Keeping hens and ducks chat.

edwink

Hi Orangecrush

What a difficult situation for you to be in. Wanting to do the best for your little hen and having to perhaps let her go back to the vets for one last time. It does appear from what you have said that you have tried to sort this abscess problem out with a lot of antibiotics and the 2 lots of surgery to drain it. So I don't think there is a lot else you can do with her abscess being so persistent and dragging your poor little hens health and immune system down at the same time. I am sure your vet will advise you on what is best to do for your little hen so she doesn't continue to suffer.

Like others on here our girls had a late and quite severe moult this year. Your poorly hen will struggle to grow her feathers back before the much colder weather as her body is under assault trying to fight this persistent infection. Hence the possible reason for her sleeping a lot as she is probably so worn out with two major things happening with her body especially at this time of year. Growing new feathers whilst fighting infection is not going to be easy for her little body to cope with.

Please don't let this put you off of keeping hens as this sort of thing rarely happens. You have just been so unlucky in that the situation resulted in a nasty abscess on your poor little hen. When we introduce hens here sometimes I have to walk away when they start to fight and come back a few minutes later as I hate seeing them fighting for the top spot. That's what they call the pecking order because there is always a top hen that rules the roost no matter how many hens you keep. Once they have established their pecking order things settle down. We personally have not witnessed "serious" injuries whilst the pecking order is being established with ours here.

Being pregnant is not going to help how you are feeling at the moment. When I lost my very first hen all those years ago I rang the rescue centre in floods of tears and I mean floods because I thought it was something I had done wrong because this little hen was only with us for 6 months when she went to hen heaven. To us caring hen keepers it is like loosing a best friend because no matter how long they are with us for we get so attached to them.

Don't beat yourself up over all of this but enjoy and spoil your hens and enjoy being a new mum with your new baby.

All the best

Edwink x

Pyxis

Maybe the guy that knits these for injured penguins could knit some for poorly featherless chucks?

edwink

As a rule these jackets are made for frail almost bald ex battery hens because coming from a warm environment to then being kept outside is quite a shock for these frail little hens. With hardly any feathers some hens need some extra help to keep them warm in the early days whilst their feathers are trying to grow back.







And finally these.........
Aww Bless these ladies having a good old natter whilst knitting them.



Lots more of these online plus also the actual knitting patterns if they are to be knitted or patterns to make them out of fleece or similar warm material.

Edwink

Pyxis

Aw! Bless!




So, we have a flock of old choocks knitting for flocks of old choocks! :rotfl: :A

orangecrush

Edwink thank you for your lovely kind words. We have accepted now that it's the right time for her to go - she is now wheezing, and the abscess is starting to put pressure on her eye. She's on painkillers and antibiotics, and we're spoiling her with lots of treats, but the appointment for the vet is made for tomorrow.

I've spent much of the week feeling like a failure for not being able to help her, but the vet said that chickens are such fragile creatures... not bred for longevity or disease resistance because they are never expected to have long lives It makes me a bit sad that they seem to be so disposable! But at least there are people like us on this board who care for their welfare.

I LOVE the chicken jumpers! They are so sweet. I imagine poor ex batts coming out at this time of year would get a terrible shock It's so chilly and windy at the best of times, let alone without many feathers.

Hope everyone is having a good week.

edwink

orangecrush wrote: »

I've spent much of the week feeling like a failure for not being able to help her, but the vet said that chickens are such fragile creatures... not bred for longevity or disease resistance because they are never expected to have long lives It makes me a bit sad that they seem to be so disposable! But at least there are people like us on this board who care for their welfare.

Hi Orangecrush

To be honest I have felt the same at times. You need to look back on what you have done for her before she became poorly and after. All the treatments you have provided for her which your vet has obviously recommended. The time you have spent with her and giving her extra treat food and her medication the same as we do when one of ours is really poorly. Once you do actually look back a realise all you have done you will then realise that you are not a failure at all. Most caring hen keepers would do exactly as you have done. Personally myself I have done all you have and one of mine had to be taken to the vets for her very last time. When she as put to sleep she looked so peaceful and immediately I saw that she was no longer suffering so I knew there and then it was the right thing for us to do. Bless her.

