I am growing more hopeful for Shadow. Today I haven’t heard her squeak when pooping. I have been able to clean her bottom by wiping it with tissue and there is no longer a sickly smell.
It has been frosty and I don’t want to wet her while it’s so cold so it has been good to be able clear her bottom with a dry tissue. Shadow has been eating seeds, tomato and spinach. I haven’t seen her go to the pellets today but I hope that she may be doing so when I am not watching her.
Shadow has looked more alert and this afternoon she had a dust bath. This is a good sign and I hope that she will be able to clean herself by dust bathing.
![](http://www.carolschickens.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/shadow-and-smoke-dust-bathing.jpg)
![](http://www.carolschickens.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/shadow-dust-baths-while-salmon-watches-over-her.jpg)
I really want to see her without a mucky bottom to be sure that she is back to normal but at the moment everything is gradually improving day by day so I am feeling more hopeful.
In other news Smoke went broody yesterday. The photo of Smoke dust bathing with Shadow was when she took one of her breaks from the nest box.
Smoke has laid twenty three eggs in five weeks which has been a really good run for her. This is about twice as many as she usually lays before going broody.
I am still keeping every thing crossed for Shadow and taking it a day at a time but it is looking more encouraging. I will keep updating here as we go along.
Encouraging news about Shadow – hopefully she’s turned the corner now! xx
I will put out another post soon but today she ate pellets and I didn’t need to separate her to get her share of tomato and spinach. No squeaking and just wiped one blob of poop from her bottom. I have finished the tylan too after seven days. I think she has turned the corner but time will tell if she has problems again when she next tries to lay. I am hoping for the best. xx
Really hope she’s truly on the mend. X
Me too. I feel like I did with Salmon that I have pulled her back from the brink but only time will tell for how long. Meantime I will just have to make the most of having for longer and wait to see how it turns out longer term. X
Much better news, hope she will soon be back to her old self.
She is getting better day by day.