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Re: dark comb, weak legs.

Posted: Tue Sep 12, 2017 3:04 pm
by Jaye
I sympathize, Jan. It's so hard, especially when they are favourites. I'm still hoping she'll be better tomorrow.
Hugs.

Re: dark comb, weak legs.

Posted: Tue Sep 12, 2017 6:09 pm
by WLLady
If she isnt suffering and is still chatty and eating and drinking theres no reason to cull her. If its her heart she will likely go sometime overnight some day....in her sleep. I wouldnt worry if none of your other chickens act the same (like its some weirdo virus)

Re: dark comb, weak legs.

Posted: Wed Sep 13, 2017 4:24 am
by windwalkingwolf
No, nobody else, though I find myself keeping a close eye on her sister! Interestingly enough, Cookie is beginning molt, while Cream isn't, yet.
I did lose a 2 year old hen, a half sibling, early last Spring one night to suspected heart attack. She was roosting with the others at 7 PM, and dead on the ground at 3 am. Never any signs at all I wish now I'd opened her up and had a look, but figured it was a one-off.
The wobbly legs and head are throwing me off, she's acting like a human would if they were feeling faint, or feverish, except her appetite is good.
Father-in-law keeps a bag of potatoes chips in the basket of his walker, and yesterday threw some crumbs on the ground for her. I almost pooped, I really don't think she needs the salt, but she literally fell all over trying to hoover up those chips, and THEN did her darndest to pull the bag out of the basket!
But anyway, I've already violated my '3 day rule' (no improvement in three days, time to cull) so I've decided, just this one time for this one hen (yeah right), to bend the rules a bit. My new criteria for CC are: if she falls and can't get up, or goes off her feed, or starts to have trouble breathing, or stops walking around and 'talking', it's time.

Re: dark comb, weak legs.

Posted: Wed Sep 13, 2017 9:12 am
by Jaye
Good to hear that you're keeping her around to see if she does improve - she sounds like she's good company. ;-)

Re: dark comb, weak legs.

Posted: Wed Sep 13, 2017 11:28 am
by Happy
Now you see how I ended up with a house rooster ;)
I'm a sucker for the "off bubble" ones so long as they don't appear in pain. I'm glad you're giving her a bit of time.
The odd thing is that I've got a girl acting a wee bit like yours. She hasn't come inside at all. And she's still managing to hang with the flock by day and get up on a high roost at night.
I would say she seems better than she did a week ago. She gets a dark comb at times. Seems restless. Seemed wobbly a couple of days last week but not bad now. She just seems off when I watch her now..can't really put my finger on it. She is the same one that molted a month ago (for the first time ever at 2 1/2 years old). Stopped laying eggs during molt then laid 2 thin shelled and stopped again. Her abdomen feels tight to me. I believe she has something reproductive going on. This girl has had meat spots in every single egg she has ever laid right from the beginning which I know aren't odd but to see them in every egg isn't normal. I'm in same boat as you I guess...so long as she's eating on her own she's good.

Re: dark comb, weak legs.

Posted: Wed Sep 13, 2017 2:06 pm
by Jaye
@windwalkingwolf and @Happy , this just occurred to me: have you given any thought to giving your ailing hens the "spa treatment" AKA an Epsom Salts bath?
It's worked on a few of my hens that were feeling poorly (one of them was egg-bound, as I recall). I figure that since the weather is so nice and warm at the moment, they can do most of their drying off in the sun if you do it early enough in the day.
Here's a link to the particulars, in case you're thinking of giving it a shot:
https://hencam.com/faq/the-spa-treatment/

Re: dark comb, weak legs.

Posted: Wed Sep 13, 2017 7:47 pm
by Happy
Jaye wrote:
Wed Sep 13, 2017 2:06 pm
@windwalkingwolf and @Happy , this just occurred to me: have you given any thought to giving your ailing hens the "spa treatment" AKA an Epsom Salts bath?
It's worked on a few of my hens that were feeling poorly (one of them was egg-bound, as I recall). I figure that since the weather is so nice and warm at the moment, they can do most of their drying off in the sun if you do it early enough in the day.
Here's a link to the particulars, in case you're thinking of giving it a shot:
https://hencam.com/faq/the-spa-treatment/
Good idea and worth a shot for sure. Will let you know if it seems to help!

Re: dark comb, weak legs.

Posted: Sun Sep 17, 2017 7:49 pm
by Happy
@Jaye Phoebe had an epsom salt bath yesterday. She did not enjoy it lol. I've had hens practically go to sleep in a bath but Phoebe's eyes bugged out the entire time. She didn't fight though. I will say she has been eating "some" all along but tonight I saw her attacking her sister to get to the oatmeal flakes I scattered around lol. That's more like it. She's still not laying and her abdomen still feels full. We'll see. Thanks for suggestion.
@windwalkingwolf any change with your girl?

Re: dark comb, weak legs.

Posted: Sun Sep 17, 2017 10:39 pm
by windwalkingwolf
This evening I was making supper and suddenly, at warp speed,she launched herself at the countertop three feet from me...and stuck the landing. And proceeded to bury her face in my ground turkey before I could blink. I'll take it as a positive sign, because she wouldn't have even tried that jump a couple days ago. She doesn't like to shake food to break it up, if it's a chunk of something, she'd give it a weak flick or two and stumble, then just drop it and lose interest...so I've been breaking her treats up for her...but today she tackled half a small bun all by herself. Her comb is still off and on dusky, no change.

Re: dark comb, weak legs.

Posted: Sun Sep 17, 2017 10:46 pm
by Happy
That's a positive sign at least! Sorry if I missed it but is she laying?