How well do they handle the vet?

[clickchicks]

Hope this is in the right area. For anyone who's taken their chicken to the vet, how do they and the rest of the flock handle it?

After a broken beak and a few other things scaring me since getting the birds, I've decided to acknowledge that I'm too inexperienced to trust my gut and am taking one of the pullets to the vet.

I know its going to stress them all out, I can't even take one of them out of their coop and move to the tractor without all of the other birds getting restless. I'll give them some distracting treats to hopefully make it better, but do they typically behave when the removed bird returns home or do they pick on them?

Unfortunately no one here was able to do a traditional office visit. If I want her to be seen I have to drop her off and pick her up later in the day, which makes me very nervous. I guess thankfully the bird I am taking in is generally the friendliest/most social, so hopefully it wont be too bad.

Really just looking for a bit of moral support and to hear about other people's experiences.

 

[ironsightfarm]

I have had to bring two different hens to the vet - both times I was able to stay with them for what ended up being fairly quick visits. One of the hens was flightier and more nervous, so I brought her a buddy to help keep her calm. The other hen is more dog than a chicken, and took the appt. alone in stride. All hens involved in the visits did show mild signs of stress, but recovered quickly once returned to the flock (the flock that honestly could have cared less if they were gone lol). In both cases, the benefit of a needed vet visit outweighed the stress of getting them there.

If leaving the hen there for the day is unavoidable, I would consider sending a friend along with her. I also don't believe that being gone for a few hours would cause any significant disruption to the rest of the flock.

What is the pullet going for? I know you mentioned not being comfortable treating your pullets, but there are a lot of issues that are actually fairly easy to treat at home - there's so many knowledgeable people on this site familiar with every imaginable ailment that you may find what you need to build your confidence right here!

 

[clickchicks]

I have had to bring two different hens to the vet - both times I was able to stay with them for what ended up being fairly quick visits. One of the hens was flightier and more nervous, so I brought her a buddy to help keep her calm. The other hen is more dog than a chicken, and took the appt. alone in stride. All hens involved in the visits did show mild signs of stress, but recovered quickly once returned to the flock (the flock that honestly could have cared less if they were gone lol). In both cases, the benefit of a needed vet visit outweighed the stress of getting them there.

If leaving the hen there for the day is unavoidable, I would consider sending a friend along with her. I also don't believe that being gone for a few hours would cause any significant disruption to the rest of the flock.

What is the pullet going for? I know you mentioned not being comfortable treating your pullets, but there are a lot of issues that are actually fairly easy to treat at home - there's so many knowledgeable people on this site familiar with every imaginable ailment that you may find what you need to build your confidence right here!

Thank you! This forum has been super helpful and I very much appreciate the advice.

My biggest worry is that I'm missing something because I just don't know enough about what I'm looking for. The primary reason I'm taking this pullet in is because she broke off the tip of her beak (I posted some images here: link)

Per people's advice here and across the web its most likely due to hitting/running into something. But I'm also worried about things like nutritional deficiencies, internal parasites, mites, etc.

Ever since this happened I've been checking her/all of them every day. I've been picking everyone up and doing inspections, and I can feel she is noticeably thinner than the others despite all being around the same age. I check her head, under the wings, and vent for mites/lice and I don't see anything but I'm still just not sure. What if I'm missing something?

I have two feeders set up so no one gets bullied off of food and she always eats about as much as the other pullets and has a very good appetite/drinks and acts normal. I'm paranoid this might be a parasite and I'm having a fecal done in addition to the checkup. One of the other pullets had one strange bloody poop a couple of weeks ago so I put everyone on treatment round of Corid just to be safe, never had another bad poop after that, so I don't think its coccidosis (at least not anymore).

These chickens are pets first for me and I would be devastated to lose one, even though I know sometimes it cannot be helped.

 

[Folly's place]

Nobody likes going to the doctor!
It's fine though, just have her in a comfortable airline crate, with an old towel, some food on the floor or in a dish, and see her later. You will be talking on the phone, I assume, with the vet, and able to pick her up as soon as possible when the visit is over.
There's not going to be anesthesia involved in this visit, just an exam, right?
It doesn't hurt to have a fecal run, ask about that too.
She will be less stressed in a room not containing barking dogs...
Mary

 

[thepick4uchicks]

Hope this is in the right area. For anyone who's taken their chicken to the vet, how do they and the rest of the flock handle it?

After a broken beak and a few other things scaring me since getting the birds, I've decided to acknowledged that I'm too inexperienced to trust my gut and am taking one of the pullets to the vet.

I know its going to stress them all out, I can't even take one of them out of their coop and move to the tractor without all of the other birds getting restless. I'll give them some distracting treats to hopefully make it better, but do they typically behave when the removed bird returns home or do they pick on them?

Unfortunately no one here was able to do a traditional office visit. If I want her to be seen I have to drop her off and pick her up later in the day, which makes me very nervous. I guess thankfully the bird I am taking in is generally the friendliest/most social, so hopefully it wont be too bad.

Really just looking for a bit of moral support and to hear about other people's experiences.

I think it is a miracle you can find a veterinarian to see your birds. That’s is like finding gold in a stream where I live. They just don’t want to see poultry. They act like it’s the plague or something. You would think that the vets think folks with chickens are just going to want to pay for their services with eggs or something. Pisses me off.

