hen still the same!

[snowy]

no change in my hen, given oyster shell grit, eats loads, looks a bit thiner than normal, still slow on her feet , but still feeding 10 day old chicks,

noticed she is drinking a lot, (probly due to to much grit?)?

any ideas please????

[snowy]

HELP!

also got a hen with 7 day old youngsters, a bit wobly on her feet?

shes slow & stops & sits down all the time?

please any ideas???

 

[Peckedhen]

Oh dear Snowy - far be it from me to try to advise anyone but, how about trying Linda's suggestion of Milk of Magnesia?  It might be a quicker  way  than grit of getting calcium in? :-/ :-/

[Tony C]

snowy, Have the hens any swollen leg/foot joints or have one wing hanging lower than the other ?

[snowy]

took grit & mineral away thismorning, because i noticed she was always eating it & drinking loads, plus chicks poops a bit wet,

looks a bit better tonight, just going to give oyster shell tomorrow morning,

any other ideas???

[Guest Silverwings]

snowy ,looks as though something is dehydrating your pigeons ? what have you been using in the water for the last few days ? is the grit you are using bone dry ? ....ray

[jimmy white]

IS THAT TWO HENS SNOWY,THAT ARE LIKE THAT? TRY GIVING THEM HARKERS ELEMENTALS THEY ARE NOT VERY EXPENSIVE, THEY ARE TWO TABS TO ONE BIRD ONE IS A CALCIUM TAB THE OTHER I A VIT B TAB, THIS CAN CLEAR IT UP ALLMOST IN 24 HOURS, BUT I WOULD BE TENDING TO LOOK A BIT MORE IN TO IT AS TONY C SAYS, THERES A SLIGHT POSSIBILITY IT COULD BE PARATYPHOID, BUT THATS LOOKING AT THE WORST, I WOULD LEAVE GRIT PICKSTONES AND MINERALS, AS THEY NEED THESE WHEN FEEDING YOUNG,AND TRY THE ELEMENTALS FIRST,LETS KNOW HOW YOU GET ON

COULD ALSO TRY SOME DIAROLYTE OUT THE CHEMIST, WOULDNT DO ANY HARM

[Diamond dave]

Snowy,

I wouldnt take away the grit and minerals mate - she is obviously deficient in something. Thats why shes always eating it.  I'd be inclined to add more diverse minerals if you can get hold of them. Clay pots/pickstones, etc. but get some multivits in the water asap to get them round quickly.

I have two drinkers in my breeding shed, one with water that is changed daily and one with water that has half a dozen rusty old nails in it. Its easy to see when the birds have preferred this water cos of the colour of their wattles but it is there choice and I have to refill this one every 3-4 days.

 

Just my opinion mate - hope you get them round ok!!

[jimmy white]

SORRY SNOWY, I SAID HARKERS  ELEMENTALS, OFF COURSE I MEANT   OLD HANDS ELEMENTALS, ,HOPE THE BIRDS COME ON J,W

[snowy]

only one hen, its just that shes slowly getting better, but no big change, but just wanted to know whats up,

if no better tomorrow will take her to the vet.

[Mike Lycett]

Sounds like 24 carat cocci to me to be honest.    Why just her and not the others?  Maybe she's a bit more run down feeding the babies than the others?  Maybe her immune system isn't as strong....    I'd take her away from the babies & let the cock finish them on his own.  He'll be fine - he'll do it.   Give her 4-5 days on her own, then Gamba Tab her

 

Mike  

[Guest]

just wanted to know whats up, if no better tomorrow will take her to the vet.

 

 

With due respect to the other posts, provided you have a good avian vet, go for it Snowy.

 

Its the only sure fire way of finding out what the problem is AND setting your mind at rest.

[jimmy white]

AGREE WITH BRUNO, AS WERE ONLY GUESSING, ON LINE, AND THIS CAN BE VERY DIFFICULT AT TIMES,,,,,THE HENS MAYBE EVEN BEEN INJURED IN SOME WAY, BUT THE VET SHOULD BE ABLE TO TELL,,THE BIT THAT WORRIED ME WAS YOU HAVE A BIRD " BADWING" WHICH WAS GIVEN TO YOU,DO YOU KNOW FOR A FACT THAT THE BIRD WAS INJURED,OR DID IT JUST GO LIKE THAT, THE REASON I SAY THAT IS THAT ,IF NOT INJURED, COULD HAVE BEEN PARATYPHUS, AND COULD BE A CARRIER,IM NOT SAYING IT IS THAT, BUT ITS WORTH KNOWING FOR THE FUTURE, GOOD LUCK AT THE VET ANYWAY SNOWY, IM SURE THEYLL PUT IT RIGHT

