ILT in Chickens - Bye Bye Birdie

ILT in Chickens - Farewell Rosa

So since returning from holidays in mid September I have noticed that Rosa has been suffering from a sore throat more than usual - courtesy of the ILT virus.  Initially I took Rosie to the Vet who once again removed a large plaque (tissue growth, common in the mouth of chickens with ILT) from the entrance to her wind pipe.  However this time the growth had advanced like a long, flat worm type shape down her windpipe and was around 6 /7cm (2 - 3 inches) in length.  Previously when the plaque was growing it would bother her and she would cough in a loud, squeaking fashion.  I would then take her to the Vet who would remove it with some mini, round ended type tongs.  Rosie would then advance in leaps and bounds.  It would then be another 2 - 4 months until she needed the procedure redone.  It's been nearly 6 months since she I have heard her coughing and I really thought this indicated she was plaque free.  I was shocked to find that she was harbouring such a large plaque and showing no signs of it bothering her.  It was really odd as she had started to lay again for the start of Spring and this usually indicates excellent health.  However as soon as the large plaque was removed, she immediately stopped laying altogether. 

Since the removal of this large plaque about 3 weeks ago, Rosa has never recovered.  Her throat has been inflamed and painful.  I took her back to the Vet (over and over again) and to start with we could see a little of the plaque remaining in place but she would have had to be sedated to have it removed and the actual problem was the large amount of swelling in her throat in general.  So she went on mild anti inflammatories to start with, no effect.  The Vet then injected her with Cortisone which produced a fantastic effect within hours.  She was eating like a little piggy and so happy.  

Rosie - waiting for the Vet - Saturday 12 October 2013

Soft, Nutritious Food for Hens with Sore Throats

I have to add here that I discovered a fantastic food for hens with sore throats.  I was boiling and mashing eggs for her and noted that she was enjoying and easily able to swallow the soft, mouse like texture of the egg white and avoided the harder, heavier textured yolks.  So I went to the supermarket and bought a milk type carton of pure egg whites.  I cooked a few teaspoons of the whites in the microwave, then cooled and mashed them for Rosa.  She absolutely loved this and ate huge quantities of them. 

Unfortunately 10 days after the first Cortisone injection, I needed to take her back to the Vet as she pretty much back where she started.  So we gave her a second Cortisone injection and started her on very strong antibiotics.  That was 6 days ago.  By day three the antibiotics were playing havoc with the healthy bacteria in her gut, she was obviously feeling ill in her stomach (not eating, hunched over, sore to pick up) and her droppings were all wrong.  So the Vet advised me to end the antibiotics and that in 24 hours she should feel much better.  Although there was definite improvement in her droppings, she was not able to eat her food but clearly desperate to do so.  Her throat was obviously really sore and the Cortisone had, had only a minor effect.  It was so dreadful to see her trying to eat and only getting there 20% of the time.  

Yesterday she stood so still, gulping every now and again and unable to fill her crop with food.  She was crouched under a chair in the pen with her eyes closed.  At this stage it had been nearly four weeks since her first Vet visit for the plaque removal.  She was doing nothing but getting worse and needing more and more medication.  It was clear that Rosie's sore throat was now a chronic, seemingly permanent and worsening condition.  This was exactly what had happened with her sister Amelia, who had a more advanced form of the ILT virus from the day I brought them both home.  I had crop fed Amelia with a tube and syringe to keep her alive and I realised that for her own welfare and happiness, I should have put her to sleep well before I accepted the situation as impassable.  I was really clear that in the event that Rosie's ILT damaged throat became chronic, I would not crop feed her to keep her alive.  So yesterday I kept to my word and had Rosie, my beautiful, sweet, nervous, gorgeous girl, put to sleep.  She fought her way through two large doses of anaesthetic (enough to down a 25 kilo dog the Vet informed us) and finally succumbed to sleep after a 45 minute wait on my lap.  She was such a fighter, she held on and fought so hard to stay awake. 