 

[Folly's place]

Trust me, that's just how it is!
There are not that many veterinarians who see birds, and then mostly 'house birds', not poultry. And for the very very few owners of backyard poultry who will actually pay to be seen, only veterinarians who themselves have poultry will spend time learning anything about their medical needs.
Nobody can learn everything about multiple species, so it's necessary to spend learning time focused on a few species, either because that's what pays the rent, or a personal interest.
The five doctor suburban practice I'm most familiar with had maybe two or three visits, total per year, with a client and chickens. Only because one of the veterinarians in that practice had her own chickens did anyone know anything about them, including the doctor who saw some parrots.
Mary

 

[ironsightfarm]

Thank you! This forum has been super helpful and I very much appreciate the advice.

My biggest worry is that I'm missing something because I just don't know enough about what I'm looking for. The primary reason I'm taking this pullet in is because she broke off the tip of her beak (I posted some images here: link)

Per people's advise here and across the web its most likely due to hitting/running into something. But I'm also worried about things like nutritional deficiencies, internal parasites, mites, etc.

Ever since this happened I've been checking her/all of them every day. I've been picking everyone up and doing inspections, and I can feel she is noticeably thinner than the others despite all being around the same age. I check her head, under the wings, and vent for mites/lice and I don't see anything but I'm still just not sure. What if I'm missing something?

I have two feeders set up so no one gets bullied off of food and she always eats about as much as the other pullets and has a very good appetite/drinks and acts normal. I'm paranoid this might be a parasite and I'm having a fecal done in addition to the checkup. One of the other pullets had one strange bloody poop a couple of weeks ago so I put everyone on treatment round of Corid just to be safe, never had another bad poop after that, so I don't think its coccidosis (at least not anymore).

These chickens are pets first for me and I would be devastated to lose one, even though I know sometimes it cannot be helped.

I had two beak breaks last year, due to some unknown trauma in the run - I agree with everyone on your post that if she's eating and drinking well, and the area does not appear to be infected, that letting the beak grow out was a good choice! Breaks like these just happen sometimes, and aren't related to parasites or mites. I'm glad your pullet is doing better!

If you're doing flock checks as frequently as you are, the likelihood of being aware of an issue is high - you'll be very familiar with each hen! I do monthly checks, and I am still able to catch problems before they become serious. Also simply observing your flock daily will alert you to any brewing issues. Weight loss in one hen doesn't necessarily indicate something more serious - I have an un-thrifty hen that began to put weight on after I switched feed brands. I also send a fecal to my vet every few months to check for parasites (others worm routinely to prevent parasites instead) to stay on top of things.

Good luck with your little lady! You've got this

 

[LoCoHens]

Good for you for seeking vet care and for having a vet who will see a chicken. I can relate to trying to decide when to treat myself and when to leave it to a professional and to the fear of missing something. I always hate to think that a vet visit would have made the difference. Over the years I've done the drop-off vet visit (no scheduled appt so they fit the chicken in between appts), the pre-Covid vet visit (in the exam room), and the mid-Covid vet visit (waiting in the car and talking to the vet on the phone). I've done this with probably half a dozen different hens and they've all handled it really well, even ones that did go under anesthesia. I even had one try to roost on the exam table.

I don't think the rest of the flock ever noticed an absence. I had to keep one hen inside for 5 months after a possum bite wound that took so long to heal. Reintroducing her wasn't even that bad after that long.

Echo Folly's Place on the padded (makes the ride smoother) kennel crate and bringing food.

 

[clickchicks]

Thank you all so much for the kind words and for sharing your experiences. This does make me feel a lot better and all of the info is of course appreciated.

No anesthesia, just a physical checkup + fecal. I have a cat carrier and will pad it out with towels so its very secure and cozy.

Besides the beak, which I'm sure everyone was right about and will be ok... I really want them to feel her and tell me if I'm overreacting about the weight thing. It could be she's just a lean bird, but when I feel the other 3 compared to her its just such a noticeable difference. Her breast bone is very prominent and it doesn't feel like there is much muscle around it (but there is some, not completely emaciated, at least I don't think).

I completely own that I'm most likely being paranoid. I also know I'm lucky to have vets near by that see poultry. Better to take advantage of it and be wrong, I hope. I'll be ok if they tell me I'm crazy and overacting, just so long as I don't lose a pet!

 

[thepick4uchicks]

Thank you all so much for the kind words and for sharing your experiences. This does make me feel a lot better and all of the info is of course appreciated.

No anesthesia, just a physical checkup + fecal. I have a cat carrier and will pad it out with towels so its very secure and cozy.

Besides the beak, which I'm sure everyone was right about and will be ok... I really want them to feel her and tell me if I'm overreacting about the weight thing. It could be she's just a lean bird, but when I feel the other 3 compared to her its just such a noticeable difference. Her breast bone is very prominent and it doesn't feel like there is much muscle around it (but there is some, not completely emaciated, at least I don't think).

I completely own that I'm most likely being paranoid. I also know I'm lucky to have vets near by that see poultry. Better to take advantage of it and be wrong, I hope. I'll be ok if they tell me I'm crazy and overacting, just so long as I don't lose a pet!

I always go with this philosophy. Mothers instincts are usually correct. If they are wrong that’s okay because no one is going to ever say there was anything negative about the way they were doing their job- which was a very good job at taking care of their babies. If you get your hens as baby chicks especially then you raise them and you “mother” them and teach them the majority of the things they need to know and you care for them hopefully like they are yours. At least I try too. Not everyone does or can or chooses too, but those that do get back many blessings in returns. I bet you do very much so. Have a good visit at the Vet. I hope you get a good report.