The Poultry Keeper

debsandpets · Joined: 29 Jan 2006 Posts: 26 Location: WARWICKSHIRE

I am very upset today - we just had to cull one of the girls. Crying or Very sad

When I was out in the garden today I noticed that 1 of my ladies had a pooey bum. When I caught her up and took a closer look I found a section of her undercarriage was wet with diahorrea and further down still was a bloody patch of feathers - like a blod clot. Shocked

When I picked her up I realised how thin she had become ... she must have been going into a decline for some time without showing any symptoms. I could (I am pretty certain) feel her rib cage & the bones in her face were able to be felt. I feel like such a bad owner not having noticed how thin she had become before today. Shocked

Both her & her sister along with 2 other hens came from a breeder last summer & now I come to think about it she has never laid an egg either - but the other 3 are all fine, good weights etc. She had been alert, bright eyed, eating & drinking without any cause for concern it would have seem until today.

Basically we decided it would be in her best interest to be culled as she certainly had no quality of life left (she wasn't even 1 year allegedly), they were all bought as POL pullets but you never know for sure really.
She seemed to stuggle with her moult along with the 3 others from the same breeder (the other 3 still have bare throat areas with no feathers there).

They are all fed ad lib pellets (2 different feeders available), selection of veg as there is no grass left, and just before bed they get a handful of mixed corn too. They get battles poultry drink once a week and also ACV once every 4 weeks or so. They have been regularly wormed with flubenvet as well.

All the other birds are well, bright, alert & eating me out of house & home.

Crying or Very sad

Debs

milkmaid · Joined: 19 Apr 2005 Posts: 6914 Location: isle of lewis

i'm really sorry to hear that,
Sad

((((hug)))))
i lost an egg bound hen last year
normally spend a lot of time with the hens
but my mother was up
and i didn't notice
suz

mojo · Posted: Mon Jan 30, 2006 6:39 pm Post subject:

brave girl doing whats best for your chooks is never easy........well done mojo

debsandpets · Joined: 29 Jan 2006 Posts: 26 Location: WARWICKSHIRE

Mojo - you are right - NOT EASY. we decided that it wouldn't be fair to her to drag her to & from the vets for diagnosis etc and then treatment so the deed had to be done

Debs

NannyP · Posted: Mon Jan 30, 2006 6:55 pm Post subject:

Well done, I couldn't have done it. It's so easy to miss their decline though, as they hide illness well. Sorry you had to do that Confused

CP · Posted: Mon Jan 30, 2006 7:16 pm Post subject:

That's sad news Debs. Crying or Very sad

So very hard to make the decision, but better than letting her suffer. Crying or Very sad

Knobby · Posted: Mon Jan 30, 2006 8:34 pm Post subject:

Lisa · Posted: Mon Jan 30, 2006 8:54 pm Post subject:

Aw Debs - sending lots of hugs your way...

Well done for doing what needed doing. I've only ever taken mine to the vets, and that was bad enough Sad

So easy to love 'em, so painful to let them go when the time comes Crying or Very sad

madslg · Joined: 16 Nov 2005 Posts: 298 Location: Farnham

Bless you! I can't imagine what it feels like but thinking of you.... Crying or Very sad

debsandpets · Joined: 29 Jan 2006 Posts: 26 Location: WARWICKSHIRE

Thanks everyone

It certainly was not a nice thing to have to decide but the thought of having to has started to go a bit Crying or Very sad

I
t was definitely her time to go - just strange that there were no other symptoms previous to today ??!!??!!

Any thoughts on this .... having trawled through some older posts I think it may have been some sort of organ failure (a post on liver damage somewhere sounds sort of possible)??

Anyway - trying not to dwell on things, just hope her sister is not too lonely tonight - they always cuddled up in the nest box without fail each night Sad

Best wishes
Debs

Aussie Chick · Posted: Mon Jan 30, 2006 11:45 pm Post subject:

((((((((((((Debs)))))))))))))) its not a nice thing to have to do.

Fee · Joined: 23 Jan 2006 Posts: 6

sorry to read your sad news.

Lisa · Posted: Tue Jan 31, 2006 9:16 am Post subject:

debsandpets · Joined: 29 Jan 2006 Posts: 26 Location: WARWICKSHIRE

I think you are right Lisa

Having slept on it - so to speak - I feel that I have done everything for my girls that I possibly can. My veg bill @ Tescos must be their profit margin at the moment !!! Shocked

As there is no grass in their run left, I buy so many different sorts of greenery to keep them occupied.

Ho hum - life does go on I suppose

Her sister looked a bit lost this morning though Crying or Very sad

Debs

Issy · Joined: 22 Nov 2005 Posts: 371 Location: somerset

Always a difficult thing to have to do, but you have acted in the best interests of your hen and none of us can do more than that (((hug))).