So, I've been ill, which isn't much fun when you are trying to deal with a chook who won't eat anything other than chinese leaf! We've muddled through though!
Her Ladyship is still into chinese leaf big time! She has it everyday but not til about 11.30am-12.00 ish, this way she will eat a bit of her proper food first, and graze on her feed throughout the day too. She is still very light, but it seems to vary day to day now, the other day she hit 1500g (having been 1836g when she very first had the implant done) which is a mahoosive loss! Then she will put a little weight on for a couple of days averaging out at just below 1600g, then drops again! She is a bit subdued, but nothing major *touches wood* so as long as she is still active and alert, and still picking at food we will let her be. She is back on the metoclopramide twice a day (orally) which does seem to be helping. Her moult seemed to be pretty much done, just the last bit of shedding the sheaths to go, then yesterday she started dropping a few more feathers. Most odd!
Nowt else to report really, I'll be back soon, hopefully minus this hacking cough! *splutter*
Saturday 25 June 2011
Monday 13 June 2011
Monday, day 16, 13th June 2011
Food in crop this morning, but not overly worried as nighttime droppings were ok (and plenty of them for a change!).
Her Ladyship Queen Lola of Divaland was very much into her chinese leaf again today, plus she ate a bit of breakfast, plus she decided cucumber was a worthy addition to her diet today too :-)
The best news of the day is that Lola has GAINED 50g over the last 24 hours WOOHOOOOO! What a clever little chookaloo she is!
So, this evening I trotted off to the supermarket and stocked up on chinese leaf, cucumbers, and brocolli as I thought she may like to try that too. I spied her eating some of the ex-bat crumb at one point, and she had a bit of scrambled egg at teatime too. I also popped into the vets to pick up some Hills A/D diet food for her, just to try and get some of that lost muscle/weight back onto her.
Another thing she has done today is to have a dustbath, something she has not done for at least a week and a half I reckon. She is definitely up and about more too.
The relief of seeing her eating, and actually showing an interest in food is incredible.
One oral dose of metoclopramide today
No egg
One superdooper happy Mama *grin*
Her Ladyship Queen Lola of Divaland was very much into her chinese leaf again today, plus she ate a bit of breakfast, plus she decided cucumber was a worthy addition to her diet today too :-)
The best news of the day is that Lola has GAINED 50g over the last 24 hours WOOHOOOOO! What a clever little chookaloo she is!
So, this evening I trotted off to the supermarket and stocked up on chinese leaf, cucumbers, and brocolli as I thought she may like to try that too. I spied her eating some of the ex-bat crumb at one point, and she had a bit of scrambled egg at teatime too. I also popped into the vets to pick up some Hills A/D diet food for her, just to try and get some of that lost muscle/weight back onto her.
Another thing she has done today is to have a dustbath, something she has not done for at least a week and a half I reckon. She is definitely up and about more too.
The relief of seeing her eating, and actually showing an interest in food is incredible.
One oral dose of metoclopramide today
No egg
One superdooper happy Mama *grin*
Sunday 12 June 2011
Sunday, day 15, 12th June 2011
Food in crop this morning so back on the metoclopramide.
She picked at breakfast which was good. Still losing feathers but it has at least slowed down; she is working on her hair at the mo, and I think her tail is going to be next.
I've been poorly the last few days, so I had to catch up a bit today and nipped out to do some shopping. I came home armed with various bits n bobs for Lola to try, as this not eating/losing weight is worrying me silly. Pureed baby fruits- not interested, organic yogurt- not interested, this morning she was picking about in the cat bowl, although it was empty...so I bought some posh cat food for her to try- one of those all fish/vegetable/natural kinds...now I will point out that I am not really an advocate of feeding cat/dog food to birds as a general rule (mostly because I know what goes into it- lets face it, that is where my hens were headed had they not been rescued), however on this occasion she did pick out a couple of bits of fish- result! Desperate times call for desperate measures!
I tried her with some cauli leaves- quite a lot of interest...I had bought some spring greens...still lots of interest so I brought out the chinese leaf (they often have this hung up in the run) OMG, major interest! I hung some leaves up around the kitchen door handle and Lola ate constantly for about 45mins!!!! AMAZING! (Picture to follow!) Just when I thought it couldn't get much better, I put the girls into the run with their tea- scrambled egg- and Lola started tucking in to that as well...not a massive amount, but it's a start :-)
No egg
Happy Mama
She picked at breakfast which was good. Still losing feathers but it has at least slowed down; she is working on her hair at the mo, and I think her tail is going to be next.
I've been poorly the last few days, so I had to catch up a bit today and nipped out to do some shopping. I came home armed with various bits n bobs for Lola to try, as this not eating/losing weight is worrying me silly. Pureed baby fruits- not interested, organic yogurt- not interested, this morning she was picking about in the cat bowl, although it was empty...so I bought some posh cat food for her to try- one of those all fish/vegetable/natural kinds...now I will point out that I am not really an advocate of feeding cat/dog food to birds as a general rule (mostly because I know what goes into it- lets face it, that is where my hens were headed had they not been rescued), however on this occasion she did pick out a couple of bits of fish- result! Desperate times call for desperate measures!
