Hi ,
Spring is a time for all things new. For many people, that means a new batch (or a first time batch) of chicks. This year I picked up 5 new littles to add to my flock.
All five of my mixed breed girls are doing great. Except the little runt. She's been having massive poopy bum issues. And even more concerning is that her vent has been swollen to probably 5 times what it should be. When she tries to poo, she strains and cries out sharp, loud cheeps. It's been sad to watch.
I've never encountered a massively swollen vent in a little chick. I've experienced prolapsed vents in adult birds, but never this. What to do, when you don't know what to do?
For me, I relied on my years of chicken experience mixed with some common sense. I gave Bitsy (I dubbed her this since she's the smallest--Itsy Bitsy) tiny warm Epsom salt bath soaks, gently cleaned the poo off her backside several times per day, and used honey (it helps combat inflammation and has lots of healing properties in it) and a massively super amazingly diluted mix of essential oils to swab over her vent
(I have an already highly diluted 'chicken ointment' that I use for the flock for wounds, etc. and I took a teeny bit of that and mixed an additional 2 tablespoons of oil to it--so we're talking microscopic amounts here.)
I also added a tiny bit of honey to the probiotics I put in her water.
It's working! Now, a few days later I'm happy to report Bitsy is not only growing and happy like the rest of mini-flock, but she no longer strains and cries out to poo, nor be cleaned up multiple times per day. And best of all, her vent swelling has reduced by at least half.
How do you know what to do when a chicken gets sick?
I think it's part common sense, part sleuth work, and part proper research. Often, you might not even notice when something is wrong with a hen in your flock. They're masters at trying to act like they're fine. So the first thing is learning their body language to notice that they might have something going on in the first place.
From there, unless you have access to an avian vet and can take them in, do good research online. Check more than one source and pay attention to the sources you listen to. There are MANY things you can do to treat other animals (or humans) that will kill a chicken. And even if the treatment is safe, you need to remember that they are VERY small animals and don't need a lot of whatever it is that you're going to give them.
If you have a good feed store or local chicken farmer you can talk to, do that too. They will often have developed solutions to problems they've encountered over the years that are non-traditional, but work.
Chickens are an interesting mix of hearty and fragile. Knowing your flock and what they're telling you by how they're acting will help catch problems before it's too late. That's why I wrote a post called what you're chicken's body language is telling you. I hope it helps!
Off to check on Bitsy!
PS It was very interesting listening to all the canning stories come in...from great canning memories to fears and concerns. I'm working on something right now to help those of you ready to get started with canning. I'll let you know when it's ready! I'm super excited!
www.citygirlfarming.com
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