Talking of chickens....

[skysmum]

Oh Shirls, poor Dusty and you, i hope you can get the LP into her, if i lived closer i would help

I watched a vet programme a while back, i think it was The Yorkshire Vet, they had a chook with similar symptoms. The vet opened her via a tiny incision and the stuff they pulled out was never ending . It was very quick and the chook made a great recovery

[Shirls]

That's interesting skysmum, as a lot of chooks don't survive the anaesthetic. They have weak hearts I am told.

Vet said it is the crop that is the problem sophiemaisie. Thankfully Dusty is not too down about this and forages about and does normal chickeny things. She just isn't as naughty and showing her usual character. She must be feeling a little poorly. I am told she shouldn't forage at the moment so I have kept her in, the two Buffs are in with her to keep her company.

That is an absolutely brilliant idea about the maggots SM! Thank you so much for letting me know. I am off down to the fishing tackle shop in the morning. I just hope she will eat the darn things! I hate maggots, just the sight of them make me go all squibbly! Don't mind dried mealworms though (not to eat of course!!) I will definitely try the towel thing tonight and syringe some LP in her beak. I will do this when it gets dark and she is more docile. She is a feisty bird and not too tiny!

All my chooks will do anything for grapes, problem is Dusty likes to take her one off, and break it up into bits whereas the Buffs eat them whole!! Any scrummy food that Dusty has she runs off with so the others won't steal it!

[samwiseg]

Probably a silly question sophiemaisie but are the ones from a fishing tackle shop ok to use?

If yes, would Shirls need pinkies (small maggots) or full grown maggots?

Sorry my OH likes to fish

[sophiemaisie]

Aug 3, 2017 16:19:04 GMT samwiseg said:

Probably a silly question sophiemaisie but are the ones from a fishing tackle shop ok to use?

If yes, would Shirls need pinkies (small maggots) or full grown maggots?

Sorry my OH likes to fish

Not a silly question at all samwiseg! Pinkies or fully grown white maggots are fine but not the coloured ones - they're toxic

Here's a link for you Shirls www.pocketfarm.co.uk/impacted-crop-and-sour-crop/

[Shirls]

Thank you ladies for all this lovely information and samwiseg for asking questions I didn't even know about!!!

[samwiseg]

I am still amazed (even though it is common sense really) that maggots can be used

Afterall, we use them in surgical proceedures to clean away bacteria and infection so why not use them in chickens!

GENIUS!

[Shirls]

I can't thank you enough sophiemaisie for the tip about maggots! I have 'administered' said maggots and what fun!!! I have a video which I shall put up later for you to see. Dusty is amazingly so much better now. She only had her first 'dose' of maggots at about 11.00 this morning. She has wrecked the lawn where I sprinkled them, down to bare earth! So if I ever need my lawn scarifying I now know what to do.

She hasn't drunk so much water today, she did her first proper poo, albeit a very small one, this afternoon and it actually had maggots in it!! I will give her a another handful of maggots before bed so they can work over night. Then perhaps we will have some real poo's tomorrow. Needless to say all the babies and girlies had a treat of them today and I think they will be on the menu as a treat in the future.

I could hug you sophiemaisie.

[OP]

What are all these maggots going to turn into I wonder. I don't suppose they all get killed off on the way through he chooks.

[Marianne Marlow]

Aug 4, 2017 16:16:34 GMT OP said:

What are all these maggots going to turn into I wonder. I don't suppose they all get killed off on the way through he chooks.

Some kind of fly I'd guess..


I am so glad that Dusty is getting better

[Shirls]

That's right Marianne Marlow, they turn into flies!!! The way Dusty has been digging them out - I don't think many are escaping.

I don't think Dusty is getting better as fast as I'd hoped, or thought. Her crop is really quite firm this morning sophiemaisie, whereas yesterday and before it was squishy. She has gone back to a big water poo today too. I have given her maggots for breakfast.

I was wondering sophiemaisie how long should I give her the maggots, is it a watch and wait thing til her poops return to normal?

[Hezz]

Oh, Shirls, I really hope you and Dusty can turn this around. Good luck with everything you might try.

[sophiemaisie]

Hi Shirls, apologies for the late reply. Have you seen her scoffing at her usual food, along with the maggots? Is she still drinking excessively?

[jellybean]

Shirls, I was reading my Saturday TV magazine, and Alan Titchmarsh has a section where he writes about gardening. This week he is talking about keeping chickens and mentions that he has chickens (Pekins & Corals), but the bit that I thought might interest you (unless you already know about these of course) is
Omlet arks. I googled the name and its a fantastic looking chicken hut.

[Shirls]

No worries sophiemaisie. No Dusty is not eating pellets or even when I made them into a mash. She is eating grass, dried mealworms and any worms she finds when she forages. She doesn't appear to be drinking so much but having said that there was a huge puddle in the coop this morning (soaked up by newspaper!!) Her poo is showing a littl more substance than when she first got like this, and it has dead maggots in.

I am out of maggots now so will be going down the Tackle shop in a few minutes to get some more. She still has a firm golf ball crop, which I feel may just be a little bit smaller than it was yesterday. Fingers crossed the maggots are fighting their way through!!

[Shirls]

Aug 5, 2017 19:49:17 GMT jellybean said:

Shirls, I was reading my Saturday TV magazine, and Alan Titchmarsh has a section where he writes about gardening. This week he is talking about keeping chickens and mentions that he has chickens (Pekins & Corals), but the bit that I thought might interest you (unless you already know about these of course) is
Omlet arks. I googled the name and its a fantastic looking chicken hut.

Have you seen the price of them jellybean? Thanks for the tip though, I will have a look at them anyway.