I tried her with some cauli leaves- quite a lot of interest...I had bought some spring greens...still lots of interest so I brought out the chinese leaf (they often have this hung up in the run) OMG, major interest! I hung some leaves up around the kitchen door handle and Lola ate constantly for about 45mins!!!! AMAZING! (Picture to follow!) Just when I thought it couldn't get much better, I put the girls into the run with their tea- scrambled egg- and Lola started tucking in to that as well...not a massive amount, but it's a start :-)
No egg
Happy Mama
Saturday 11 June 2011
Saturday, day 14, 11th June 2011
Little bit of food in her crop this morning, considering putting her back on the metoclopramide for a little while, not sure yet though.
Not very interested in food, still losing lots of feathers and lots of new pins emerging. Still looking sorry for herself poor mite.
She has lost a bit of weight again *dammit* but I did discover that an egg yolk on the floor is indeed rather tempting lol, and as they are calorific, I'm going to keep on with that for her. She does seem a little more active which is something.
No egg
Not very interested in food, still losing lots of feathers and lots of new pins emerging. Still looking sorry for herself poor mite.
She has lost a bit of weight again *dammit* but I did discover that an egg yolk on the floor is indeed rather tempting lol, and as they are calorific, I'm going to keep on with that for her. She does seem a little more active which is something.
No egg
Friday, day 13, 10th June 2011
Didn't update last night as I took to my sick bed!
Miss Lola is in full moult and looks very sorry for herself.
The hand rearing formula (nutri bird A19, high energy) arrived by courier, and although she wasn't all that impressed by eating it out of a bowl she did at least try a bit. I've found that mixing it in with wet mash means she will at least have a pick at it.
She put on 5g in the previous 24hours which is fabulous, at least it is heading in the right direction, the weight loss has been worrying me silly. I am going to weigh her every day for the moment as this needs closely monitoring. I think I will try and get an appt with Greg at the vets just to give her a check over and make sure everything is ok.
She had a little bit of food in her crop when she got up.
No egg
Miss Lola is in full moult and looks very sorry for herself.
The hand rearing formula (nutri bird A19, high energy) arrived by courier, and although she wasn't all that impressed by eating it out of a bowl she did at least try a bit. I've found that mixing it in with wet mash means she will at least have a pick at it.
She put on 5g in the previous 24hours which is fabulous, at least it is heading in the right direction, the weight loss has been worrying me silly. I am going to weigh her every day for the moment as this needs closely monitoring. I think I will try and get an appt with Greg at the vets just to give her a check over and make sure everything is ok.
She had a little bit of food in her crop when she got up.
No egg
Thursday 9 June 2011
Thursday, 9th June 2011, day 12
Well sure enough Miss Lola has indeed starting dropping lots and lots of feathers all over the place today, poor lil sausage :-/ So out of all of my birds the only one who really needs to moult is Ellie, and she is the only one keeping hold of her feathers!
The hand rearing formula I ordered last night has been sent via courier so that it arrives tomorrow, fabulous fabulous ebay seller :-)
Lola's been eating quite well today, she scoffed about 15 live mealworms in mere seconds love her! Just as well really after the weight loss. She's been pretty active today, pootling about in the garden, indulging in a spot of digging, although I was thinking earlier that I am pretty sure she hasn't had a dustbath for quite some time!
She did have a small amount of food in her crop when she got up this morning, but as she is still eating, drinking and pooing ok I have kept her off the metoclopramide.
No egg
The hand rearing formula I ordered last night has been sent via courier so that it arrives tomorrow, fabulous fabulous ebay seller :-)
Lola's been eating quite well today, she scoffed about 15 live mealworms in mere seconds love her! Just as well really after the weight loss. She's been pretty active today, pootling about in the garden, indulging in a spot of digging, although I was thinking earlier that I am pretty sure she hasn't had a dustbath for quite some time!
She did have a small amount of food in her crop when she got up this morning, but as she is still eating, drinking and pooing ok I have kept her off the metoclopramide.
No egg
Wednesday 8 June 2011
Wednesday, 8th June 2011, day 11
Well my theory was right, Miss Lola is indeed going into moult. She's been doing ok with her eating today, and isn't guzzling water like yesterday. She has been a little bit snoozy today but nothing like it was before.
My main concern is the amount of weight she has lost. Overall, since being implanted she has lost over 200g. That is a huge amount to lose in such a short space of time- in fact she has lost that since Saturday really which shows how little she has been eating. I am hoping that now her appetite is increasing a bit, she will put some weight back on, a few of the girls on the ex-bats forum have said their hens lost weight after implanting. I've ordered some more CCF, and also some hand rearing food to try and build her up a bit and to support her through this moult. The alfamix arrived today and both girls seem to like it, so they now have that alongside their allen and page ex-bat feed. I have also put Lola on 'feather up' from the birdcare co, as I have always had good results with this. It ups their protein levels, and also has sulphur containing amino acids which make up a large portion of the protein in the feathers. It helps them get over the moult quicker, while supporting them through it.
