Help Needed

[Richard]

This is a link to a picture of Toni's poorly chicken.

I have done this as a link rather than post it as

SOME MAY FIND THE PICTURE DISTURBING

If you are a bit squeemish, please don't look.

Click here for picture

Thanks, Richard

[wendy]

Poor little soul that is nasty.
Just keep her away from the others until every scab has gone. That is what I most certainly would do if she were mine.
Wendy

[Jodi]

Poor little love. I'd definitely be keeping her seperate from the others until it is all healed.

Re: vaseline - when I was taking my "little one" (RIP) to the vets, she warned me to be very careful with oil based products as they can cause a bad reaction to the skin and feathers.

I've never had this problem, even when little one was in quite a mess, I hope this can be sorted out - it's so awful to see them suffer.

Jodi

[Dave]

keep her on her own until she has compleatly
healed and she has feathers starting to grow back
this may be 5-6 weeks
you say you are still getting eggs(good sign)

[T_Steadman]

I know. It really is hideous.

We took that picture when it was at it's worst. We clean her twice a day, like I said, then dry her with the hairdryer, (on low temp and sound, of course) and she is on her own. She is fine in herself and is still laying. There are a few differences in size still as she only started laying a week ago, but she lays every day. She is getting plenty of worms and mealworms.
We are now making a wet mash with the pellets in the morning, along with their dry pellets, which they have access to all day. We put chopped up raisins in it so that they eat it, think "this is nice" and continue to eat it. We only give treats after 4pm and then that is worms, with maybe sweetcorn or cabbage hung in the run.
Delilah isn't eating all that much, apart from the worms and grass and whatever creepy crawlies she finds in the garden, but she is drinking more than usual. Like I said, she seems fine and is laying perfectly formed eggs. Should I be worried?

She's such a cutie, and with all the washing, drying, vaseline-ing and handling has become quite tame. If anyone has any other suggestions or advice, I will willingly accept all.

Jodi - No problems for me on the vaseline front, accept I think that one or two of them actually like the taste! But with Delilah being seperated, we haven't put any on her, we'd rather let the air get to her.

Although yesterday we let her back in the run, with 3 of us keeping watch, and the others left her alone and even joined her in a dustbath! Now, because of the vaseline, she is two-toned, but she loved it. So she's obviously not sore. The skin has grown back. We're just waiting for the feathers.