RIP Willow

 After the previous post, I took Willow to the vet for the first time. We thought she had an impacted crop. The vet, Chris, was the only one who could operate and he juggled things around to make space on Friday. So I had to keep her going for four days...which I did with nutridrops and corn which she would still eat. He also asked for a poo sample which I collected and drove over the next day. Very expensive to analyse.

Friday came around and she was looking better and her crop had reduced in size. I'd also been dropping olive oil in her beak and massaging her crop. Another visit to Chris told me that her poo sample was clear. No parasites or other problems. I took her away from the vet again, this time with a 7 day course of antibiotics that I had to administer 3 times a day. That was a trial. I was trying to keep them evenly spaced. I had set up the bench in the shed as a little treatment room and would stand Willow on that as I crushed her tablet and mixed it was water to syringe it down her throat. I would go out late at night for the last dose, but she didn't seem to mind. By Friday she seemed a little better, she even seemed to eat some normal food. 

Sadly she deteriorated again, so I took her to see another vet - by this time Chris had gone on holiday. I got a preparation that would speed up her gut in the hope that she would start processing food. By now she was so weak she kept falling over. I had her in the tunnel run, and she had fallen over so I had to crawl in on my front with a towel, put her on the towel, then reverse out dragging her on the towel.

Long story short, after much expense and three vet visits, we got to Sunday before Bank holiday monday and she went downhill fast. I determined to take her to the vet to be put to sleep the next day, but she died in her little hospital box in the shed overnight. RIP Willow 30-8-21

Broody Buffy, broody Cordelia, poorly Willow

My three new chickens settled in well after the early scare with Cordelia. Thank goodness for Nutridrops, now renamed Poultry Power by Nettex.  Took a few days, but she eventually recovered. I initially put them in with my five existing girls, but the booted sabelpoots bullied Cordelia mercilessly - sometimes you could not see her for three teeny chickens on her back pulling her feathers out - so I moved the three of them into the green eglu with the tunnel run on the other side of the garden. 

Within a very few days, Buffy became broody and has been broody ever since! This is going on for 3 months. Last week Cordelia joined her in broodyness, so poor Willow was outside on her own.

I noticed about 3 days ago that Willow was inside the eglu during the day with the other two, although she was not broody. I realised something was up and since yesterday have been treating her with Nutridrops. She has got very thin and has green runny poos - very green and runny and sticking to her feathers. I've not washed it off yet because I don't want to stress her, but she is definitely not herself.

Her comb etc is still nice and red, and she does walk, but prefers to just sit around. I had her out on my lap today and was able to tempt her with a little sweetcorn so am hoping that the Poultry Power drops are doing the trick. I've locked all three out of the eglu to encourage them to eat and drink. Buffy and Cordelia may have done so, but within a very short time, the three of them sit in an unhappy chickeny pile by the shut door of the eglu waiting for me to let them in again. 

And of course - no eggs!

Sadly, also, the inevitable came to pass and Velvet died on 10th July. She had been going downhill for about 3 weeks, unable to hop up onto a wooden sleeper, so I knew the end was coming. I didn't have many photos of her so made sure to take a few, and she died 3 days later, so I'm pleased I did.