Then just to top that, I walked into the lounge to discover Simba (African grey parrot) has decided to drop his feathers all over the floor too, oh joy of joys! He tends to get grumpy when moulting which will be fun!
I was emptying the dishwasher earlier while the girls were having a preen in the kitchen, and bent down to put stuff away in the under-counter cupboard when Lola wasted no time at all jumping up onto my shoulder, it was lovely to see her up to her old mischief! She is in bed with Ellie again tonight, perhaps these are going to be the new sleeping arrangements now!
No metoclopramide
No egg
My main concern is the amount of weight she has lost. Overall, since being implanted she has lost over 200g. That is a huge amount to lose in such a short space of time- in fact she has lost that since Saturday really which shows how little she has been eating. I am hoping that now her appetite is increasing a bit, she will put some weight back on, a few of the girls on the ex-bats forum have said their hens lost weight after implanting. I've ordered some more CCF, and also some hand rearing food to try and build her up a bit and to support her through this moult. The alfamix arrived today and both girls seem to like it, so they now have that alongside their allen and page ex-bat feed. I have also put Lola on 'feather up' from the birdcare co, as I have always had good results with this. It ups their protein levels, and also has sulphur containing amino acids which make up a large portion of the protein in the feathers. It helps them get over the moult quicker, while supporting them through it.
Then just to top that, I walked into the lounge to discover Simba (African grey parrot) has decided to drop his feathers all over the floor too, oh joy of joys! He tends to get grumpy when moulting which will be fun!
I was emptying the dishwasher earlier while the girls were having a preen in the kitchen, and bent down to put stuff away in the under-counter cupboard when Lola wasted no time at all jumping up onto my shoulder, it was lovely to see her up to her old mischief! She is in bed with Ellie again tonight, perhaps these are going to be the new sleeping arrangements now!
No metoclopramide
No egg
Tuesday 7 June 2011
Tuesday, 7th June 2011, day 10
Floppy comb today, not really sure why as she has been drinking well. Maybe it is just the changes and her body adjusting.
She is still drinking well today.
Ate quite well this morning, picked at breakfast, then I found her in my studio where I also keep their feed and equipment...she had found a bowl of feed (it wasn't fresh but it also wasn't old either so I left her to it) stood inside a storage tub, and was picking at that. I got the bowl out for her and popped it on the floor in the utility room, and she (and of course Ellie-gannet-pants) tucked in. And yes, that would be my new floor that hadn't even been down 24 hours lol (by the end of the day there was food everywhere with little chooky footprints in it!). D'ya like my doorstop, she even has a floppy comb :-)
Add in a few live mealworms and breakfast time was pretty successful compared to previously!
Her garvo alfamix is being delivered tomorrow, really hoping this will be a good compromise that they will both eat.
I have still been topping her up occasionally with a little critical care formula, as I think the energy she gets from that is encouraging her to get up and eat something by herself.
So, as for the rest of the day...she has been eating really well, and guzzling a bit too much water which she has brought back up a couple of times when she has leaned forward to eat off the floor (they do have bowls and feeders honestly!), nothing major, I will keep an eye on the situation but if she was a touch dehydrated perhaps she is trying to make up for it. As for the eating...I have a theory...I was thinking about it, and I reckon she is about to drop all her beautiful clothes, so perhaps she is eating more in preparation for moulting. It does seem to be very common for them to moult after the implant.
Every night since Ruby was put to sleep the girls have slept in exactly the same spot every night without fail...until tonight, Lola is asleep in Ellie's side of the cube, with Ellie next to her. I did catch Lola just stood in the nestbox earlier, not sure if she was after a quiet little nap, but she did not want to come out to play. A couple of minutes later she appeared which was a relief!
No egg
No metoclopramide
She is still drinking well today.
Ate quite well this morning, picked at breakfast, then I found her in my studio where I also keep their feed and equipment...she had found a bowl of feed (it wasn't fresh but it also wasn't old either so I left her to it) stood inside a storage tub, and was picking at that. I got the bowl out for her and popped it on the floor in the utility room, and she (and of course Ellie-gannet-pants) tucked in. And yes, that would be my new floor that hadn't even been down 24 hours lol (by the end of the day there was food everywhere with little chooky footprints in it!). D'ya like my doorstop, she even has a floppy comb :-)
Add in a few live mealworms and breakfast time was pretty successful compared to previously!
Her garvo alfamix is being delivered tomorrow, really hoping this will be a good compromise that they will both eat.
I have still been topping her up occasionally with a little critical care formula, as I think the energy she gets from that is encouraging her to get up and eat something by herself.
