Bye Bye Bella :(

[OliveOil]

Poor Bella is getting worse, shes had a slight cough for a few days now but today rattling constantly, coughing badly, shes having trouble laying her egg - been 2 hours in the nest box and seems to weak to lay her eg...

Rang the breeder - Ihave to take her back and he is replacing her! And we all know what that means!!!

[Marianne]

Oh dear - poor Olive     I hope and pray she will be OK.

Good luck 

[OliveOil]

I am pretty sure this will be the end for her! I cant see the farmer nursing her back to health, though i think she is a bit past it now - but i cant keep her in case it spreads to my others. 

[teresa]

Oh dear chest infections not good even with anitbotics cost a fortune at vets and dont work well did not for me.
Your luck he's replacing her but it is distressing for you I am sorry.

[Heldi]

Aw I'm so sorry Olive. Poor Bella. Perhaps it is for the best if she is struggling so. Never an easy thing when our animals become ill. 

[OliveOil]

Well i have to admit i am rather practical about the chooks! I eat chicken, i eat eggs, the chickens are here for eggs and entertainment value and i certainly wouldnt pay to take her or any of the other chooks to the vets - harsh i know. But they dont have any value emotionally or otherwise.  I do love them dont get me wrong and they give me hours of entertainment but i do know that respiratory infections arent good in chooks and far kinder for her to not suffer.

I've just taken her back, the farmer wasnt there but his wife was going to put her in a cool shady spot and keep an eye on her until they decide if she can recover or not.  All the birds came with a 3 month guarantee which has almost expired. So I will prob get a call later to pick another chicken up I imagine.

Just feel a bit sorry for the poor bird - she always has been awkward though, not particularly friendly like the other 2 i have.

[stuffed]

Your lucky with the 3 month guarantee and also lucky you can remain practical about the chickens it does make for an easier time if anything happens.
I had chickens for a while but had to give them up earlier in the year and despite trying to convince myself of the practical side of things it made me very sad.  I also admit to vet visits despite all my talk about them being for egg production and not pets.

[OliveOil]

Ahhh big surprise! Bella is back.... Farmer left her in the box under a tree in the shade with a good breeze... when he checked her she was fine, the rattles stopped and so did the coughs.  He said she looked in great condition - apart from her black/blue comb which has been like that for ages!

Brought her home, let her out the box and she started coughing again!!! It seems to be more when she moves about, the rattling has stopped which is good.

he thinks shes jsut getting stressed coping with the heat, so if she does it again im going toput her back in the box in the cellar where its really cool so she can cool down and destress!

[stuffed]

The heat may well be causing it, I had similar happen a couple of days after I first got my first chickens home, she was fine when she cooled down.

[teresa]

Oh bless bella, heat stroke,
Mine are in semishade of a huge conifer and apple tree, but still get hot.
I have been changing the water 3 times a day and just empyt the containers in the run they go and paddle in the water like cooling their feet.
Or may be they are  ducks in hens clothing.
Even buying iceburg lettuce and keeping in fridge to give them in the afternoon helps cool them down spoilt brats I have and they love it even the chicks get the same treatment.
Word of warning to others that hens roam around with the sun so hot dont forget their combs can get sunburnt ? yes
So if you let them out make it late evenings or early mornings and keep them in the shade. Or yes put suntan lotion on them read all about that on in the USA poultry site.

[Heldi]

wow heatstroke! I would never have thought.  I certainly learn loads off you guys. 

Glad Bella is back with you Oliveoil. 

[OliveOil]

Oooo thanks teresa for the sunburn note... bellas comb is a blueish colour - perhaps sunburn, she does seem very sensitive to the sun i must admit!  I have a big shaded area which they are free to use.  I also moved the ark yesterday so its right next to the wall, also turned it around so it does seem a bit cooler for them now.

Right - off to put suncream on the little dears now!

[teresa]

Or aftersun sounds strange I know,
But even cats the light coloured ones are loosing the tips of their ears to sunburn and our vets are having to operate on the ears.
I looked after a friends budgie a few years ago and when I popped in after work he was in the cage in the window full sun and fainting.
So I moved him into the kitchen and got a misting sprayer filled with cold water and misted him for a good 15 mins to bring him around.
It worked and he enjoyed it so each day I went round he got excited to see the bottle and got a mist for the sheer enjoyment of it.
You learn a lot from the internet I know I have good luck bella.
I have noticed my hens are laying earlier in the mornings now the hot weather strange or what.