PBAndAlice
In the Brooder
hi guys, so Cookie, the hen I was posting about in the summertime, ended up making a complete recovery after those threads - after a week of isolation, treatment for impacted crop, daily baths, and pellet/egg mash, she brightened up and acted normal and healthy, and I put her back w the others.
tldr: Found Cookie chicken (3yr easter egger hen) huddled, cold and stiff and emaciated, brought her into warmth until she passed, don't know why/how long she wasn't eating.
Unfortunately, I guess something had hit her again recently and I wasn't aware. I just finished a busy week at work w 3 double shift days and 2 night shifts (for the holiday weekend we were slammed) so I haven't had time to keep an eye on the girls. We also got a cold snap of some sort in the last few days. But everyone seemed okay for let outs, close ins, feeding, water refill, and snack time. I never noticed anything out of the ordinary for those small bits of time I was able to see them everyday.
Until today, after my morning shift, I found Cookie fluffed up under the shed, with her sister Creme kind of "protecting" her, she was blocking her from the others who like to peck a lot. I went in and pick her up and she weighed NOTHING. I weighed her on the scale and she was 2.5 pounds!! She also was just skin and bones, her chest bones were so sharp and I couldn't feel her crop. Her comb was also grayish and she was very stiff from the freezing cold, barely alive.
I wrapped her in a towel and took her inside to warm up. I knew it would be too late to help because she would barely move. She layed with me for about 30 minutes before she finally passed. (I wonder if it reminded her of getting dried off after the baths in summer.)
I have no idea what caused this. Obviously not impacted crop, because the crop was empty. Were the other girls (we have 4 others) not letting her eat bc she was already weak from something? She has had an on and off short term poop covered butt, but not as bad as in summertime. Maybe she was egg bound, but I thought she just wasn't laying because she molted a month ago. I feel guilty somehow for not taking the time to check on her more thoroughly. Tomorrow after school I will do a thorough check on the other girls.
I don't think it was some sort of long term disease, because she didn't show any signs before. But I just don't know what it could've been.
I've already buried her (with some white lilies from the Thanksgiving bouquet) deep in the ground which might freeze soon, so I won't be able to examine anymore. I just know she didn't have any external parasites bc I examined her feathers/skin. She seemed dehydrated too, but the water heater works just fine. I saw her chasing the other girls just the other day, my dad cleaned the coop and they were fine, Cookie had been okay from the times we saw her. I saw her eat scraps a few days ago. I'm just so confused.
I'm just rambling because I'm stressed now. I had to go back to work when I was done digging. I also got scolded because I didn't wash the dishes. I hate it here.
tldr: Found Cookie chicken (3yr easter egger hen) huddled, cold and stiff and emaciated, brought her into warmth until she passed, don't know why/how long she wasn't eating.
Unfortunately, I guess something had hit her again recently and I wasn't aware. I just finished a busy week at work w 3 double shift days and 2 night shifts (for the holiday weekend we were slammed) so I haven't had time to keep an eye on the girls. We also got a cold snap of some sort in the last few days. But everyone seemed okay for let outs, close ins, feeding, water refill, and snack time. I never noticed anything out of the ordinary for those small bits of time I was able to see them everyday.
Until today, after my morning shift, I found Cookie fluffed up under the shed, with her sister Creme kind of "protecting" her, she was blocking her from the others who like to peck a lot. I went in and pick her up and she weighed NOTHING. I weighed her on the scale and she was 2.5 pounds!! She also was just skin and bones, her chest bones were so sharp and I couldn't feel her crop. Her comb was also grayish and she was very stiff from the freezing cold, barely alive.
I wrapped her in a towel and took her inside to warm up. I knew it would be too late to help because she would barely move. She layed with me for about 30 minutes before she finally passed. (I wonder if it reminded her of getting dried off after the baths in summer.)
I have no idea what caused this. Obviously not impacted crop, because the crop was empty. Were the other girls (we have 4 others) not letting her eat bc she was already weak from something? She has had an on and off short term poop covered butt, but not as bad as in summertime. Maybe she was egg bound, but I thought she just wasn't laying because she molted a month ago. I feel guilty somehow for not taking the time to check on her more thoroughly. Tomorrow after school I will do a thorough check on the other girls.
I don't think it was some sort of long term disease, because she didn't show any signs before. But I just don't know what it could've been.
I've already buried her (with some white lilies from the Thanksgiving bouquet) deep in the ground which might freeze soon, so I won't be able to examine anymore. I just know she didn't have any external parasites bc I examined her feathers/skin. She seemed dehydrated too, but the water heater works just fine. I saw her chasing the other girls just the other day, my dad cleaned the coop and they were fine, Cookie had been okay from the times we saw her. I saw her eat scraps a few days ago. I'm just so confused.
I'm just rambling because I'm stressed now. I had to go back to work when I was done digging. I also got scolded because I didn't wash the dishes. I hate it here.
I'm so sorry.