So, as for the rest of the day...she has been eating really well, and guzzling a bit too much water which she has brought back up a couple of times when she has leaned forward to eat off the floor (they do have bowls and feeders honestly!), nothing major, I will keep an eye on the situation but if she was a touch dehydrated perhaps she is trying to make up for it. As for the eating...I have a theory...I was thinking about it, and I reckon she is about to drop all her beautiful clothes, so perhaps she is eating more in preparation for moulting. It does seem to be very common for them to moult after the implant.
Every night since Ruby was put to sleep the girls have slept in exactly the same spot every night without fail...until tonight, Lola is asleep in Ellie's side of the cube, with Ellie next to her. I did catch Lola just stood in the nestbox earlier, not sure if she was after a quiet little nap, but she did not want to come out to play. A couple of minutes later she appeared which was a relief!
No egg
No metoclopramide
Monday, 6th June 2011, day 9
Didn't get time to update last night, hectic day...including nursing a robin fledgling that my cat caught (sadly he didn't make it through the night) :(
Anyhoodle...
Lola's appetite was slightly better, nothing to shout about but I was pleased. She is up and about a bit more, which is great, I hate seeing her looking so mopey and low.
No egg
No metoclopramide
Anyhoodle...
Lola's appetite was slightly better, nothing to shout about but I was pleased. She is up and about a bit more, which is great, I hate seeing her looking so mopey and low.
No egg
No metoclopramide
Sunday 5 June 2011
Sunday, day 8, 5th June 2011
Ok, so technically speaking it was a week this morning since Lola had her implant, but I counted last Sunday as the first day being as though she had it done in the morning ;)
She really didn't eat very much at all yesterday, and we then had yellowish poo in the eglu overnight. She did have an empty crop this morning, but having eaten so little yesterday that wasn't much of a surprise!
When I let them out into the garden, Lola did have a little nibble at the wet mash *yay* She has eaten a few little bits and bobs today, nothing to get majorly excited over, but she was eating something so I'm afraid there was a little excited dance from me lol!
I've given her a little critical care formula again today, I'm wondering if the bit of energy she gets from that is what is encouraging her to eat a little on her own.
I tried to get her some garvo alfamix today but the shop doesn't stock it. I've spoken to someone at garvo, explained the situation and he agrees that alfamix is the best compromise as Ellie will still get everything she needs for laying, and Lola can pick out what she wants to eat too. They are ordering some in for me, but it may be 4-6 weeks so in the meantime I'll have to find some online to order. The shop made Lola up a mix of goodies to try; pinhead oats, safflower, cracked maize, niger, dali etc and she did try it. The biggest success was live mealworms though, she has eaten quite a few of those this evening...enough that she actually felt like she had something in her crop *yay again*
She had a nibble at some scrambled egg at teatime too.
Dropping colour and consistency has majorly improved since this morning, although we've had a few watery ones in between.
I've not given her any metoclopramide tonight again.
She has been sleepy still today, but not as bad as the last couple of days, she has made the effort to go for a wander in the garden every now and then, and is up and about more when they are shut in the run.
No egg :-)
She really didn't eat very much at all yesterday, and we then had yellowish poo in the eglu overnight. She did have an empty crop this morning, but having eaten so little yesterday that wasn't much of a surprise!
When I let them out into the garden, Lola did have a little nibble at the wet mash *yay* She has eaten a few little bits and bobs today, nothing to get majorly excited over, but she was eating something so I'm afraid there was a little excited dance from me lol!
I've given her a little critical care formula again today, I'm wondering if the bit of energy she gets from that is what is encouraging her to eat a little on her own.
I tried to get her some garvo alfamix today but the shop doesn't stock it. I've spoken to someone at garvo, explained the situation and he agrees that alfamix is the best compromise as Ellie will still get everything she needs for laying, and Lola can pick out what she wants to eat too. They are ordering some in for me, but it may be 4-6 weeks so in the meantime I'll have to find some online to order. The shop made Lola up a mix of goodies to try; pinhead oats, safflower, cracked maize, niger, dali etc and she did try it. The biggest success was live mealworms though, she has eaten quite a few of those this evening...enough that she actually felt like she had something in her crop *yay again*
She had a nibble at some scrambled egg at teatime too.
Dropping colour and consistency has majorly improved since this morning, although we've had a few watery ones in between.
I've not given her any metoclopramide tonight again.
She has been sleepy still today, but not as bad as the last couple of days, she has made the effort to go for a wander in the garden every now and then, and is up and about more when they are shut in the run.
No egg :-)
Saturday 4 June 2011
Saturday, day 7, 4th June 2011
Empty crop this morning.
Not fussed about breakfast and hasn't been fussed about food all day. I am off to try and get her some garvo alfamix tomorrow (crossing everything). Topped her up with bits n bobs, and a little critical care formula before bed.
She's been quite subdued again today, and looks paler, although she is flushing her face when someone talks to her! There was a slight tinge of yellow around her eyelids this morning, which was fully expected, and also on the fleshy part at the back of her beak.
We had a lovely reiki session for her this morning, which perked her up for a while...she pootled off down the garden for a wander about.
