Urgent: strong chemical smell from vomit & poop

[Kay_Sims]

What breed was she? X

 

[DonyaQuick]

What breed was she? X

She was a buff Orpington. I know some people say the hatchery ones aren't as fluffy as they should be but she was very soft, like holding a fluffy pillow.

One of her five sisters, the bantam one, went broody just before things went downhill. My rooster is a super gentle, huggable barred rock. Cuddles really loved him; not just like tolerated him, she was really attached to him. I was planning to let my broody hatch some barnyard mixes for me before all this started. While I don't think I can hatch any Cuddles eggs since she clearly stopped laying some time ago, and maybe it wouldn't have been a good idea even if I could, I can still hatch her sisters' eggs and at least a couple of her sisters seem to have a very solid constitution. I did have my first ever moment since of wondering if I was doing the right thing going down that path, or even keeping poultry in general, since I get really attached to animals (even fish) and more chickens means more chances this could happen again...but I think the joy still outweighs the pain even though it's still going to hurt for some time. To keep from being a total mess this evening after burying Cuddles, I put my energy into finishing the spare, movable broody nest box.

Sorry for the weird rambles. Writing my thoughts is kind of helping me work through things. This morning really hit me like a truck.

 

[knobhillfarm]

So sorry to hear Cuddles didn’t make it. I have been reading the thread since Thursday and hoping she would pull through. She was lucky to have you to care for her.

 

[kelleyayers1]

So far my hen has been better today I think. She has eaten and drunk more readily at regular intervals throughout the day, although she is off feed mash - really doesn't want it even when she's clearly hungry and looking for something to eat. Instead she wants only two things: very soft vegetables like the inner bits of cucumber and baby lettuce leaves, and suet-like treats that are soft and high fat. It's a weird combination but she was so weak yesterday that I'm basically happy for her to just eat anything for a while and will worry about balancing nutrients later. I think she needs energy first whether it's from fats or otherwise. I also read that micronazole nitrate cream can be given orally safely to chickens to combat sour crop more efficiently than the vinegar method. I have a tube of that from an incident of vent gleet in a different chicken, so I gave it a go with this one. Hopefully she continues improving.

A bit late to help now, but in the future if chickens get into something that appears to be botulism they recommend a molasses flush to get the toxins out.

 

[kelleyayers1]

So sorry.

Oh I am so sorry.