My baby girl is now resting peacefully and without pain under the white roses in the rear garden.  She was with our family for a little under 2 years and my greatest hope for her is that we gave her the very best life possible, albeit much shorter than she deserved (and possibly with much more cuddling than she may have wanted).  

Rosa - Beautiful to the very end. 

Red Light District Hen House

Red Light - Hot Chicks

In order to keep the girls warm and at optimum health over the Winter, one of the strategies we were advised to invest in was placing a heat lamp into their sleeping hutch.  I've had a red globe and heat lamp in the cupboard for months and some weeks ago we finally pulled our finger out and got the girls Uncle to come over and install it.  

It involved running  a trench from the house to accommodate the cabling, allowing a power point to go in next to the pen.  Unfortunately there was a hold up when the power point ended up being faulty - the first dodgy Clipsal power point my brother had ever come across in 30 years of electrical work.  So we were stuck at the starting post for a little longer.  I was genuinely excited for the girls and happy that the cold weather hadn't really kicked in - we have had such a late winter this year.  

So the power point was fixed and we were off and running.  It's funny how hindsight can make you question just what the heck was running through the brain cell during past, odd decisions, especially when at the time you were so adamantly clear that you were bang on target.  I bought the girls a heat globe that was designed for reptiles, as per the recommendation.  What I didn't stop and think about was the fact that the globe was red.

The first night I switched it on I was really happy and loved being able to see the girls at night when opening the roof of their sleeping hutch.  What I did not initially take into account was the fact that the light would keep the girls up all night.  It was like a party zone.  This is a brilliant photo (below) of recently departed hen Holly, bright eyed and completely alert well after the sun had gone down.  The girls were up all night, every night.  

I would turn the light off in the morning and the girls would automatically begin to settle down to go to sleep.  Then they'd realise it was morning and wander out to begin the day - no doubt rotten tired and very confused.  They would then consequently taken themselves off to bed in the mid afternoon - only to be woken up again when I turned on the red light at night all over again.  I can't imagine why I thought it would be any different.  

After a week and the girls being totally exhausted, we went out of the way to get a black, ceramic, 75 watt globe that was all heat and no light.  It's been a big hit - albeit with some initial unexpected moments.  Like the 2nd or 3rd morning when I could smell burning feathers and found our Silkie hen Farrah slowly baking about 2 inches from the globe.  I learnt to tilt the lamp head slightly up after that.  Our Wyandotte Bantam hen Rosie loves it and in the morning she allows me to clean up all around her whilst she bakes herself for as long as possible before heading out into the very crisp morning air.  Rosie is terribly skittish and the fact that she allows me to work a hands length from her is testament to the fact that the heat is much loved and well appreciated.  As the nights have become consistently colder, there has been a migration away from the right hand, ventilated side of the sleeping hutch and towards the heated, cosier end of the sleep compartment.  

So it's been a worthwhile move.  The girls seem to love it and I don't have the anxiety I had last Winter when they were suffering so much from the respiratory virus that was attacking them so vigorously and I had little to offer them once night fell.  

The next challenge is to think about how to keep them cool and well ventilated during the hot Summer evenings.  Might be time to invest in a chicken sized fan?  

(left to right) Holly and Jewel - up all night, exhausted by day. 