She actually did a little digging this evening too which was nice to see.
No egg.
I have not given her metoclopramide this evening, so we will see how she goes without it *crossing everything again*
Not fussed about breakfast and hasn't been fussed about food all day. I am off to try and get her some garvo alfamix tomorrow (crossing everything). Topped her up with bits n bobs, and a little critical care formula before bed.
She's been quite subdued again today, and looks paler, although she is flushing her face when someone talks to her! There was a slight tinge of yellow around her eyelids this morning, which was fully expected, and also on the fleshy part at the back of her beak.
We had a lovely reiki session for her this morning, which perked her up for a while...she pootled off down the garden for a wander about.
She actually did a little digging this evening too which was nice to see.
No egg.
I have not given her metoclopramide this evening, so we will see how she goes without it *crossing everything again*
Friday 3 June 2011
Friday, day 6, 3rd June 2011
Empty crop this morning, I'm thinking of trying to take her off the metoclopramide to see how she goes. Her appetite has definitely dwindled a lot, she never feels to have anything in her crop, but she is eating and pooing, so I guess she should be able to cope.
She is definitely more subdued again today, lots of lying down in the run, even though the door is open for her to come out into the garden. She is getting up and having a wander around, and she did run from one end of the garden to the other earlier, so it's not as if it is all the time and really, from what others with hens on suprelorin have said, it is normal.
Droppings have looked absolutely fine again today. I'm trying to keep her topped up on food throughout the day, so she has had wet mash for breakfast, mealworms, a bit of corn (not too much cos it has been ever so hot today) some bokashi bran, a few seeds, and some pasta at teatime. She must be picking at the ex-bat crumb as well when they are shut in the run. I am thinking of trying one of the garvo mixes for her (alfamix). I bought the garvo special mixed corn, and they have the garvo treats which is full of yummies, but the alfamix is a complete food in itself.
No egg :-)
She is definitely more subdued again today, lots of lying down in the run, even though the door is open for her to come out into the garden. She is getting up and having a wander around, and she did run from one end of the garden to the other earlier, so it's not as if it is all the time and really, from what others with hens on suprelorin have said, it is normal.
Droppings have looked absolutely fine again today. I'm trying to keep her topped up on food throughout the day, so she has had wet mash for breakfast, mealworms, a bit of corn (not too much cos it has been ever so hot today) some bokashi bran, a few seeds, and some pasta at teatime. She must be picking at the ex-bat crumb as well when they are shut in the run. I am thinking of trying one of the garvo mixes for her (alfamix). I bought the garvo special mixed corn, and they have the garvo treats which is full of yummies, but the alfamix is a complete food in itself.
No egg :-)
Thursday 2 June 2011
Thursday, Day 5, 2nd June 2011
Empty crop again this morning.
Droppings are spot on, right colour and consistency.
Ate a good breakfast again.
A bit tired, but that is probably partly residual from her busy day yesterday...she is still up and about and digging, just wants to go and take a nap every now and then, she's pretty much been like that all day. It has also been really hot here, and she has taken to lying under the cube in the shade rather than being out in the sun.
She has picked at food today, there has never been very much in her crop.
Victoria (on the ex-bats forum) mentioned a change in noises, well Lola has been doing a really low purr all day, not high pitched like an alarm call, but not a quiet contented purr either!
No egg.
Droppings are spot on, right colour and consistency.
Ate a good breakfast again.
A bit tired, but that is probably partly residual from her busy day yesterday...she is still up and about and digging, just wants to go and take a nap every now and then, she's pretty much been like that all day. It has also been really hot here, and she has taken to lying under the cube in the shade rather than being out in the sun.
She has picked at food today, there has never been very much in her crop.
Victoria (on the ex-bats forum) mentioned a change in noises, well Lola has been doing a really low purr all day, not high pitched like an alarm call, but not a quiet contented purr either!
No egg.
Wednesday, day 4, 1st June 2011
Didn't have time to update yesterday, maaaanic! We've been having all the guttering and fascias replaced, which meant scaffolding going up, noise, tools, deliveries and so on. Thankfully the contractor is a chookie kinda guy (he breeds them) which meant the girlies got some extra attention, and he is trying to convince me to hatch some eggs from his ladies! We've known him for years, so I feel comfortable that if the girls were getting stressed he would let them have a break from the noise. All that said, they took it completely in their stride. As the scaffodling was coming over the garage roof to the back of the house, I dumped a load of woodshavings in the run, and popped some treats in there. The girls were free to come out of the run, and I stood with them, but they were having so much fun digging in the woodshavings they barely noticed all the commotion! After that, they came and played in the garden, not worried by the banging, drilling, sawing etc and stayed out of the way of the scaffolding and the workers - good girlies *grin*
Anyhoodle- back on topic...
Lola had an empty crop when she got up. I think she was tired yesterday (she spent most of the day out of the run, from about 8am) so spent a while laying under the bench on the grass in the afternoon, and of course she came for her snuggles with me!
