Keeping hens and ducks chat.

edwink

Cheery_Daff said:Still rather sad here, but being occupied by trying to get Bessie to take her medicine...  

I've yet to find a good way. Poor old Chippy was so ill, we could just squirt a little at a time at the front of her beak and she'd swallow it, but Bessie objects violently to that and just shakes her head, sending the medicine flying everywhere. There's a technique of squirting it right down their throats, but you have to be careful to miss their windpipe, and I'm not brave enough. So we're left with squirting it onto favourite foods, and trying to get her to eat those... but she gets suspicious when you try to feed ONLY her something (understandably!) I tried separating her in the run, but she just stood and shouted through the gate at the others, and the others stood and shouted at her, and the treats went ignored. 

Now we've brought her into the living room, with assorted medicine-laden treats scattered round the floor (bits of bread, cheese, grapes etc) - she is walking round shouting, clearly a little bewildered, and ignoring the treats. 

Any advice?! We got the vet to do it yesterday since we were there anyway, but can't exactly do that every day!! We've got liquid rather than tablets (that was even worse). Any advice appreciated! 

Aww, bless you both Cheery, it's not easy with this sort of thing especially trying to get medicine into a hen that that won't even take it on treat food.  The only thing I can say really is that she will get hungry at some point and then will have to eat the treats you have offered her with the medicine on them.  I am sure she will settle down at some point being away from the others.  It is so hard when they won't let you help them, isn't it? 

I've got a very quiet hen here that I've now brought indoors as several of the others reared up at her today.  I've thoroughly checked her over and the little madam just leaned over on my lap looking all relaxed with her eyes closed ready to go to sleep.

Edwink x

Cheery_Daff

Oh no, sorry to hear about your quiet hen edwink! Hope she recovers soon xx

We did manage to get Bessie to eat most of the medicine-laden treats in the end by doing just what you suggest. We just ignored her for about two hours, and she slowly settled down and stopped shouting, pottered about a bit, and finally ate most of the treats. Phew. She's back in the run with the others now.

Stressful business!

edwink

Cheery_Daff said:

Oh no, sorry to hear about your quiet hen edwink! Hope she recovers soon xx

We did manage to get Bessie to eat most of the medicine-laden treats in the end by doing just what you suggest. We just ignored her for about two hours, and she slowly settled down and stopped shouting, pottered about a bit, and finally ate most of the treats. Phew. She's back in the run with the others now.

Stressful business!

Aww, that's good news Cheery I am so glad she has now eaten her treats.  Blooming pests our feathered friends are eh? 🤣🤣 not to mention worrying too!

Edwink x

edwink

Our little indoor hen is doing ok and sleeping rather a lot, bless her. She is eating but not as much as I would like her to, at least she is eating I guess. Have given her mealworms, some sweetcorn, and some soft cooked cauliflower which all hens love so she has eaten some of that which is good. I'm just keeping her comfortable and warm with plenty of food if she wants it. Can't see or feel anything actually wrong with her at this stage but I still check her over every day in case I do spot something that I feel the vet should check over. I honestly don't think she is strong enough to be outside with the others which is such a shame because the avian lockdown ends next week.  I'll just have to see how she is nearer the time.

How is your little hen Cheery? is she still eating her medicine laden treats ok? or has she got bored of that game already?. From my past experience with treats laden with medicine the little so and so's get bored of them really quickly and they decide to pester me for something completely different until I'd run out of ideas of what to give them to eat. Menaces they are eh?.

These little hens eh?  I'm meant to be sorting our seeds out and sieving compost and the like but my indoor hen wants to spend time snoozing on my lap, bless her.  I feel awful moving her off my lap but the seeds won't get sown by themselves 🤣🤣🤣

Hope everyone is ok.

Edwink x

Cheery_Daff

Aw, bless her edwink xxx Poor little thing. Didn't know that hens liked cauliflower! Mind you, ours turn up their beaks at sweetcorn, so... 

