm in an egg can put you off eggs for life and from the hens point of view, they are litterally being eaten alive from the inside… See my Flubenvet pages for more information.
The vet will probably check for worms first… so you’d be better ruling this out, then I think it’s a trip to the vet for an x-ray.
Do chickens naturally all have worms from the beginning or do they pick it up from the area around them?
They are picked up but a certain background level is usually always there.
My ex batt hen had a distended crop. I massaged it and runny black fluid came out of her beak and the crop is nolonger distended. What now? I have given a small dose of veg oil because I suspect a blockage.
Keep an eye on her. If it fills up again, the crop is probably blocked and needs unblocking by a vet. Remember crops do fill up and look big but then empty again. The best time to check it is before letting her out in the morning when the crop should be empty.
I have 3 young hens and a cockerel, the hens have just started laying except 1 who is very thin and seems to be going blind. The cockerel is keeping her away from the others so I have seperated her and whilst I work out what to do. I am off to check for red mite and dust her and the coup but I am worried about her eyes?? Any ideas?
The poultrykeeper website has some information on this here, under the the ‘External’ tab: http://poultrykeeper.com/poultry-diseases-and-disorders.html
“This can be due to a trauma to an eye such as a scratch but will normally only affect the one eye. If the bird is missing the mark, the most common cause is a Vitamin A deficiency. Blood spots in eggs can sometimes increase with Vitamin A deficiency. Deficiency is unlikely to occur from improper diet (especially these days with formulated balanced feeds being available), but is more likely an underlying health problem that is causing absorbsion difficulties within the digestive system such as Worms, or Coccidiosis. Look for other signs and symptoms for the underlying problem and treat accordingly. To help with the Vitamin A deficiency, Cod Liver Oil, (2%) mixed into the normal food ration can help. Too much Vitamin A is toxic to chickens so don’t go overboard.”
Hi again
Got my chickens last week and all seem ok & some have started laying The Cream Legbar however seems to have a sore right eye. It is virtually closed all the time but I cannot see any pus or infection. So far I have bathed it with a mild saline solution twice today. She is eating fine and actually laid he second egg today. Any suggestions?? Thanks Paul
If it is infected, she may need antibiotics from your vet.
Hi
I have 3 chickens that have the run of the garden and are sometimes confined to their run. They eat well and are laying one egg each a day. They are under a year old. I have had them since last July.
My query is that one of them walks around like she’s too heavy for her legs and keeps squatting. she walks with her tail drooped too. Her appetite is great, I have see her lay, I have never wormed them. She seems to need to sit down and rest alot too. What do you think it could be? To look at her she looks healthy apart from the posture. Thank you
Sounds like she has egg peritonitis / is egg bound. Normally she wouldn’t lay though if this were the case.
You really need to worm your hens regularly (6 months being the minimum for low infection pressures). Finding a worm in an egg can put you off eggs for life and from the hens point of view, they are litterally being eaten alive from the inside… See my Flubenvet pages for more information.
The vet will probably check for worms first… so you’d be better ruling this out, then I think it’s a trip to the vet for an x-ray.
Do chickens naturally all have worms from the beginning or do they pick it up from the area around them?
They are picked up but a certain background level is usually always there.