D
Deleted member 94844
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So I am having all sorts of problems with my chickens lately... my barred rock has been suffering with EYP from day one and now seems to weigh a ton. I can barely hold her she is so bloated and heavy. She has laid maybe a half-dozen eggs her entire life and really needs to be culled to make room for productive hens, but I don't have the heart to do it. She also bites me every time I feed them which makes me less sympathetic to her problems. Was hoping she would just shuffle off, but she keeps on keeping on.
My favorite hen Jake was bullied by the others to a bloody pulp and has been living in the house since Thanksgiving. She stopped eating and got wry neck which was so heartbreaking to watch. I managed to nurse her back to health over the past few months. I've been hand-feeding her and supplementing with vitamins and probiotics and she has gotten much better. She is eating on her own and walking around, though she falls down from time to time and still has difficulty with motor coordination. "Help! I've fallen and I can't get up!!" Poor thing. I love her and will just carry her around most of the time, which seems to make her very happy.
The dominant black australorp is just annoying and mean.
And today my most productive hen, the runt Rhode Island Red, is showing signs of avian pox. Her comb is suddenly covered with yellow crusty and black blisters. Ugh. So frustrating because she had been so healthy and solid up until now.
I'm tempted to just process the lot (all except Jake, of course), sterilize the coop, and start over again... but these are pets and I just can't do it. Egg production has dropped dramatically the past week (only two were laying already) and is basically down to zero.
So my question is, should I isolate the RIR or is it futile at this point?
Planning to clean and sanitize the coop today and will isolate the chickens while I do (don't want them spreading the virus around the yard if they are carriers). I put some hydrogen peroxide on Red's scabs and will follow up with iodine. Any other topical to suggest?
I also have three baby chicks in the pool house and am worried about them or my ducks catching it. Can this cross over to waterfowl? Will keep the chicks (and Jake) isolated from the other chickens, but I may need to vaccinate them. Does anyone know how long the virus can stay active in soil, etc.?
I was planning to keep Red and Jake and rehome the two problem chickens when the new pullets need to be added to the flock. Unfortunately this is complicating matters.
Any insight and advice appreciated...
My favorite hen Jake was bullied by the others to a bloody pulp and has been living in the house since Thanksgiving. She stopped eating and got wry neck which was so heartbreaking to watch. I managed to nurse her back to health over the past few months. I've been hand-feeding her and supplementing with vitamins and probiotics and she has gotten much better. She is eating on her own and walking around, though she falls down from time to time and still has difficulty with motor coordination. "Help! I've fallen and I can't get up!!" Poor thing. I love her and will just carry her around most of the time, which seems to make her very happy.
The dominant black australorp is just annoying and mean.
And today my most productive hen, the runt Rhode Island Red, is showing signs of avian pox. Her comb is suddenly covered with yellow crusty and black blisters. Ugh. So frustrating because she had been so healthy and solid up until now.
I'm tempted to just process the lot (all except Jake, of course), sterilize the coop, and start over again... but these are pets and I just can't do it. Egg production has dropped dramatically the past week (only two were laying already) and is basically down to zero.
So my question is, should I isolate the RIR or is it futile at this point?
Planning to clean and sanitize the coop today and will isolate the chickens while I do (don't want them spreading the virus around the yard if they are carriers). I put some hydrogen peroxide on Red's scabs and will follow up with iodine. Any other topical to suggest?
I also have three baby chicks in the pool house and am worried about them or my ducks catching it. Can this cross over to waterfowl? Will keep the chicks (and Jake) isolated from the other chickens, but I may need to vaccinate them. Does anyone know how long the virus can stay active in soil, etc.?
I was planning to keep Red and Jake and rehome the two problem chickens when the new pullets need to be added to the flock. Unfortunately this is complicating matters.
Any insight and advice appreciated...