Buffy RIP

Sad week this week. Buffy went to the vet yesterday and we took the decision to let her go. She was so thin and couldn't stand. It has all started a week or so ago, when I noticed that she remained seated with her legs under her when I went in to give them treats, collect the eggs and generally check everything and. play with them. Normally Buffy would be crowding around with the others, waiting for me to give her her treats in her favourite place, on the edge of a particular piece of wood. I did sometimes hand feed her but she was so vigorous at pecking that mostly I wouldn't last very long.

The others were normal, Lucia has now decided that when I crouch to fill up the footballs with treats, her place is next to the treat bowl pecking corn as I scoop it out. Funny how. their little brains remember routines. Cordelia always heads straight for the perching tree where there is a doughnut shaped bowl that I fill with maize and Porche sometimes eats corn with buffy, sometimes with Lucia and sometimes with Cordelia.

But Buffy wasn't herself. I didn't want to spook her so I walked slowly over and offered her treats in my hand. She seemed fine and walked over and gently pecked a few times. I should have spotted that this wasn't normal and picked her up to check.

Same happened the next day, last Wednesday, but I still wasn't worried. I thought she'd just developed a new routine.

Thursday I was due to drive down to Cornwall and  Buffy seemed to be having difficulties standing and was rolling over to her right and splaying her left wing. The others were starting to peck her which is a sure sign that there was something amiss.

I got Ant to assemble the hospital eglu as I had to leave, and put Buffy in it.

Over the weekend while I was away, he checked her daily. Tried to get her to eat sweetcorn (she wouldn't) so she was clearly not a well chicken.

I arrived home on Monday and gave her a thorough check. She wasn't egg bound, and her crop was empty. She was painfully thin. Chickens are very adept at concealing deteriorating health. I immediately phoned Scotts Vets - they specialise in exotics including chickens, and was able to get an appointment with a lovely and very good vet, Megan. I then gave Buffy some chicken tonic and used a syringe to drop a few mm of water to try to stop her dehydrating.

The vet was very good. She loves parrots and it was very clear that she was experienced with birds.

After a full examination, nothing obvious showed itself so the other other possibilities were cancer or something neurological. Yes we could leave her with them to stabilise and try to find out what it was, but after spending 3 weeks nursing Willow to ultimately have her die anyway, we felt it was kinder to have Buffy put gently to sleep. Megan the vet agreed and so we left sans Buffy.

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.

New Chickens

Collected the new girls on Saturday. When I got them out of their box, they were a bit hot and bothered. Particularly the buff silkie seemed very upset and just sat down and didn't walk around. The other two appeared fine.

The girls upon arrival

Easter Sunday morning was a bit of a crisis. The buff silkie (Buffy) was fine, as was the pencilled Wyandotte (Willow) but the Cuckoo silkie (Cordelia) was just sitting in the nest box and wouldn't move. I picked her up and placed her in the run and set the trails camera going to record what they were doing. Willow was pecking her quite a bit and she looked very sad so I took her out and put her on her own in in the outside open run with the green eglu, next to the WIR.

She mostly sat hunched unless I went in and scattered seeds, then she'd scratch about in a desultory way. I sat watching her for some time as the weather was fairly good. I gave her water periodically using a syringe. 

I got my Nettex Nutri-drops only to discover that their best-before date was July 2018! I started a thread on the Omlet forums for advice. One said probably OK, just maybe not as effective. Another said she had found that after first dose of Nutri-drops her hens went downhill and died. I decided to go out first thing Monday to try to buy some new drops from the farm shop. Another chicken keeper suggested I contact the breeder. I ordered some Poultry Power (used to be Nutri-drops) from Amazon - delivery between 8th and 12th April!!!! 

Cordelia in the outside run

I contacted Meadowview chickens using their online chat, and Charlotte replied very fast and was very helpful. Apparently they are on crumb, and I'd given them pellets. I decided to get some crumb from the farm shop on Monday to encourage them to eat as I'd not actually seen any of them eating from the Omlet Grub feeder. Charlotte said she'd happily take her back, but by now I just wanted the little hen to recover!