I truly hope that you do continue to keep hens because the world needs loving caring hen keepers like you.:) Especially hen keepers that care enough to take their poorly hens to the vets instead of just ending the hens life themselves without at least trying some medication first.

All the best

Edwink x

Pyxis

orangecrush wrote: »

Edwink thank you for your lovely kind words. We have accepted now that it's the right time for her to go - she is now wheezing, and the abscess is starting to put pressure on her eye. She's on painkillers and antibiotics, and we're spoiling her with lots of treats, but the appointment for the vet is made for tomorrow.

I've spent much of the week feeling like a failure for not being able to help her, but the vet said that chickens are such fragile creatures... not bred for longevity or disease resistance because they are never expected to have long lives It makes me a bit sad that they seem to be so disposable! But at least there are people like us on this board who care for their welfare.

(((((((((Orangecrush))))))))))) :A

edwink wrote: »

Hi Orangecrush

To be honest I have felt the same at times. You need to look back on what you have done for her before she became poorly and after. All the treatments you have provided for her which your vet has obviously recommended. The time you have spent with her and giving her extra treat food and her medication the same as we do when one of ours is really poorly. Once you do actually look back a realise all you have done you will then realise that you are not a failure at all. Most caring hen keepers would do exactly as you have done. Personally myself I had done all you have and one of mine had to be taken to the vets for her very last time. When she as put to sleep she looked so peaceful and immediately I saw that she was no longer suffering so I knew there and then it was the right thing for us to do. Bless her.

I truly hope that you do continue to keep hens because the world needs loving caring hen keepers like you.:) Especially hen keepers that care enough to take their poorly hens to the vets instead of just ending the hens life themselves without at least trying some medication first.

All the best

Edwink x

:T :T :T



All capitals not allowed)

vjm63

So sorry, Orangecrush, that you are having such a rough time at the moment - You have done the best you possibly could and have given her a fabulous life, so do not be down about it. As Edwink has said, she probably simply would not be able to cope with the infection and everything- you did all you could.

We all feel bad when one of the girls has to go - I know I was in total tears when our first girl died from being egg-bound. Vet trip and operation, then so many cuddles and talking to her, and worrying overnight - but it actually was for the best because she would only have had the same problem happen again, the vet said.

You have done what you can - please accept some virtual hugs from me ... ((((Orangecrush))))

orangecrush

Edwink, Pyxis and vjm63 - thank you all for being so lovely and for the virtual hugs!! The deed is done, and I actually wasn't too upset. This morning Rusty was really tired, she woke up for a bit of porridge then went back to sleep. She slept all the way to the vet and was even sleeping when the vet took her away.

Our vet is truly lovely, and was so supportive. She is really knowledgeable about chickens and birds, so we know we did everything we could!

We are going to stick with our two other ladies for now... I don't fancy doing any more introductions just yet!! We are planning a bigger walk in run so I may change my mind next year I do love all their funny little habits and noises.

On to happier subjects!

How are you all keeping your hens warm? We have an eglu, and last year it seemed warm enough, but this year the ladies seem to spend more time inside during the day. We did move the run further down the garden to let them get a bit more sun to keep them warm, but the downside is they are more exposed to wind. They look so funny when they are windswept, but I don't think they enjoy it!

Pyxis

orangecrush wrote: »

Edwink, Pyxis and vjm63 - thank you all for being so lovely and for the virtual hugs!! The deed is done, and I actually wasn't too upset. This morning Rusty was really tired, she woke up for a bit of porridge then went back to sleep. She slept all the way to the vet and was even sleeping when the vet took her away.

Our vet is truly lovely, and was so supportive. She is really knowledgeable about chickens and birds, so we know we did everything we could!

We are going to stick with our two other ladies for now... I don't fancy doing any more introductions just yet!! We are planning a bigger walk in run so I may change my mind next year I do love all their funny little habits and noises.

On to happier subjects!

How are you all keeping your hens warm? We have an eglu, and last year it seemed warm enough, but this year the ladies seem to spend more time inside during the day. We did move the run further down the garden to let them get a bit more sun to keep them warm, but the downside is they are more exposed to wind. They look so funny when they are windswept, but I don't think they enjoy it!

Could you perhaps put some screens up along the windward side of the run? Rolled bamboo screens or somesuch? To make it a bit more sheltered?



This sort of thing........very light and portable........