She had a very pale purply/grey tinge to the back of her comb, which disappeared almost as suddenly as it appeared.
She scoffed a good breakfast, then picked throughout the day- never filling her crop very much, then pigged out at teatime. I am satisfied that she ate enough yesterday. Droppings were good, right colour and consistency. No egg.
Anyhoodle- back on topic...
Lola had an empty crop when she got up. I think she was tired yesterday (she spent most of the day out of the run, from about 8am) so spent a while laying under the bench on the grass in the afternoon, and of course she came for her snuggles with me!
She had a very pale purply/grey tinge to the back of her comb, which disappeared almost as suddenly as it appeared.
She scoffed a good breakfast, then picked throughout the day- never filling her crop very much, then pigged out at teatime. I am satisfied that she ate enough yesterday. Droppings were good, right colour and consistency. No egg.
Tuesday 31 May 2011
Tuesday, day 3
Well her ladyship didn't quite charge out of the henhouse with as much vigour as yesterday morning, but she was still full of the joys :-) Her crop was empty. She ate a good breakfast of their usual wet ex-bat crumbs.
I popped a pot of mixed corn (garvo special) in the run yesterday, and again today (without topping it up) to see whether they pigged on it or not. The result so far is that they are eating it, but definitely not to excess.
No egg today, but to be honest even before the implant I wouldn't have expected today to be a laying day for Lola.
The entry site of the implant has sealed over nicely; no redness, no blood, all looking good.
Lola did have a bit of a tantrum this morning when Ellie went into the eglu cube to lay her egg (yes my two girls have a whole eglu cube between two of them lol), since we lost Ruby a few weeks ago, Lola hates being left on her own, she did this after Tilly died too when it was just her and Ruby. We are looking at getting her a couple of new friends soon.
Lola does seem to have eaten a less today, but she more than made up for it at teatime, and when I went out to give her her metoclopramide she had a lovely full crop. Droppings have been a bit loose, but that is fairly normal for Lola anyway, they are a good colour and do have some texture to them, not watery like they had been on Sunday.
I weighed Lola last night, just so I can monitor her weight a little more closely; apparently it is normal for them to drop a bit of weight after the implant...Lola really doesn't need to lose any weight, and is sitting at just over 1800g at the moment.
Both girls have been their usual cuddly selves today, and Lola has been less snoozy today again, wanting to be up and about busying herself with important tasks in the garden; such as trying to dig her way to Australia! All in all we have spent about 6 hours out in the garden today, and when I went to close the eglu door up at 9.40pm Lola decided to get up and join me in the run, have a little snack, and pop herself back to bed after a n'night kiss *wub*
I popped a pot of mixed corn (garvo special) in the run yesterday, and again today (without topping it up) to see whether they pigged on it or not. The result so far is that they are eating it, but definitely not to excess.
No egg today, but to be honest even before the implant I wouldn't have expected today to be a laying day for Lola.
The entry site of the implant has sealed over nicely; no redness, no blood, all looking good.
Lola did have a bit of a tantrum this morning when Ellie went into the eglu cube to lay her egg (yes my two girls have a whole eglu cube between two of them lol), since we lost Ruby a few weeks ago, Lola hates being left on her own, she did this after Tilly died too when it was just her and Ruby. We are looking at getting her a couple of new friends soon.
Lola does seem to have eaten a less today, but she more than made up for it at teatime, and when I went out to give her her metoclopramide she had a lovely full crop. Droppings have been a bit loose, but that is fairly normal for Lola anyway, they are a good colour and do have some texture to them, not watery like they had been on Sunday.
I weighed Lola last night, just so I can monitor her weight a little more closely; apparently it is normal for them to drop a bit of weight after the implant...Lola really doesn't need to lose any weight, and is sitting at just over 1800g at the moment.
Both girls have been their usual cuddly selves today, and Lola has been less snoozy today again, wanting to be up and about busying herself with important tasks in the garden; such as trying to dig her way to Australia! All in all we have spent about 6 hours out in the garden today, and when I went to close the eglu door up at 9.40pm Lola decided to get up and join me in the run, have a little snack, and pop herself back to bed after a n'night kiss *wub*
Monday, 30th May 2011
I let Lola out of the henhouse, and she was first out- usually Ellie barges past her, but not this morning! No food in her crop, although she really didn't want to wait a whole second while I checked- far more important things to be doing :-) She proceeded to charge about the run like a loony, up and over the perches, through the bath, behind the perches, absolutely full of the joys, and a total bundle of energy!
I took the girls some breakfast (wet ex-battery crumbs) at about 8.30am and let them out of the run, Lola had a good feed. It was tipping down with rain, but Lola did not want to be indoors! This is fairly unlike Lola, but I went with it as it wasn't too cold. By the time I convinced her it was a good idea to come indoors for a bit, she was absolutely sodden! I dried her off a bit with some paper towels, and she settled herself on my shoulder and smooshed herself right up against my face for a wee snooze. The fidgets got the better of her, so she had a good preen, then I upset her by getting the hairdryer out to get a bit more water out of her feathers!