ILT in Chickens - Update

Vet Visit - ILT Check Up

Rosie went off to the Vet this week to have the ILT plaques (soft growths) in her throat checked and cleaned.  She has one constant plaque that flaps over her trachea and makes her cough several times an hour.  It grows slowly over several weeks and I have now had it removed three times this year.  She has one small plaque on the roof of her mouth but that seems not to be such an issue. 
As usual Rosie was great during her visit.  She finds it very uncomfortable to be picked up by placing your hands around her body so I now take a thin towel (thick towels actually make it more difficult for handling hens) and wrap her up so she can still be in a standing position but just has her sweet, little head popping out the front.  I then hold her with her head facing away from me and the Vet props open her mouth and plucks the plaques piece by piece from her mouth.  The size of the largest plaque is only about a quarter of the size of a pinky fingernail.  It looks so petite and insignificant but the difference its removal creates for Rosie is anything but.  She also had a combined vitamin A, D, E and C injection.  It's terribly cute to watch as the needle goes in and the syringe is half way through the plunge when she makes a small, protesting call of discomfort. 
The Vet commented that Rosie is in excellent condition, that the two plaques do not appear to be advancing and that the remainder of her throat is in excellent condition.  He feels that she may be one of the lucky hens to make it through ILT.  Of course I am really happy to hear that but I still have my reservations.  ILT has been vicious to our baby girls and I don't hold stupid fantasies of happily ever after.  This time last year we had 10 hens, we now have 6.  

Rosie - Sunday May 19th 2013. 

Escape to the Country - not suitable for chickens

Do NOT allow your chicken to watch 'Escape to the Country'

Enjoying a night in with Wyandotte Bantam hen Rosie, we were watching an English program, allegedly rated PG - 'Escape to the Country'.   It featured a couple who were looking at buying a country property to escape their hectic city life and noted that as owners of two cats, they needed to make sure that their new home was not located near a busy road. 
All going along well until the camera panned over to the two cats and showed them generally frisking about and acting in a cat-like way.  Rosa sprung to attention and began to call at the top of her voice to alert...well, I guess me to the danger in the room.  Try as I might I could not soothe her.  I turned off the program and she stared at the blank screen, seeing the movement of our reflections and continued to fret and yell loudly.  It got so bad that I had to 'evacuate' her back to the sleeping hutch with the other hens.  
I would strongly suggest that the producers of that program preface each episode with the warning that, "This program may contain feline images and may not be suitable for chickens".  
If I were in America we'd be lawyering up for a class action right now.  

Rosa - blue is so her colour.  April 22 2013. 

ILT in Chickens

ILT Update

Little Rosie was a super star at the Vet last week.  She has a few plaques on her throat as a result of the ILT virus.  A couple of insignificant ones on the roof of her mouth and one more substantial flapping about behind her tongue.  This one is getting in the way of her breathing and her eating.  I opted to have this plaque removed with forceps.  if was about half the size of a little finger, fingernail.  Rosie was wrapped up in a towel (so gorgeous) and had her mouth held open whilst the forceps went down, trimmed off the piece of plaque and lifted it back up for examination.  It's not nice that this leaves Rosie with a bleeding throat afterwards.  Rosie also got a vitamin injection to help keep her radiant.  The Vet is impressed by Rosie's vitality and energy and feels that her weight of 1.2kilos is very healthy, even a bit porky.  This is great news as she must be in prime (preferably prime+) condition to face the Winter ahead which treated her so miserably last year.  The Vet was unable to take Rosie away to be weighed.  Rosie is so particular about how she gets picked up that she won't tolerate anything other than to stand on my open palm and have my other arm circled around her - with neck extended as long as she can get it, pushing forward into the crook of my elbow.  So she had to be escorted through the surgery with the Vet leading the way.  

Wrapped and ready for her throat cleaning.

We were less than 2 minutes away from the Vet when Rosie started chopping down mouthfuls of seed.  The small area of bleeding in her throat seems to bother her very little.  She is such a trooper.

Cosmetic Testing

I have to admit to a chicken kissing incident.  The Vet was out of the room and Rosie was so cute wrapped in her towel.  I was giving her the usual two dozen kisses on top of her head, when I noticed that I had left a big smear of pink, glittery lip balm behind.  This was at the same time as I felt something stuck to my mouth and realised that as Rosie is moulting and my lips were so sticky, I had accidentally removed 4 or 5 feathers and they were stuck to my lip balm.  So I'm madly trying to quickly and gently rub off lip gloss from the top of Rosie's head and at the same time pick off the feathers from my mouth - all with one thought in mind (to the Vet), "Don't come back in.  Please don't come back in".  When she finally did, Rosie and I were all ease and serenity, both with our best, "What?  Nothing strange going on in here" look on our faces. 