Bessie is fine, she's back outside now. Came in this morning and as usual, mostly ignored the treats, although she did eat most of them eventually. Also she was a right menace, jumping on everything, flying on top of the radiator, trying to get on the windowsill and knocking everything off. Clearly there's nothing wrong with her! 

Hope your little hen improves edwink x

Can't wait for the end of chicken lockdown! Only five days to go!

edwink

Cheery_Daff said:

Aw, bless her edwink xxx Poor little thing. Didn't know that hens liked cauliflower! Mind you, ours turn up their beaks at sweetcorn, so... 

Bessie is fine, she's back outside now. Came in this morning and as usual, mostly ignored the treats, although she did eat most of them eventually. Also she was a right menace, jumping on everything, flying on top of the radiator, trying to get on the windowsill and knocking everything off. Clearly there's nothing wrong with her! 

Hope your little hen improves edwink x

Can't wait for the end of chicken lockdown! Only five days to go!

As you say Cheery, clearly nothing wrong with your hen, bless her. 🤣🤣🤣  I think she is trying to say "if you ignore me I'm going to knock all and sundry over until you give me some attention".  Blooming menaces these furry things are!.

Can't wait for the chicken lockdown to end too! The main thing is we have all kept our girls safe on here during the Avain lockdown and as much as we haven't liked them being cooped up it has been for their safety. I'm counting down the days here.

Edwink x

Cheery_Daff

Yep, me too - four more sleeps!!

Although did you see there have been two more outbreaks this weekend? One in Cheshire, and one in East Staffordshire 😕 1km protection/surveillance zone round the first, and a 3 and 10km zone round the others. Details here: 
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/avian-influenza-bird-flu

I do hope this doesn't affect the lifting of the housing order 😕 Hopefully it will just mean extra restrictions for those two areas. Fortunately we're not within either... I hope none of you are either.

edwink

Cheery_Daff said: Yep, me too - four more sleeps!!

Although did you see there have been two more outbreaks this weekend? One in Cheshire, and one in East Staffordshire 😕 1km protection/surveillance zone round the first, and a 3 and 10km zone round the others. Details here: 
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/avian-influenza-bird-flu

I do hope this doesn't affect the lifting of the housing order 😕 Hopefully it will just mean extra restrictions for those two areas. Fortunately we're not within either... I hope none of you are either.

Well spotted Cheery and thank you so much for posting this important information on here.
I normally check for the avian flu updates on the gov.uk site during the evenings once we have finally managed to sit down.  Thanks again Cheery 😘  I'm not in any of those areas either, but I am not sure about others on here.

How long is the course of meds Bessie is having?. I do hope she is behaving herself today.

Sad news here, we lost our little indoor hen during the night.  She was all cosy in her box in the living room surrounded by fluffy warm towels, bless her. I had a feeling that would happen because she slept for most of the day yesterday and only woke up to have a little to eat and drink and then she would nod off again. She didn't want to have a wander around the kitchen yesterday whereas the day before she did.  Maybe that was because of the novelty of being indoors with us and she wanted to take in her new surroundings. She had a good life here although short at only 18 months but we did all we could for her the same as we do for all the others.

Edwink x

Cheery_Daff

Aw, so sorry about your hen edwink 😥😥 It is always sad to lose them, isn't it? Glad she was warm and cosy indoors with you though xx

Just one more day of medicine for Bessie, thank goodness.

Will keep an eye on the Defra website tomorrow, I hope the general risk will still be low enough to let them out on Thursday 😕

edwink

Cheery_Daff said:

Aw, so sorry about your hen edwink 😥😥 It is always sad to lose them, isn't it? Glad she was warm and cosy indoors with you though xx

Just one more day of medicine for Bessie, thank goodness.

Will keep an eye on the Defra website tomorrow, I hope the general risk will still be low enough to let them out on Thursday 😕

Aww, bless little Bessie, good girl having her medicine and great for you there is only 1 more day of medicine to give her.

Fingers crossed about letting them out on Thursday x

Edwink x