I had planned to go out to a smallholding in the Malverns to look at some chooks, and decided that I was happy enough to leave Lola. Anyone who knows me at all will know that if there is ANY doubt at all about my girl's health, I will not leave them. They can go downhill far too quickly, and it is not a risk I am ever willing to take.
When I got back, all was well as predicted. They came out for a play in the garden, did some digging etc When I took them some tea out at 6.30pm as usual, Lola was nowhere to be seen. I had only been in the kitchen a couple of minutes (the garden is in view), and I called Lola, and she didn't answer me. She knows that the magic green bowl always contains something yummy, and she knows when it is teatime, because if I am late she will stand in the kitchen chattering away in disgust. I soon found her in the nestbox...I showed her the bowl and she got up and tucked into her favourite boiled rice with mealworm garnish.
At 7.15pm I went out to give Lola her metoclopramide (I asked our vet who suggested I continue with this treatment until I am happy she doesn't need it) and she was back in the nestbox. Sure enough she laid a very abnormal egg, it was horrid, poor little mite. The shell wasn't really formed at all; very soft, it peeled away from the membrane, which contained a huge yolk (unusual for Lola) and parts of it looked as if they were partially cooked- that mushy texture you get when cooking a fried egg with a runny yolk. I don't think Lola has ever laid an egg in the evening. It is normal after implanting to lay the occasional egg in the beginning. If they have already ovulated when they have the implant the egg obviously needs to continue it's journey.
As soon as she had laid it, she got up, came out in the garden and had a wander around with Ellie before going back into the run and then off to bed.
The offending egg after I had pulled it all apart to check it
I took the girls some breakfast (wet ex-battery crumbs) at about 8.30am and let them out of the run, Lola had a good feed. It was tipping down with rain, but Lola did not want to be indoors! This is fairly unlike Lola, but I went with it as it wasn't too cold. By the time I convinced her it was a good idea to come indoors for a bit, she was absolutely sodden! I dried her off a bit with some paper towels, and she settled herself on my shoulder and smooshed herself right up against my face for a wee snooze. The fidgets got the better of her, so she had a good preen, then I upset her by getting the hairdryer out to get a bit more water out of her feathers!
I had planned to go out to a smallholding in the Malverns to look at some chooks, and decided that I was happy enough to leave Lola. Anyone who knows me at all will know that if there is ANY doubt at all about my girl's health, I will not leave them. They can go downhill far too quickly, and it is not a risk I am ever willing to take.
When I got back, all was well as predicted. They came out for a play in the garden, did some digging etc When I took them some tea out at 6.30pm as usual, Lola was nowhere to be seen. I had only been in the kitchen a couple of minutes (the garden is in view), and I called Lola, and she didn't answer me. She knows that the magic green bowl always contains something yummy, and she knows when it is teatime, because if I am late she will stand in the kitchen chattering away in disgust. I soon found her in the nestbox...I showed her the bowl and she got up and tucked into her favourite boiled rice with mealworm garnish.
At 7.15pm I went out to give Lola her metoclopramide (I asked our vet who suggested I continue with this treatment until I am happy she doesn't need it) and she was back in the nestbox. Sure enough she laid a very abnormal egg, it was horrid, poor little mite. The shell wasn't really formed at all; very soft, it peeled away from the membrane, which contained a huge yolk (unusual for Lola) and parts of it looked as if they were partially cooked- that mushy texture you get when cooking a fried egg with a runny yolk. I don't think Lola has ever laid an egg in the evening. It is normal after implanting to lay the occasional egg in the beginning. If they have already ovulated when they have the implant the egg obviously needs to continue it's journey.
As soon as she had laid it, she got up, came out in the garden and had a wander around with Ellie before going back into the run and then off to bed.
The offending egg after I had pulled it all apart to check it
The beginning (Sunday 29th May 2011)
I guess the most helpful place to start would be with a little history.
First off, let me just say that this blog is only a diary of MY experiences, it is not intended as advice, I have no veterinary training at all, and you take it as it is- a personal blog, with personal opinions and experiences. I am just incredibly lucky to have the most amazing team of vets who will ALWAYS do their very best by my chooks, and understand 100% that these are pets, and not egg laying machines. I am completely and utterly grateful for the work they do with my ladies, and I couldn't do it without them.
So, back to the topic in hand:
Lola was rescued from the battery farm and came to live with me on 23rd May 2009.
Over the last couple of months we have had ongoing problems with crop/gut stasis. Faecal testing hasn't shown anything particularly unusual; moderate brachyspira, treated with tylan (and then repeated), staph and strep (apparently normal) although two of our vets feel that strep from a faecal sample is unusual. As a sensitivity test had been carried out on the sample, we went ahead and treated for the strep.
