Carol's Chickens

Yesterday afternoon when giving the girls the worming powder, I decided to coat sunflower hearts in olive oil then sprinkle with the powder. This worked really well as it was quicker, less messy and the girls soon ate them all, including Treacle. I will do it this way every day now, it needs to be given for seven days.

Last night at bedtime I sat on my little chair with the girls and picked Treacle up and put her on my lap. I felt her crop again and its normal apart from not being big through not eating much. She sat right down on my lap and I stroked her and talked to her. She stayed like this for about ten minutes then jumped down and went to bed.

This morning when I went in at first light and gave some corn, Treacle didn’t attempt any. I dropped some meal worms by her and again she didn’t attempt any of those either. I decided to try hand feeding her. I took in a little dish of oily fish and sat Treacle on my lap. Treacle ate about half of it while I fended the other three off, they were all trying to jump up too and get some. I gave them the other half once Treacle had finished. At least she has eaten something. She then went and stood under a bush and the other three went and stood with her. I have read that they often do this when one of them is unwell. I feel so helpless and sad for her and am so scared that I am losing her.

This afternoon I decide to give Treacle a bath in epsom salts as I have read that it is a really good “pick me up” and if it doesn’t make a chicken better it certainly can do no harm. I bathed her in a bowl of warm water with a quarter cup of epsom salts and kept her there for ten minutes.

Giving Treacle a bath

I then wrapped her in a towel, then gently dried her with a hair dryer on the lowest setting. She was good as gold. I offered some scrambled egg and chopped tomato but she only ate a few bits of tomato. I put her on the floor on a towel and she stood there not moving.

I then phoned the vet at my local pet store and told him everything so far. He said to bring her in at five o’clock. I decided to keep Treacle inside until then.

I took her to the vet and while waiting she sat on my lap and snoozed as it was her bedtime. The vet was very good and I was impressed. He felt her all over and said she had no eggs stuck or problems with her crop which was no surprise because I had already done this. He then listened to her heart and lungs and said they were fine and no respiratory problems. He said he could find nothing wrong apart from her being ill so could only think that it is an infection. He gave her an injection of antibiotic into her breast, she didn’t even flinch! He then gave me some antibiotic medicine to give her for ten days.

The vet said he couldn’t give a prognosis but hoped that the antibiotic would help her regain her appetite and he said that I was doing all the right things and to keep doing as I am. The cost was just over thirty pounds which I though was quite reasonable. I wish I had taken her earlier now but she has gone down quite quickly over the recent days.

Treacle slept on the way home as it was dark and once back I just opened up the side of the coop and popped her in. I really hope to see an improvement soon. Giving her the medicine is going to be tricky but I will try putting it in food and giving it to her on my lap like I did this morning. It comes with a syringe and the vet said I could choose to put it in her food or syringe into her beak which I imagine would be quite stressful so that will be last resort.

My husband observed that she had gone downhill from when she was having her bare patches pecked, before I put the blue spray on her. He wonders if this introduced an infection either from their beaks being in poop or unsavoury items or just the fact that a cut or wound can get infected. We will probably never know but I think he may be right as when I first noticed her bare bottom she was still her happy normal self. She started going downhill from being pecked and I assumed molt and pecking may be enough to stress her. I just hope she starts to get better now. I feel better for having taken her to the vet because I know that I have done all I can. We can only see what tomorrow brings and hope for the best.

Yesterday I went to the vets at our local pet store and ordered some Flubenvet worming powder and a ground sanitising powder as I have read this is a helpful product.

I also tried the girls with some cooked rice in the morning which they loved and although it’s not of nutritional value at least it meant that Treacle had eaten something. In the afternoon I gave them sardines in olive oil as I have read that oily fish is good for them and I was pleased to see Treacle eat this.

In the evening Treacle took herself off to bed first which is a sure sign that she is not herself.

I picked up the Flubenvet today, it says to use one level measuring spoon (which comes with it) per day for seven days. I mixed it with chopped tomato and grapes as these are things I know Treacle will eat. They all ate it and Treacle ate her share.

Treacle doesn’t seem any worse but then also not any better. I have been on the “Down the Lane” forum and everyone has been very helpful. I mentioned seeing some green poops and someone put a chicken poop chart up for me to see. I recognised all the poops classed as normal and none of the abnormal ones so felt a little better.

