Welcome, Guest

Author Topic: Chicken People, Ms Purdy Needs Your Help  (Read 6714 times)

Offline JP

  • The Swarm King
  • Universal Bee
  • *******
  • Posts: 11709
  • Gender: Male
  • I like doing cut-outs, but I love catching swarms!
    • JPthebeeman.com
Chicken People, Ms Purdy Needs Your Help
« on: January 08, 2010, 08:26:28 pm »
She is one of my EEs, approx 23 weeks old or so, not laying yet. This evening right before the girls went into the coop they were all feeding on some scratch.

I noticed Ms Purdy appeared out of it, thought she was asleep on her feet actually.

A few minutes later everyone went in but her, then she went in, but dazed and confused.

I checked on her about 10 minutes later and this is where she was: http://picasaweb.google.com/pyxicephalus/January82010?authkey=Gv1sRgCJ28jKn6wtbXggE#

I thought of moving her up but thought it best to let her ride it out there for the night.

Any ideas what could be wrong? And what if anything would you do if she was your chicken? She was fine this morning and earlier today.

Thanks!


...JP
My Youtube page is titled JPthebeeman with hundreds of educational & entertaining videos.

My website JPthebeeman.com http://jpthebeeman.com

Offline ziffabeek

  • House Bee
  • **
  • Posts: 394
  • Gender: Female
Re: Chicken People, Ms Purdy Needs Your Help
« Reply #1 on: January 09, 2010, 11:18:23 am »
Good luck JP, i hope she gets better soon!  :-\

love,
ziffa

Offline Natalie

  • Queen Bee
  • ****
  • Posts: 1478
  • Gender: Female
Re: Chicken People, Ms Purdy Needs Your Help
« Reply #2 on: January 09, 2010, 11:23:53 am »
I don't see any discharge from her eyes or mouth, I would question her being egg bound but you say she hasn't begun laying yet. It could be that she ate something that doesn't agree with her, sometimes they do that when they free range.
She could also have sour crop, impacted crop, other than that it may be just she is feeling under the weather and it will pass on its own.
Keep an eye on her, watch to see if she eats or drinks.

Offline Irwin

  • Super Bee
  • *****
  • Posts: 2344
  • Gender: Male
  • howdy all
Re: Chicken People, Ms Purdy Needs Your Help
« Reply #3 on: January 09, 2010, 11:29:29 am »
Eggbound is what I was thinking had one do it to me when I had chicken's and she never laid an egg.
Fight organized crime!  Re-elect no one.

Offline JP

  • The Swarm King
  • Universal Bee
  • *******
  • Posts: 11709
  • Gender: Male
  • I like doing cut-outs, but I love catching swarms!
    • JPthebeeman.com
Re: Chicken People, Ms Purdy Needs Your Help
« Reply #4 on: January 09, 2010, 01:18:19 pm »
The kind people over at backyardchickens have been very helpful and after weighing all info presented, I believe it could be some sort of egg problem, but still not sure.

Had her inside all morning in a cardboard box on soft towel.

She ate some, not sure if she drank any water while inside. Finally after like 4 hours she had a bowel movement. Anyone whose ever kept chickens know that one bowel movement in 4 plus hours is definitely not the norm, so something's definitely going on, on the back end.

Decided to put her out again with the flock about twenty minutes ago. She drank water with the rest of 'em but still is dazed and confused.

So we will see how goes, may have to bring her in again for the night.


...JP
My Youtube page is titled JPthebeeman with hundreds of educational & entertaining videos.

My website JPthebeeman.com http://jpthebeeman.com

Offline Brian D. Bray

  • Heavenly Beekeeper
  • Heavenly Beekeeper
  • Galactic Bee
  • ********
  • Posts: 7369
  • Gender: Male
  • I really look like this, just ask Cindi.
    • http://spaces.msn.com/thecoonsden
Re: Chicken People, Ms Purdy Needs Your Help
« Reply #5 on: January 10, 2010, 12:09:05 am »
Put  her in a pen by herself, with a heater or heat lamp, feed her as usual and add 1 tsp sulmet (feed store) to one gallon of water for 1 week, discard any eggs.  My guess is she won't lay while ill.  She appears to have either a cold, pneumonia, or coccidiosus.  Either way the sulmet, warmth, and isolation (to prevent illness in the other chickens) should cure the problem.  Change the water daily as the sulmet can sour in  the water.
Life is a school.  What have you learned?   :brian:      The greatest danger to our society is apathy, vote in every election!

