Keeping hens and ducks chat. 7 July 2015 at 5:07PM edited 27 April at 11:46PM in Greenfingered MoneySaving 3K replies 333.9K views

edwink

Cheery_Daff wrote: »

Morning, thanks for all your advice edwink She hopped out of the house first this morning, and seemed ok but quiet, took herself for a big drink of water. Her crop is still quite full - although not as full as last night - so that may well be the problem.

They're all off roaming round now but there are plenty of pellets out for them, and I just won't give any of them treats today so let's see how she gets on... Probably do them all good to have a day without treats. We are rather free and easy with them

Don't worry Cheery I am the same with mine Hens that are fed solely on pellets get it too, honest.

With regards to her crop Cheery. Firstly, will she happily sit on your lap? Would you be able to feed her a few pellets in a small bowl with olive oil in? Could you keep her in a room to herself to do this?. If not you can put pellets out for them all with olive oil fully covering the pellets.

It's important that she gets some oil in to her crop as that will help the undigested food move. Once she has had some olive oil you need to gently massage her crop. Just do it slowly and sort of firmly but not too firm that it hurts her. Just hold her crop in your hand and slowly and gently press all around her crop area. You need to do this at least until the food gets moving again. If this doesn't happen in one session you will need to do it again and again. It should budge Cherry but you don't want to stress her out too much. Pretend you are having a cuddle with her and just slowly move her crop about.

The normal thing to do is to actually force open her mouth and pour a little olive in then massage her crop. It has always worried me that they could choke if I did that so I have in the past gone down the route of being patient with the hen and getting in moving by putting just a few pellets in some olive oil. I know you are not thick but just put a small handful of pellets in a small bowl. Cover them over fully with olive oil but make sure they need she need to get through the olive oil to get to any of the pellets. That way she will need to take in olive oil to get any. She wont be feeling very hungry so might only go for a few of the pellets at a time that's why you need to be patient with her. If you think you and Mr Cheery can pour some olive oil down her throat that would be much quicker but you will still need to sit with her and get her crop moving again.


Keep letting me know how it is going on won't you if you get a minute?. I will be online for the rest of the day now so shall keep popping back.

Just for a little reassurance for you Cheery I had a hen that arrived here that only ever had pellets to eat. No treats what so ever just pellets. She was very underweight by the time I got to care for her and get her better. Her crop was absolutely solid like a blooming golf ball. The poor little thing resembled a little sparrow she was so tiny. Her crop was not moving at all so I went with the being patient route and sitting with her and getting her to drink some olive oil whilst getting to a few pellets. She was barely hungry for days but she got the taste for the olive oil thankfully and would just sit on my lap sipping it. In fact I had to wean her off of the olive oil by cutting her down from 3 times a day to 2 then to once a day, then every other day, bless her she really took a liking to it. It fattened her up too which was a great help in getting her better.

Edwink x

Cheery_Daff

Thank you edwink I've just been out to attempt the olive oil... it didn't go well :rotfl: Mr Cheery isn't here so there's going to be nothing complicated til he gets back, but I put some pellets in a dish and covered them with oil. Distracted the other chickens with a bit of corn, Beaky came over (more slowly, but still enthusiastically) and I offered her the pellets... she did look interested, but then wouldn't take any - she was like that when I offered her a small bowl of mealworms mixed with grit yesterday, and another bowl of yogurt. It's like she's hungry, but doesn't want anything I'm offering her...

Anyway, then all the other chickens came over (and did that annoying thing where they took one piece of food, decided they didn't like it, dropped it on the floor, then immediately came back pestering to see whether I'd put anything different in the bowl yet :rotfl: )

Mr Cheery just rang to say he's half an hour away, but also to say that he doesn't want any part in forcing oil into a chicken... so we'll bring her inside and sit with her and say encouraging things to try to get her to eat it instead...

She didn't seem very impressed when I picked her up - but then they're all like that - they'll tolerate mild affection but they don't actively seek or enjoy it...

edwink

Cheery_Daff wrote: »

Thank you edwink I've just been out to attempt the olive oil... it didn't go well :rotfl: Mr Cheery isn't here so there's going to be nothing complicated til he gets back, but I put some pellets in a dish and covered them with oil. Distracted the other chickens with a bit of corn, Beaky came over (more slowly, but still enthusiastically) and I offered her the pellets... she did look interested, but then wouldn't take any - she was like that when I offered her a small bowl of mealworms mixed with grit yesterday, and another bowl of yogurt. It's like she's hungry, but doesn't want anything I'm offering her...