Then this afternoon I saw a bright green poop that doesn’t appear on the chart. I googled “bright green chicken poop” and was alarmed by what I read. lots of people had seen this and also had the same lethargic, not quite right symptoms that Treacle has. Every one said that the chicken went on to die. I am now totally alarmed. The theories were wide ranging form it being bile through not eating enough, internal infection, liver or kidney problems, ecoli or secondary poisoning. I started to worry about the jasmine that they were eating before I removed it, but the other three girls are fine and that was months ago.

Again on DTL they said not to panic it could just be from the spinach she was having up until a few days ago and that I am doing all the right things. I am trying not to panic but it’s hard and I am feeling really upset and tearful right now. I really can’t bare the thought that I might lose her. I have got to hang in there doing my best for her but I don’t want her to suffer. I hope to have better news soon.

I went out to the chickens before first light this morning. I disconnected the automatic coop door opener and took the side off of the coop. I took Treacle out and put the side back on then offered her the dish of scrambled egg.

The other three girls were calling to be let out as they always do every morning as soon as they hear me come through the gate, let alone opening the side and removing one of them.

Treacle looked upset and confused at being separated from them and couldn’t understand why they weren’t coming out. She totally ignored the dish of food. I knew then that it wouldn’t work separating her because she was just too stressed to want to eat anything.

I let the other girls out and took the dish away to split between two dishes and bring back in later. I thought this would give Treacle more of a chance to get some. That didn’t work either! The three girls quickly demolished it while Treacle stood and watched, making no attempt to join in.

I am really worried that Treacle isn’t eating any pellets and is only eating treats and even these less enthusiastically than usual. She is just not her normal self.

Later I took two pots in with live yogurt and some poultry spice mixed in. They all ate it including Treacle but again not as enthusiastically as the others. At least she ate some though.

Yogurt with poultry spice mixed in

After lunch I gave the girls the other half of the maggots. Once again they made short work of those and Treacle ate a share of them.

The other thing I have noticed is that Treacle has had some green poops. I put this down to her having greens each day and not eating pellets to dilute it but I have just done some research and read that it can also be a sign of worms. This has put me into my next panic and I am going back to the vet in our local pet store tomorrow to order some Flubinvet or any similar worming product. I also read that it is good to use a ground sanitising powder so will ask for this too. I will try cutting out the greens as well.

I have also read that a little oily fish is a good source of protein when they are molting so may try that tomorrow too. I hate to see her under the weather and will try anything to help her along.

The latest thing worrying me about Treacle is that I haven’t seen her eat any pellets recently. I think her molt has put her off her food and she is only eating treats. I didn’t see her eat pellets last night when I spent half hour with the girls before bedtime and again this morning when I spent half hour with them as they came out of the coop.

I made up some scrambled egg to give them first thing this morning in the hope of getting some goodness into Treacle but it didn’t work. The other three girls fell on it and Treacle was so slow she didn’t get any. I tried to keep the others from it and kept putting it by Treacle but she just stood there and let them have it. I felt really frustrated and decided that I needed a better plan.

I thought of separating Treacle while I give her scrambled egg but only have the rat cage and Treacle is my biggest girl. I feel that would be too stressful for her, so I have come up with a plan. Tomorrow before it’s light I will go out and open up the side of the coop and take Treacle out then close it again. I will then unhook the string on the door opener so that it won’t open automatically and switch on the floodlight. Then I will put a pot of scrambled egg in front of Treacle and see if she eats it before I let the other girls out. It’s not fool proof but worth a try.

In the mean time I decided to go to the fishing tackle shop and get some maggots to see if I could give her a boost today. We gave them half of them this afternoon and the girls made short work of them. Treacle managed to get her share of them and was much quicker at getting stuck in.

They are so speedy that their heads are a blur!

Fluffy bottoms

Pepper in action

I just managed to get Pepper with a maggot in her beak, yum! I hope this gives Treacle a boost. She seems a bit brighter but her not eating is a worry.

Since we have had the new top to the run and have put the new plastic sheet over the corner, the rain seems to run off and blow back in. This is making the edge that borders the veg plot very wet and muddy. I decided to buy just one more bag of wood chip, I know! When will I ever stop buying stuff for this run?

I did a poop pick, then forked over the corner that has no wood chip. The girls know when they see the fork that there may be worms and gather round. I thought some worms would help boost Treacle but Pepper and Bluebell are so quick that they got all the biggest ones. Treacle did get a few smaller ones though. Dotty always seems distracted somewhere else and doesn’t get so excited by the worms.

I then put a strip of wood chip at the edge that borders the veg plot, leaving a smaller triangle uncovered for future worm hunting. Next I sprinkled the rest on all the parts that get the most muddy.