Offline JP

  • The Swarm King
  • Universal Bee
  • *******
  • Posts: 11709
  • Gender: Male
  • I like doing cut-outs, but I love catching swarms!
    • JPthebeeman.com
Re: Chicken People, Ms Purdy Needs Your Help
« Reply #6 on: January 10, 2010, 10:48:42 am »
Thanks for the info Brian. Today she is pretty much the same. She slept in one of the nest boxes last night.


...JP
My Youtube page is titled JPthebeeman with hundreds of educational & entertaining videos.

My website JPthebeeman.com http://jpthebeeman.com

Offline Natalie

  • Queen Bee
  • ****
  • Posts: 1478
  • Gender: Female
Re: Chicken People, Ms Purdy Needs Your Help
« Reply #7 on: January 12, 2010, 12:36:20 pm »
How is she today Jp?

Offline JP

  • The Swarm King
  • Universal Bee
  • *******
  • Posts: 11709
  • Gender: Male
  • I like doing cut-outs, but I love catching swarms!
    • JPthebeeman.com
Re: Chicken People, Ms Purdy Needs Your Help
« Reply #8 on: January 12, 2010, 08:36:15 pm »
How is she today Jp?

She died sometime this evening Natalie. Thanks for your concern.


...JP
My Youtube page is titled JPthebeeman with hundreds of educational & entertaining videos.

My website JPthebeeman.com http://jpthebeeman.com

Offline annette

  • Galactic Bee
  • ******
  • Posts: 5353
  • Gender: Female
Re: Chicken People, Ms Purdy Needs Your Help
« Reply #9 on: January 12, 2010, 09:56:37 pm »
OH Boy JP, I am so sorry, you first experience losing one of them.


Offline JP

  • The Swarm King
  • Universal Bee
  • *******
  • Posts: 11709
  • Gender: Male
  • I like doing cut-outs, but I love catching swarms!
    • JPthebeeman.com
Re: Chicken People, Ms Purdy Needs Your Help
« Reply #10 on: January 12, 2010, 09:58:40 pm »
OH Boy JP, I am so sorry, you first experience losing one of them.



Yes Annette, it was my first loss. I believe I learned what to do for next time, hopefully.


...JP
My Youtube page is titled JPthebeeman with hundreds of educational & entertaining videos.

My website JPthebeeman.com http://jpthebeeman.com

Offline Natalie

  • Queen Bee
  • ****
  • Posts: 1478
  • Gender: Female
Re: Chicken People, Ms Purdy Needs Your Help
« Reply #11 on: January 13, 2010, 12:13:33 am »
Jp I am really sorry. Its always tough, no matter how many chickens you own to lose one of your girls, especially when you don't know what was really wrong with them.
I lost one a week ago as well, very suddenly. Its a bummer when it happens.
Whatever it your hen had it does not appear to be something contagious since your other girls are okay, I am leaning towards her being egg bound.
Thats the things with poultry, they have a whole set of their own health issues and there is usually not alot of warning that something is wrong.
You took good care of her, you are a good chicken daddy and she was a happy hen.

Offline ziffabeek

  • House Bee
  • **
  • Posts: 394
  • Gender: Female
Re: Chicken People, Ms Purdy Needs Your Help
« Reply #12 on: January 13, 2010, 11:00:58 am »
Oh, JP, I'm so sorry to read this :(. 

love,
ziffa

Offline JP

  • The Swarm King
  • Universal Bee
  • *******
  • Posts: 11709
  • Gender: Male
  • I like doing cut-outs, but I love catching swarms!
    • JPthebeeman.com
Re: Chicken People, Ms Purdy Needs Your Help
« Reply #13 on: January 13, 2010, 04:15:13 pm »
Oh, JP, I'm so sorry to read this :(. 

love,
ziffa

Thanks all for the condolences, we are having her tonight for dinner!