Anyway, then all the other chickens came over (and did that annoying thing where they took one piece of food, decided they didn't like it, dropped it on the floor, then immediately came back pestering to see whether I'd put anything different in the bowl yet :rotfl: )

Mr Cheery just rang to say he's half an hour away, but also to say that he doesn't want any part in forcing oil into a chicken... so we'll bring her inside and sit with her and say encouraging things to try to get her to eat it instead...

She didn't seem very impressed when I picked her up - but then they're all like that - they'll tolerate mild affection but they don't actively seek or enjoy it...

They often don't seem very impressed Cheery unless you have a pocket full of treats.

I agree with the not forcing down the olive oil cheery. Just try and get her on your side before Mr Cheery gets home. Get her in to the kitchen with you and just chat away to her to build up her confidence. Like I'm in the kitchen with you and you can tell I am not going to hurt you. In fact you are going to be a good girl and sit on my lap in half an hour and you are going to have some lovely olive oil and a few pellets. Just stoke her Cheery and try to reassure her. When she is finally on your lap hold her quite firmly by keeping her wings close to her body. You can do that with one arm/hand whilst you massage her crop with the other. Even if she won't drink any of the olive oil you still need to massage her crop for her which will feel quite grainy and gritty so remember to massage gently.

Keep in touch and let me know how it is going Cheery. I'm here ok.

Edwink x

Cheery_Daff

Right, some positive progress :j :j :j

Beaky didn't seem remotely interested in pellets in oil... so I mixed some pellets with warm water to make a rather sloppy mash, and mixed the oil in with that. She gobbled it down :j Bless her, clearly she was hungry but just didn't want to eat anything solid. Managed to get hold of her - crop is MUCH less full than earlier today, and I managed to massage it a bit too, and can feel it getting less hard. Hopefully that plus the olive oil will mean that she's as right as rain by the morning :j

Obviously the rest of them were all VERY interested in the dish Beaky was eating from, and not REMOTELY interested in the dish of olive oil/pellets (EXACTLY THE SAME INGREDIENTS) that was on the floor in front of them. For goodness sake! :rotfl: :rotfl:

Pesky creatures :rotfl: :rotfl:

Karmacat

Well done Cheery! That sounds like real progress :j:j:j

edwink

Yay well done Cheery. Great progress as it appears to be moving and that's what is needed. You will need to check on her again first thing tomorrow morning if you can and find out what her crop is like. Even if it is soft and squidgy which is how it should be I would still give her Cheeries Pellet Mash with olive oil again. Do this several more times and she should be ok. If you do give her the mash more than several times it won't do her any harm at all as long as she is out with others foraging where she will pick up odd bits of grit and stones during the day. It's good she took to the taste of the olive oil so soon. Only thing is you now might have trouble getting her to eat boring old plain dry pellets again:D. We do make a rod for our own backs don't we Cheery?. Only to make a much cherished hen better though eh?.

((((HUGS))))

Edwink

Cheery_Daff

:rotfl: we certainly do make a rod for our own backs! I can see my grocery bill going up quite a bit with purchasing only the finest extra virgin for my ladies :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:

edwink

Cheery_Daff wrote: »

:rotfl: we certainly do make a rod for our own backs! I can see my grocery bill going up quite a bit with purchasing only the finest extra virgin for my ladies :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:

:rotfl: Only the best will do Cheery :cool: :rotfl:

Cheery_Daff

Well Beaky seems ok this morning, perhaps not quite back to her normal boisterous self, but out and about and pottering with the others, digging up my lawn, and fending off the marauding sheep that were having a nap under the picnic table this morning :eek:

Honestly, those bl**dy sheep :mad: Between us (me and Mr Cheery, that is - the chickens were no help) we did manage to at least get them into a field. Our field (where they should NOT be) but I'd rather they were in the field than the garden! Grr.

Anyway, Beaky seems ok, crop still got stuff in but they've got mashed food this morning again, and I'll whip her up a scrambled egg with some oil later. Had to just shut them back in the run as the mist descended really quickly and our elderly neighbour keeps warning of the fox coming out in the mist... Don't know whether it'd bother waking up just for a rainy mist but better safe than sorry.

Anyway, if I take them oily stuff now they'll all escape again so I'll wait til it's cleared...

Karmacat

Good grief, Cheery! Life is certainly different for you, where you are now - in the best way possible, of course. Amazing to hear the different things that happen.