Treacle and the new wood chip

The wood chip is now on the outside strip of the corner leaving a triangle free for the girls to scratch in. I fork it over every few days to see if there are worms for the girls and to stop it getting compacted.

Corner of the run

Pepper is scratching in the remaining uncovered triangle. Seeing this photo shows how well camouflaged the dominiques are. Pepper blends into the earth.

Treacle preening

Treacle is still not her usual self but she was preening her feathers this afternoon which is a good sign. I gave the girls some greens and some tomato this afternoon and when Treacle saw the tomato she actually sprinted up to it. I haven’t seen her eating pellets though and she isn’t as enthusiastic as usual. I did pick her up this morning to feel her crop and it felt normal.

Pepper has some blue feathers

It’s difficult to see in a photo but Pepper has some blue dye on her wing feathers, she must have snuggled up to Treacle overnight and it rubbed off on her.

Blue Treacle

This photo shows Treacle’s missing  feathers. It looks like someone has taken a bite out of her silhouette, it also shows the natural blue sheen on the feathers on her back making the blue spray quite a good match for her.

This evening at bedtime I spent some time sitting in with the girls to keep an eye on Treacle. She soon jumped onto my lap and stood there for ages while I stroked her. Chickens don’t bare a grudge and despite spraying her three times two days ago, she was still happy to come to my lap several times and seem to like having a bit of attention. Bluebell soon jumped onto my lap as well so as not to miss out.

I noticed Pepper’s crop looked quite large so I picked her up and felt her crop. It wasn’t hard or squishy so hopefully is just full.

The final thing to update on is the rat situation. I think we have got rid of them at last!! Since we had recent works done to the chicken run they have not been able to get in, finally. However they had chewed a hole into the big shed behind the chickens so we put poison down as only the rats could find it in there. It went very quickly at first, then slowed, then stopped. I hope this means the end of them. It’s been a long hard battle but we I think we have finally got there and we haven’t seen any further evidence of them.

About a week ago I noticed Treacle was going through a partial molt and had a bare patch on her bottom and smaller bare patches under her wings. She had a small scab under her wing which healed really quickly but her bottom was clear. A few days later I noticed she had some scabs on her bottom. We have seen Bluebell peck at her bare patches which is really odd because Treacle is top hen and Bluebell is bottom hen and has never pecked before. I can only think that as Treacle and Bluebell are always hanging out together that Bluebell finds the bare patches irresistible.

Treacle’s bottom with a couple of red scabs

I have read that a Genitian purple spray can be used to cover the bare skin and redness that attracts pecking and it is also an antiseptic (you must make sure to avoid the chickens vent). I went to the vet based in our local pet store and asked if they had this. He said he could order in for me, a similar product but that it is a different brand, called Terramycin and that it would be in the next day.

Since Treacle has been molting she has stopped laying eggs. She was laying every other day up until the molt but hasn’t laid an egg for seven days now. Bluebell lays most days and Pepper every other day, Dotty hasn’t started yet. Other than not laying eggs Treacle seemed okay until the pecking started then she didn’t seem her usual self. I have increased the protein to help Treacle with her molt, giving sunflower hearts or dried meal worms. She is not as enthusiastic about the treats and is not eating as much as usual. She wanders off on her own and just doesn’t seem her usual self.

I had read that scrambled egg is good for them, made with a little olive oil to stop it sticking and a little water, it gives them some of the goodness of the eggs back again. I made some from two of Bluebells eggs and put it in the white ramkins that I give them their weekly yogurt in. They rushed over with great excitement because they thought it was yogurt and then there was disappointment. They didn’t want to know. I sprinkled some corn on top to encourage them and with that they tried a little. They ate about half so I put the other half in the fridge and offered it to them again the following morning. Much to my surprise they wolfed it down. Treacle who would usually be first to any treat was last to it and only had a little bit which worried me, as it shows that she is not her usual self.

Eating some scrambled egg

Scrambled egg

While in the pet store I also bought some apple cider vinegar and some poultry spice to try to give Treacle a boost. Apple cider vinegar added to their drinking water is supposed to maintain inner health and a healthy appearance. It should not be used in galvanised drinkers so I put it in a heavy china bowl (the red spotted bowl in the photo above). The poultry spice is supposed to improve all round condition and help them get quickly over a molt.

They drank from the water with the added apple cider vinegar as normal. The instructions on the poultry spice suggested sprinkling a teaspoon over their pellets. They didn’t like it at all and refused to eat their pellets (the poultry spice does has a strong smell, a bit like Indian spices). I sprinkled another layer of pellets over the top but they didn’t eat as many pellets as usual which is not helpful.