Just kidding!

Yeah, its a drag anytime you lose something you cared for.


...JP
My Youtube page is titled JPthebeeman with hundreds of educational & entertaining videos.

My website JPthebeeman.com http://jpthebeeman.com

Offline Lone

  • Queen Bee
  • ****
  • Posts: 1094
  • Gender: Female
Re: Chicken People, Ms Purdy Needs Your Help
« Reply #14 on: January 14, 2010, 07:45:08 am »
Hey JP,
I don't know if this is any consolation, but I reckon you can't cure a sick chook about 90% of the time, and the other 10% they die anyway.  As a local vet described it, they have the sick chook look.  I have a couple of blokes here to dong the sick ones for me.  Putting in isolation rarely is successful, just prolongs the illness, and then you have to decontaminate the isolation coop.  I've never heard of sulmet, but it wouldn't hurt treating the rest of the flock with it as a preventative.

I don't know what poor Ms Purdy's illness might have been, but do watch for sickness in the others.  I have heard that worms can account for a large number of unknown chicken deaths.  They can sometimes have feed problems too, like sourcrop..the crop will feel big and hard.  Contaminated feed can drop them very quickly. Or maybe she did have trouble with her first egg.  I suppose the cause of death ever remains elusive in CCD (chicken collapse disorder).

Lone

Offline JP

  • The Swarm King
  • Universal Bee
  • *******
  • Posts: 11709
  • Gender: Male
  • I like doing cut-outs, but I love catching swarms!
    • JPthebeeman.com
Re: Chicken People, Ms Purdy Needs Your Help
« Reply #15 on: January 14, 2010, 11:21:02 am »
Lone, she may have simply caught a cold, that advanced into something else. I'll never know. The others are doing fine, running around, flapping, clucking, laying eggs, doing lots of chicken stuff.

Thanks for your input!


...JP
My Youtube page is titled JPthebeeman with hundreds of educational & entertaining videos.

My website JPthebeeman.com http://jpthebeeman.com

Offline poka-bee

  • Super Bee
  • *****
  • Posts: 1651
  • Gender: Female
  • I am NEVER bored!!
    • Darby Farms
Re: Chicken People, Ms Purdy Needs Your Help
« Reply #16 on: January 14, 2010, 12:01:37 pm »
I'm so sorry for your loss JP.  Chix like most animals won't show any distress till they are almost past saving, survival of the fittest and all that.  After having them a bit you will be able to pick up some of the more subtle signs, just like you can with your reptiles & dogs.  Sometimes they just go though like Natalie said.  I'm thinking eggbound too.  That can happen even to a good layer, no warning till it's too late.  I lost cockatiels that way when breeding.  Some I was able to keep warm, lube up & manipulate but some not.   Keep an eye on the rest, just in case it was something contagious but since they are so up close & personal they would show signs by now.

Jody
I'm covered in Beeesssss!  Eddie Izzard

Offline Cindi

  • Galactic Bee
  • ******
  • Posts: 9825
  • Gender: Female
Re: Chicken People, Ms Purdy Needs Your Help
« Reply #17 on: January 19, 2010, 01:08:24 am »
Lone, Sulmet is basically short for "sulfamethazine", used for conditions in livestock.  http://www.drugs.com/vet/sulmet-drinking-water-solution-12-5.html  You probably have something similar in your country. 

JP, yes, I know, it is very hard when one loses a critter, no matter what species.  That bird was not well, clearly, and I totally agree, that once a bird is showing severe signs, as Ms Purdy was, she was probably not tell for some time.  Egg bound or whatever she may have been.  She is now in a happy place  8-) :lol:, where there are tons of little friends to keep her company.  I don't believe that there could have been anything that you could have done, it is just what happens in the chain of life.  But, nonetheless, I do know it is disturbing.  Have that great day, most wonderful day, and that same type of health.  Cindi
There are strange things done in the midnight sun by the men who moil for gold.  The Arctic trails have their secret tales that would make your blood run cold.  The Northern Lights have seen queer sights, but the queerest they ever did see, what the night on the marge of Lake Lebarge, I cremated Sam McGee.  Robert Service

 

anything