None of the above have helped. When I let the girls out of the henhouse in the morning, I always check their crop, and on average for one day only every 6-10 days Lola will have food in there still. She would then be very lethargic, no apetite, no energy at all really, just wants to lay down. She has also had purpling to the back of her comb, this comes and goes.
Our 'main' vet, decided that a more preventative course of oral metoclopramide may be beneficial, which we have been doing for a while now and it has certainly helped. Lola was having this twice a day at roughly 12 hourly intervals. I found that even on the odd days when she got up with stasis, she would still eat and drink; although her appetite was small, and the lethargy was nowhere near how it had been; she would happily pootle about in the garden, but would have frequent 'snooze breaks'.
A couple of weeks ago I dropped the dose to once a day, in the evening about an hour or so before she went to bed.
Last Tuesday she laid quite a strange egg, very odd in colour, rough texture, slightly slab-sided. On Sunday morning she laid an awful soft egg, which is so unlike Lola. We have had lots of wrinkly shells, very thin shells and so on. All very unlike Lola. She was also producing bright green droppings, followed by a slightly more normal looking dropping, but with yellowy fluid. Her undercarriage area had felt slightly puffy the day before (something else I check regularly), was slightly less puffy on Sunday but possibly distended none the less.
I popped her off to the vets, and the vet did feel that she really doesn't need to be laying abnormal eggs on top of everything else. We can't say for sure whether there is a link between the weird eggs and the stasis, but we decided to go ahead and implant her with suprelorin. This is not licensed for chickens as far as I am aware, although it is being more widely used in the avian world in general.
She had the implant between her shoulders; I have mostly heard of it going into the breast, but as it is only popped under the skin I suppose it makes no difference where it goes really. The needle used to pop the implant in is quite hefty, we tried without any anaesthetic, but Lola found it quite painful, so she had a smidge of local, and then didn't feel a thing.
Sunday evening; didn't appear to be sore at all, would let me run my hand down her back with not so much as a flinch. She ate well, seemed in good spirits, I expected her to want an early night but at 8.30pm+ she was still digging and scratching about in the run with her partner in crime, Ellie!
First off, let me just say that this blog is only a diary of MY experiences, it is not intended as advice, I have no veterinary training at all, and you take it as it is- a personal blog, with personal opinions and experiences. I am just incredibly lucky to have the most amazing team of vets who will ALWAYS do their very best by my chooks, and understand 100% that these are pets, and not egg laying machines. I am completely and utterly grateful for the work they do with my ladies, and I couldn't do it without them.
So, back to the topic in hand:
Lola was rescued from the battery farm and came to live with me on 23rd May 2009.
Over the last couple of months we have had ongoing problems with crop/gut stasis. Faecal testing hasn't shown anything particularly unusual; moderate brachyspira, treated with tylan (and then repeated), staph and strep (apparently normal) although two of our vets feel that strep from a faecal sample is unusual. As a sensitivity test had been carried out on the sample, we went ahead and treated for the strep.
None of the above have helped. When I let the girls out of the henhouse in the morning, I always check their crop, and on average for one day only every 6-10 days Lola will have food in there still. She would then be very lethargic, no apetite, no energy at all really, just wants to lay down. She has also had purpling to the back of her comb, this comes and goes.
Our 'main' vet, decided that a more preventative course of oral metoclopramide may be beneficial, which we have been doing for a while now and it has certainly helped. Lola was having this twice a day at roughly 12 hourly intervals. I found that even on the odd days when she got up with stasis, she would still eat and drink; although her appetite was small, and the lethargy was nowhere near how it had been; she would happily pootle about in the garden, but would have frequent 'snooze breaks'.
A couple of weeks ago I dropped the dose to once a day, in the evening about an hour or so before she went to bed.
Last Tuesday she laid quite a strange egg, very odd in colour, rough texture, slightly slab-sided. On Sunday morning she laid an awful soft egg, which is so unlike Lola. We have had lots of wrinkly shells, very thin shells and so on. All very unlike Lola. She was also producing bright green droppings, followed by a slightly more normal looking dropping, but with yellowy fluid. Her undercarriage area had felt slightly puffy the day before (something else I check regularly), was slightly less puffy on Sunday but possibly distended none the less.
I popped her off to the vets, and the vet did feel that she really doesn't need to be laying abnormal eggs on top of everything else. We can't say for sure whether there is a link between the weird eggs and the stasis, but we decided to go ahead and implant her with suprelorin. This is not licensed for chickens as far as I am aware, although it is being more widely used in the avian world in general.
She had the implant between her shoulders; I have mostly heard of it going into the breast, but as it is only popped under the skin I suppose it makes no difference where it goes really. The needle used to pop the implant in is quite hefty, we tried without any anaesthetic, but Lola found it quite painful, so she had a smidge of local, and then didn't feel a thing.
Sunday evening; didn't appear to be sore at all, would let me run my hand down her back with not so much as a flinch. She ate well, seemed in good spirits, I expected her to want an early night but at 8.30pm+ she was still digging and scratching about in the run with her partner in crime, Ellie!
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