I decided to abandon this idea and fill the feeder with fresh pellets as I don’t want them to stop eating them. I then decided to try adding the poultry spice to their weekly live,  natural yogurt which they love. Cracked it! They wolfed it down and Treacle looked more her normal self, pecking Pepper and Dotty away from the yogurt so she could get more. Result! From now on I will add this to their yogurt each week.

The next day I collected what the vet refers to as “purple spray” I have to say I would describe this brand of it as “blue spray”. Spraying Treacle’s bare patches with this proved much more difficult than I thought it would. I thought it would take two so my husband came up to help me. I put on my scruffy chicken skirt as the girls have muddy feet and sat on my little chair. I thought it best to let Treacle come to me and as good as gold she jumped onto my lap. My husband held her while I sprayed but the problem was that while she was sat on me, I couldn’t see the bare patch on her bottom as her feathers were covering it. As soon as I put her down I could see the bare patch again. I had sprayed her feathers but not her bare bottom.

I left her to calm down as she wasn’t best pleased at being sprayed then went back later for another go. This time I grabbed her and tried again. Once again when I put her down I could still see her bare patch. I decided to have one final go after they had gone to bed as I didn’t want to stress her any more. My husband came with me to shine the torch and I lifted her from her perch onto my lap. I sprayed as best as I could and put her back in.

In the morning I could see that I had still missed her bare patch but the scabs were covered so I hope this will be enough to deter pecking. I feel the only way to target the bare patch would be to go up behind her and spray but she wouldn’t allow that. I don’t want to stress her so will leave it at that for now.

Treacle’s blue bottom

Blue feathers

The blue actually blends in quite well with Treacle’s dark feathers which have a blue/green sheen to them normally. I may not have covered all the bare skin but hopefully this will do the job. We haven’t seen Bluebell peck at her at all today.

I just hate to see her under the weather and really hope she perks up soon. I don’t know what else I can do for her, I will be keeping a close eye on her.

A few months back I removed Pepper’s leg ring after reading that someone had a problem with mud being trapped under a leg ring and causing a sore, something I didn’t want to risk happening to Pepper. I knew that Dotty being a month younger than Pepper would make her easy to recognise while immature but wondered how I would tell them apart when she was fully grown. I know that their personalities are quite different but want to be able to visually tell them apart at a glance.

I have noticed that Dotty has different feather markings. She has some plain feathers that are a more brown colour on her wings but I know from past experience that you can’t rely on feather colours as when they lose feathers, they often regrow a different colour. Pepper used to have pale wing feathers but lost them and they came back in without the pale colour. I then noticed that Dotty has a black mark on her beak whereas Pepper doesn’t. I think this may be the best permanent visual way of telling them apart.

Dotty has darker wing feathers and a little black mark on her beak

Pepper has no dark wing feathers and no marks on her beak

This shows more clearly the little black marks either side of Dotty’s beak

Bluebell

Treacle

Treacle has being going through a partial molt and has a bare bottom at the moment. Her dark pin feathers are already showing though, so she should be feathered again quite soon. The other three girls have maintained their fluffy bottoms.

Treacle has a bare bottom

Fluffy bottoms

We had a bag of sand left over from the concreting last weekend so I decided to add it to the corner without wood chip which I leave for the girls to scratch in. I hope it may improve the drainage and feel it certainly can’t do any harm.

Sand added to the corner and lightly forked in

Bluebell is a terrific egg layer, she laid fifteen days in a row then missed one day, laid ten days in a row then missed one day then laid five days in a row then missed one day. For this time of year that is amazing. Treacle and Pepper were laying every other day with two or three days in a row sometimes but recently since we have had freezing temperatures, Pepper has missed two days and Treacle has just missed three days. I put Treacle’s extra missed day down to a partial molt as well as the cold.

I held my hand over Dotty to see if she would squat but not yet. I don’t think she will be too long now though, she is growing up at last.

It’s been a week since the wooden box has been filled with concrete and every day since then, the ground has been snow covered or frozen. I have been frustrated at not being able to finish off the run because of both the conditions and also being really busy. This afternoon though, we finished work early and there has been a thaw. The thaw had caused the run to be really muddy as the wood chip had got dug in with digging the trench for the gravel board and now with snow and ice melting, water was oozing up when ever me or the chickens stepped in to the run.