Sunday night, Cordelia spent the night alone in her eglu. 

Spent most of the time sitting, tail-down

Monday morning she was still lethargic. I was very worried and posted an update on the Omlet forums. Advice was she was probably stressed as Silkies are prone to stress (and apparently sensitive to cold which I didn't know). I was advised to keep her warm so I brought her into the house in a cardboard box. Bought some layers mash from the farm shop, but they didn't stock Poultry Power (replacement for Nutri-drops). I put mash, corn, porridge and water in with her, none of which she seemed interested in. 

I continued giving her water with a syringe. 

By Monday evening (Bank holiday Monday) I was really worried. I cracked and gave her the past best-before date Nettex Nutri-drops. She immediately seemed to perk up and showed some interest in the corn in her box. I could see a difference in minutes. After an hour or so, I put her in the eglu with the other two to sleep. 

On Tuesday morning(6th April) - Buffy and Willow emerged from the eglu but Cordelia stayed in roosting. I took her out and gave her water and Nutri-drops. I put her back in the coop and she emerged of her own accord and scratched around with the others. Those Nutri-drops are amazing, even when out-of-date.

Throughout Tuesday I checked her periodically during the day. I gave her water. If I put her out in the run she would scratch for a bit. All three chickens tended to go back in the eglu as it was bitterly cold, windy and, at points, snowing!

All three hens pottering about

On Tuesday evening I gave her more water and another dose of Nutri-drops and bed for the night in the eglu with the others. 

Wednesday morning I gave her more water and Nutri-drops with a syringe and popped her at the end of the run. She and the other two scratched around. I gave them corn and sweet corn. They seemed happy.

Wednesday afternoon - checked them again. They all seem very happy. Enjoying treats and drinking from the old fashioned drinker. I'm sure I saw Cordelia eating some layers mash I'd put on the ground to encourage her. 3 days is the minimum Nutri-drop dosage, so as this is day 3, I plan to stop. Fingers crossed that disaster has been averted! All three new chickens are behaving like normal hens.

Having spent time sat watching them in the eglu, I realised how bitterly cold the wind is as it whistles up the slope. I've wrapped three layers of protection around the run to keep the wind out, and I plan to move the run up to a higher level, though when I stood there it felt just as windy. However it would be easier to erect a fence panel or two to give some protection from the wind. Maybe it won't be necessary. Once they've settled in, I plan to move them in with the other girls and only use the spare eglu when I want to move them out for a couple of days to give the WIR a thorough clean and disinfect.

Buffy RIP

Something of a rapid decline. One by one all my hens became broody except for Buffy and Maud. For a week I was getting just one egg every few days from Buffy - Maud has always been a reluctant layer. A week or so ago she stopped laying and I didn't pay any attention. I've been working hard on all hens, trying to pick them up every day and handle them. I've been hand feeding them to get them really tame and then picking one or two up. With four broodies, I've literally had my hands full, picking each one up, giving her a little cuddle and stroke then putting her outside to encourage her to forage and maybe forget about being broody.

With all these hens to handle, I'd not been picking Buffy up. I spotted her in with the broodys and thought she was joining in the broody fun, but when I picked her up, she was ever so thin. And so quickly. She'd been looking a little pale for a while, but apart from giving her tonic and chicken spice I'd not really thought it worth worrying about.

Now that I looked at her, I could see Maud pecking her, which Maud despite being much bigger doesn't generally do. She was either poorly, or Maud was bullying her because she was the only other hen around (as the other four were broody).

I moved her to a separate eglu and gave her hanging hentastic treats which she pecked at with enthusiasm. She had her own water with tonic in it and chicken spice layers pellets and I just waited. She seemed to be rallying round. Her comb became more pink and I thought she was recovering. After four days on her own, I decided to give her another couple of days to be sure she was better and then if the others went for her when I reintroduced her, I would select one to put with her and then reintroduce them as a pair.

This morning saw a dead Buffy. I was so surprised. She seemed so much better. Maybe there was an underlying problem. I guess there isn't any more.

I think perhaps I'll consider getting another couple. With four broody hens and Maud, I have to buy eggs.