[snowy]

this is the only hen looking off, badwing was injured in a training toss when it hit some wires by a canal, in 2005,

grit is bone dry, water is changed at least once a day, mostly twice, used plain water for the past 3 days, use multi vits once a week & today is garlic water day, will seperate her & see how she goes. i have normal grit(with added minerals) & oystershell.

thanks all.

will check her now & seperate her & take to the vet if still worried.

thanks again all

[Guest]

Just a thought ... recall you said you were feeding hormoform. If you are feeding daily this supplies ALL required minerals & vitamins. Any more would be an overdose.

 

Watching a snippet of BBC Breakfast, Food Standards Agency person interviewed on their continuing campaign to have manufacturers reduce salt in manufacture of our processed food; .... too much probably helps cause loose droppings i.e. more water in dropping.

 

 

Try this web address, or have a go at a search using 'vitamin overdose' (haven't done minerals yet); funny that symptoms of A B & D overdose are much as you describe.

 

 

 

http://www.gm.tv/index.cfm?articleid=17626

[snowy]

only feed homoform once a week,

but really dont know what it is,

took to the vet this evening after work, (he said he was no avian expert)

but didnt really know,

gave me some baytril, (the eye was a peck he thinks & another fancier said it was not down to the problem) so i have been advised to confine the hen to a spare nestbox, give baytrill two drops twice a day, but let her see cock feeding the youngens, but make sure she dont feed them.

thanks again all,

just hope she gets well.

much appreciated

snowy & westy

[westy]

i am glad that we took the hen to the vet because it has put my mind at rest.

[jimmy white]

    :)HOPE THINGS IMPROVE WITH HER WESTY

  AND IT RULES OUT THE SITUATION WITH BADWING

[westy]

i hope so aswell thanks jimmy

[Guest]

don't forget to remove the grit when giving Baytril

[Guest Silverwings]

think the fact the hen is strugling on her legs (lameness) suggests a leaning towards paratyphoid ,the vet seems to be spot on in my book ? if the problem was cocci the weight loss would have been rapid ,due to her feeding youngsters , make sure the hen gets a vitamin course after her treatment ,and  check out contamination of your grain from rodents where you bourght it from ......ray

[Guest]

i am glad that we took the hen to the vet because it has put my mind at rest.

 

Spot on, Westy, money paid is worth that alone.

 

Got meself so worked up at one stage a couple of years back that I was dreading going into the loft in the morning incase what was (then) an unknown problem affecting only one bird, had developed overnight into an unknown problem affecting the whole team. One visit to the vet soon put and end to that!!!!

[Guest]

Again with due respect to the other posts:

 

(1) I'd be very surprised if this is a cocci, bacterial or viral disease problem, simply because you are using garlic as a preventative, which combats these;

 

(2) The follow-up treatment for any antibiotic course is a probiotic, to restart the gut flora ... 'the good bacteria' .... which baytril will take out as well as anything else that shouldn't be there.

 

 

My preferred probiotic is natural bioyoghurt, live lactobacteria, a 500g pot mixed over the grain over three days. Just finished a course last week, after the cocks and hens had been locked up three nights in basket (food & water training) to return the gut to normal after stress.

[Guest]

really dont know what it is,

took to the vet this evening after work, (he said he was no avian expert)

but didnt really know,

snowy & westy

 

 

My vet IS an avian specialist, Snowy & Westy: Andrew Lawrie, and he has another avian specialist Mr Orsi working for him. He has a practice in Cumbernauld and Falkirk, and lectures at Glasgow Veterinary College. My bird had a problem with one wing joint.

 

By way of reassurance, this is what he told me about paratyphoid (salmonella):

 

" Paratyphoid just doesn't infect 'only one joint'; it infects the birds whole body. It also doesn't just infect one bird, it infects the whole flock ".

 

 

Hope this helps to put your minds at rest.

 

[Tony C]

Again with due respect to the other posts:

 

(1) I'd be very surprised if this is a cocci, bacterial or viral disease problem, simply because you are using garlic as a preventative, which combats these;

 

.

 

Sorry Bruno I have to disagree with you in part. I would never take for granted that because one uses garlic you can disregard cocci, bacterial or viral diseases as a possible cause for an ailing pigeon.

 

Garlic is good, but a preventative against all ?