I poop picked first then forked over the corner of the run that I leave clear for the girls to scratch in. They were right with me to see if I turned up any worms for them. Then I took out the wooden stepping blocks and dug over and smoothed out the piles of earth in front of the patio. The girls got a few worms when I lifted the wooden blocks so were very happy helping me!

Then I placed the wooden blocks back where I wanted them and tipped the bag of wood chip onto the soil. I raked it roughly in to place but could see the girls were eager to help spread it around. They had a lovely time scratching in it.

Scratching in the new wood chip

Beaks down

Bluebell shows her fluffy bottom

Step

I decided not to bother putting the steps back but instead to use the two wooden blocks. Both the chickens and me find the block an adequate step down into the run.

I feel so pleased to have got this done. I hope this will once more help to keep the mud at bay and the girls happy.

Last night when I went in to do the bedtime routine, I thought it would be a good idea to take another look at Treacle and make sure everything is okay with her. I sat on my little chair for the first time in ages so that I could have her on my lap. Treacle soon jumped onto my lap and I started to inspect her. I couldn’t find the scab that I had noticed a few days ago. The bare patch seems to have feathered in now and I couldn’t find anything. I haven’t seen Bluebell peck at it either so I can only conclude that she is fully healed and feathered and it isn’t a problem, thank goodness.

At this point Dotty wanted to jump on my lap and landed on top of Treacle causing her to squawk. I lifted Dotty from Treacle and Treacle jumped down. Dotty settled on my lap and I stroked her sides. She stayed for ages and seemed to like the attention. What a changed girl Dotty is. At one time she didn’t interact with me at all, but here she was sitting being stroked and looking like she was really enjoying it. I am amazed at how much Dotty has changed as she is growing up.

This morning I uncovered the cement and it was dry. I had a sweep and clean up and took some photos.

Cobbles in cement where the jasmine used to be

This was a heap of cobbles on top of earth where the jasmine had been planted. Its now concrete with a few cobbles pushed in. It’s not an attractive photo but it’s to show that rats won’t be able to get through here. I think this will look better when it dries and lightens, it should blend in more then.

The box has gone

Instead of the wooden, earth filled box, we now have patio slabs over concrete. Nothing is going to get through here again and it has the added advantage of being much easier for me to clean. I can now sweep or sluice straight over the edge and the girls won’t scratch or walk mud onto patio.

No more wood

This is the view from the other side. The wood has gone and in it’s place is a concrete gravel board. It has been sunk into the ground, then a layer of concrete has been put in front of it, then a layer of earth over the top. The box has been filled with rubble, then a layer of weld mesh and chicken wire, then a layer of cement, topped with patio slabs. Nothing is ever getting through this again.

Concrete gravel board

Stepping block

For now I have put this block here as a step. I want to level the soil again and top with wood chip once more but can’t do anything until the weather changes. At the moment the ground is frozen and snow covered with more snow forecast. When I am able to work on this again I will decide whether to put the wooden step back or just use these blocks to step on.

Yesterday evening while in with the chickens, hearing a rat gnawing at wood outside was a bit like something out of a horror film. Today though I am feeling more positive. They can’t get in to the chickens now that we have blocked them with concrete and even if they try to chew through the wooden fence it will take time. So the next plan of action is to put poison in the shed, then unblock the hole to the shed and let them go in and take it. We will try to get rid of them as I feel that if we get rid of them and new rats come along in the future, they probably wouldn’t go to such great lengths to get in when there is no food being left out. We think the rats currently here are so determined because they were getting in and getting food in the past.

This morning when I let the girls out, Bluebell had already laid her egg. Pepper soon followed then Treacle. After the stressful day yesterday, which was a no egg day, today we have a three egg day!

We lifted the plastic cover from the concrete and found it wasn’t fully set yet, so we decided to leave it covered until tomorrow and I will take photos then.

The problem now is that the girls won’t go out into the snow so have confined themselves to the patio. It was quite dark on the patio because of the snow on the corrugated roof, so my husband used the step ladder and a broom to remove as much as he could reach.

I cleared a path through the snow and cleared the area under the umbrella but the girls were still not interested. I threw a few dried meal worms out and they ran out and cleared them up then returned to the patio. This means I have to keep poop picking the patio as it gets messy with them spending the whole day there. We have more snow forecast tomorrow and another week of freezing temperatures so I worry that if the snow doesn’t clear the girls are going to just stay on the patio.

In the afternoon I threw some sunflower seeds out into the garden area to encourage them out and grabbed my camera.

Searching for sunflower seeds

Tails up!

There must be more sunflower seeds here somewhere

We like to stay close together

Maybe the girls will be a bit braver tomorrow!