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Science Forum Index » Agriculture - Poultry Forum » Paralysed chicken
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| pecan |
 Posted: Mon Apr 14, 2008 2:49 pm |
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Guest
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I went outside a couple of days ago, to fins one of my chickens unable
to stand. I had no idea what to do - whether to keep her quiet and see
if she'd recover, or put her out of her misery - not that she seemed too
miserable, just alarmed at not being able to walk. I picked her up and
checked her legs and back to see if I could diagnose anything (though
I'm better with motorbikes at diagnosis!), and couldn't feel anything.
I decided to kill her (she was one of the white unproductive hens), but
as I happened to be going to the vet later that day (my bulldog is
having puppies) I asked him what could have happened. The rooster had
been close to her at the time, and I surmised a broken back, but the vet
said while it was possible, it was most unlikely. He said it may be
calcium deficiency, but as my chickens are completely free-ranging and
also get laying mash I don't believe that would be the case. The other
option, he said, was some sort of parasite - sounded as if he said
tampons (!) so when I got home I checked her for parasites and found
nothing.
Anyway, decided to cook her up for the dogs, since I was still unsure of
the cause, and in the process of cutting her up found it was actually
the back. It wasn't broken as in snapped in half, but there was a
definite grating of the bones in that very spot where I was taught to
cut the chicken when portioning them at cookery school.
So how about that? I need to reduce my flock by a whole lot, so it
wasn't too sad a thing to happen, but not very pleasant all the same.
And all my ducks have been stolen!
Sigh.
That IS a sad state of affairs.
Catherine |
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| Jill |
| Posted: Mon Apr 14, 2008 3:03 pm |
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pecan wrote:
Quote: I went outside a couple of days ago, to fins one of my chickens unable
to stand. <snippage for brevity> So how about that? I need to reduce my
flock by a whole lot, so it
wasn't too sad a thing to happen, but not very pleasant all the same.
Do you have a cockerel?
Or any chance she avoided a predator pounce?.
If she was a commercial white bird then the calcium deficiency is a real
possibility leading to weakness in the structure as this is genetic - it
tends to lead to the very thin shelled eggs too.
Quote:
And all my ducks have been stolen!
Thats not fair.
Quote: Sigh.
That IS a sad state of affairs.
agreed
--
regards
Jill Bowis
Domestic Poultry and Waterfowl Solutions
Herbaceous; Herb and Alpine Nursery
Seasonal Farm Food
http://www.kintaline.co.uk |
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| pecan |
| Posted: Tue Apr 15, 2008 2:02 am |
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Jill wrote:
Quote: pecan wrote:
I went outside a couple of days ago, to fins one of my chickens unable
to stand. <snippage for brevity> So how about that? I need to reduce my
flock by a whole lot, so it
wasn't too sad a thing to happen, but not very pleasant all the same.
Do you have a cockerel?
Or any chance she avoided a predator pounce?.
If she was a commercial white bird then the calcium deficiency is a real
possibility leading to weakness in the structure as this is genetic - it
tends to lead to the very thin shelled eggs too.
And all my ducks have been stolen!
Thats not fair.
Sigh.
That IS a sad state of affairs.
agreed
Hi Jill,
Yes, she was one of the commercial layers, but I do supplement their
food. And the quality of the eggs is VERY bad, mostly. The shells are
so thin and vulnerable that some go rotten after a week! I've given
myself a bad reputation by being unaware of that.
Sigh.
Catherine |
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| Jill |
| Posted: Tue Apr 15, 2008 2:44 am |
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Guest
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pecan wrote:
Quote:
Hi Jill,
Yes, she was one of the commercial layers, but I do supplement their
food.
That only keeps it better for a little longer, you cannot get past the
genetics.
And the quality of the eggs is VERY bad, mostly. The shells
Quote: are so thin and vulnerable that some go rotten after a week!
Eeekkk -
The poor shell quality is one of the major reasons for the commercial birds
being culled at 18 months or so.
The lower and lower percentage of eggs that can be sold "in shell" as
opposed to liquid declines so as to be uneconomic, add to that a rapidly
increasing incidence of egg peritionitis because the shells cannot cope with
passing down the tracts etc and the case is clear.
Quote: I've
given myself a bad reputation by being unaware of that.
Sigh.
mega eeekkk
That is why eggs for sale should be candled. It shows up any minor cracks
which let in infection.
--
regards
Jill Bowis
Domestic Poultry and Waterfowl Solutions
Herbaceous; Herb and Alpine Nursery
Seasonal Farm Food
http://www.kintaline.co.uk |
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