[SnooziSuzi]

Henny Penny was looking rather sick yesterday.

I noticed that when I let her out she was walking really, really slowly - as if she was stalking like a cat  :?

soon after she just kept falling asleep on her feet, wasn't interested in anything around her - NOT EVEN THE JUICY WORM IN FRONT OF HER!!

Eventually when she did snuggle down asleep in the middle of the lottie, whilst there was lots going on around her that she usually would be interested in, she did so very carefully but kept her back end raised up.

I took her home to clean her up (she had very runny poos - just looked like someone had spat on the floor) so I gave her a gentle, warm shower to her back end.  This helped to clean off the poo that was stuck to her feathers, but she still was just falling asleep in the bath!

Her back end seemed to be a bit rounded, but not being a connoisseur of chicken bums I wasn't sure if this was normal or not...

After cleaning the poo off her feathers I decided it was time to take the plunge and see what was the problem 'up there' as she was 'flexing' her vent but nothing happened.  Anyhoo, vasaline on the finger (I have very small hands and slim fingers too which was useful) and finger up the bum and she suddenly squeezed out a smelly soft shelled egg and her whole back end suddenly wasn't so swolen anymore!

This seemed to be the problem - an old egg that didn't come out that was causing her problems, however, during my inspections I noticed strange 'winnets' of stuff at the base of her feathers and these didn't come off with washing...  see below...



could these be mites?  I'm going to give all of the girls a dusting tomorrow but none of them seem to be giving any signs of having mites and they are not on any of the other feathered areas - I checked yesterday.  Is it possible that this is just old poo that's stuck on?

I dried her off with a hair dryer a-la-Babes suggestion in a post many moons ago  :roll: and set her back with the others.  They were fine and I tried to give her some yoghurt to perk her back up again but she just wasn't interested  :cry:   The other two on the other hand finished the whole lot off!  

This is a pic of them eating the yoghurt in the background and HennyPenny just feeling sorry for herself in the foreground.



Today however, I got to the lottie knowing that she would either be OK or would have passed away during the night (couldn't keep her at home - 2 cats and nowhere to keep her safely).  When I got there she was just as perky as the other two and back up to her old tricks again so is all well again!  Yay!

[kimT]

Ah bless her and well done for getting that egg out. From what I can see it looks like hard poo and maybe mites stuck in it maybe another warm shower might soften it up enough to get more of it off and I would use the mite powder asap.

[peggyprice]

So pleased for you Suzi - it sounds exactly like the way our lovely Wyandotte Princess Layer was, but we didn't manage to save her  :cry:  

I did wonder about her being egg bound, but she actually laid on the day she became poorly so the advice we were given was that it was unlikely.  Though if I'd known more about hens then (we'd only got our first chickens ten days earlier) I might have tried the finger-up-bum routine ... :?

Good on you for doing the necessary ...

[Porffor]

Really pleased you managed to save  your girl!
Tip noted for future (just in case)

Fingers x'd it'd not a severe case of mites..

[Vember]

Well done with the eggy SS

The grey thing stuck to her feathers are mite eggs.
If she still has mites you will see them scurrying about but I have found that even when the mites are all gone and the eggs killed the eggs stayed in situ on the feathers till next moult  :?

[Aunt Sally]

If it's eggs on the feathers (I'm not convinced - it looks a bit like caked on poo) then I think it's a good case to use frontline.  

Good idea to do all the girls just incase (I would).  See the parasites topic in the info section.

[Bodger]

Well done SnooziSuzi    Incidentally, I hit my head as I fainted.

[Lost in France]

Great that you sorted out the problem Soozisuzi. Sometimes you just have to dive in   and give it a try and... each time you're sucessful, your confidence grows! A while ago giving an animal an injection would have really phased me whereas now, since I've had to give a total of 24 to the alpacas, (and with their fur coats still on!), it's a doddle! Must admit, I've not yet had a finger up a hens bum... :roll: but if ever I need to, your attempt has inspired me to try!!

Great news that she's ok!
Judi

[Jellyhead]

Soooo pleased for you Snoozi Suzi, really glad you were brave enough to have a sort out :shock: I saw similar bits stuck on one of my chooks and after a good sprinkle of mite powder it was sorted

[SnooziSuzi]

Thanks guys  

I wasn't sure if it was mites or not, cos there's none scurrying around on the skin and the skin doesn't look damaged at all.  

Didn't manage to get to the lotty today so will be down there with powder first thing tomorrow!   :sunny: