Backyard Poultry Forum

I'm so terribly sorry. How dreadful What a huge loss. Big hug.

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Cheerio, Rach
Blue Swedish Ducks

Oh no. I'm so so sorry Trillian. You take exceptional care of your chooks. Don't beat yourself up blaming yourself in any way. From the sounds of it, it happened so quickly there wasn't much you could really do. A couple of times my Isa Browns have appeared to look really sick, all hunched up and not moving. Despite them looking so ill they next day they were fine. It doesn't make sense.
As you said, Jo was fine on Sunday morning. How could you have known she wouldn't make it through the night when everything seemed ok when you checked at 10pm?
Her condition looked wonderful. It would be the last thing you'd be expecting. How devastating. I really am sorry.
Did you ask the vet what could have caused the fungal infection?

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Thank you both so much ! Vet rang back last night to say we will try a strong antibiotic to see if that can help. The others aren't showing symptoms but Jo didn't either. It's something mouldy that they have eaten so I just have to work out what. I'm going to do a big clean of pen this morning and see if anything is obvious.

I hate it then when I make a mistake my animal dies. I really loved that little bird

I know you did. And you took great care of her. You really did.

Mould spores are everywhere. Mostly, we and other animals are able to remain unaffected. But some individuals are not able to fend off the effects of mould in the environment. It is very hard (unless you are running a specialist scientific or medical facility) to maintain a mould-spore free environment. That definitely doesn't mean that you other birds will be affected. Just that it is not your fault.

It is really good that your vet is working with you on this so you feel armed with an much info as possible.

Will be thinking of you.

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Cheerio, Rach
Blue Swedish Ducks

Thanks so much Rach- you are so very kind.

Picked up the antibiotics this morning - 1/2 tablet for all 3 of them morning and night for 3 days. They will all be super impressed. I cleaned out pen this morning and will put fresh bedding down in morning after the area has aired- my work has been understanding but bemused that I came in late because I needed to clean out pen. Not sure if it will do any good anyway but made me feel like I was doing something proactive.

Chickens are a lovely pet but they can break your heart.

So I have added three new girls to the flock from a breeder in Gundagai, Liz and Zoe are the two blue girls and Nyssa is the splash girl ( see photos above) I was worried about these 6 month old girls being bullied by my 12 & 18 month old girls but the reverse has been true. After a couple of weeks in a seperate pen I let them all out in the garden to be introduced and Liz the biggest of the new girls took on Oswin the 18 month old hen who has always been head chook and really bashed her up- Drew blood on her comb. So of course now I feel bad for causing upset to the flock!

Chicken ownership is not for the faint hearted!

They are lovely Trillian. I really like the blues in langshans.

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Erika

They are very, very pretty. Who doesn't love blue??

Don't worry about the beating-up and the bloody comb (though it's alarming to watch...). They will settle down and all be good buddies

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Cheerio, Rach
Blue Swedish Ducks

Thanks redjohanna and Rach agree I just love the blue colour!

Seems to have settled down - they were out in the garden for 2-1/2 hours this morning and then I put them all in a freshly cleaned pen and they seem to be tolerating each other now. Oswin seems to have reasserted her status as top hen. They are still tending to stay in opposite parts of the pen but it seems calmer now.

They are so pretty Trillian. I have a blue pekin and rooster I love that colour. Your new additions are really lovely. Chickens can be such nasty creatures cant they? Glad to hear they've settled down a bit. I'm sure in time they will all be friends. These 3 will bring you some new joy after your sad loss.

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So I haven't updated for a while as there hasn't been much news. I have come to think that no news is a very good thing!

The new girls have all established themselves as part of the flock. Oswin, the 18 month old, has stayed as top hen. I started to record egg laying and she has laid 19 eggs in the last 28 days of May. The other girls have all been moulting but have started to lay again now- I had two eggs yesterday and three the day before so I think I will probably be getting them all laying in June- will keep counting! I have been trying to take some photos of Jack but I can't get the photos to show what he looks like. You would think that black is a pretty boring colour but he is just stunning at the moment- in the sun he shines with black and a shimmering peacock green. His saddle and neck feathers are just stunning- the only word I can describe it as is shimmering. I will attach a couple of photos taken with the iPhone but they just don't do him justice!

And one of the flock- unfortunately you can't see them all as the were having a blast scratching around under the trees- I can really imagine them in a jungle!

And Sarah Jane just cause she is a cutie