 Rosie - Tuesday 9th April.  Relaxing on the Vet's table. 

 She's been great ever since.  Such a lovely little hen. 

ILT in Chickens

Preventative Care of ILT in Chickens

Off to the Vet today to get a symptom of ILT treated in our beautiful, white, Wyandotte bantam hen Rosa.  Don't think we've been to the Vet in nearly two months now which is a long time for our little flock over the past year.  Rosie has a plaque (infectious deposit) on her throat and I need the Vet to scoop it out.  
Rosie keeps coughing (sounds like a loud squeak in chickens) so the blockage is obviously getting in the way of breathing and eating.  Rosie is also moulting at the moment so there are feathers everywhere and she very sensitive when being picked up.  This is a delicate time for her as all her nutrients are going in to growing new feathers, she's underweight as she has been broody and stuck to her nest for around the last 8 weeks, she has the plaque swelling in her throat and the cooler weather is just around the corner to give her a further challenge.  I'm also going to get her a vitamin injection today to try and boost her a bit for the coming weeks.  
We are trying to keep her as fat and well fed as possible so she's been inside for extra night feeds 2 or 3 times each week.  She calls, squawks and carries on during the night feeds, so I know she's feeling very perky and is full of energy.  This is why I am so determined to treat Rosie in a preventative way this Winter, rather than waiting for her to become sick and then going in to crisis mode.  If she was miserable, lethargic and suffering now, we wouldn't pursue a recovery for her but as she is so glowing, a rosy glow in fact (a pinkish hue - Seinfeld reference) and deserves the best chance to stay healthy for as long as she is happy and well. 
Last time I took Rosie to the Vet she also got her throat scraped to remove a plaque.  Her behaviour was unbelievable, I would say movie quality impeccable.  She actually sat down on the examination table (unheard of), stretched her neck outwards and upwards and sat perfectly still whilst her beak was held wide open and the plaque was scraped off with a very long cotton bud.  It was surreal for me.  She is the flightiest and noisiest little bird under these conditions and yet when out in public, she behaved like a little lady on her best behaviour.  The Vet left the room to prepare anaesthetic for Rosie in another room, as the last bit of the plaque was not budging and needed to be snipped away.  On the Vet's return Rosie got a huge scare as the door opened and took off in full flight from the table, flew the entire length of the room and hid in the corner.  We all burst out laughing which upset her further and the perfect lady act was shattered.  It was such a classic Rosie moment. 
I am interested to see what she has in store for myself and the Vet today. 

Rosie - Mud bathing at the chicken spa. 

3 in 4

Today we had our 3 year old white Silkie hen Angie put to sleep.  In less than 4 weeks we have lost Bantam Wyandotte Amelia, black Silkie hen Jetta and now Angie.  We had a flock of 9 to begin the year and it's so sad to see 6 beautiful girls remaining with no certainty or relief of this nasty run of ill health.

Angie - gone but never forgotten and always loved

ILT Testing

Angie has been sent to the WA Department of Agriculture to be tested for ILT.  There is no way to test for ILT other than post mortem.  It's really sad that Angie will not come back home for a proper burial.  We've only ever had 1 other hen in more than 15 years not come home and that was by nothing more than a poor decision on my behalf.  

I do hope that ILT is not detected.  This would then lead the way to other potentially less serious possibilities eg. fowl diptheria/ wet fowl pox or mycoplasma/ chronic respiratory infection   ILT means no new chickens.  Not unless we want to infect previously healthy birds with a vicious viral condition.  It would mean keeping those hens we do have until they have all passed away  After which we would basically raze the existing pen, wait several weeks and then considered starting from scratch.

Jetta - 9 years of loveliness.  Fowl Pox proved too much.

 

Fowl Pox

In the mean time we have had Wheaten Pekin hen Alice, black Silkie Farrah and Buff Pekin Holly all with Fowl Pox.  Alice went back in to the pen on Monday 18th February.  We kept her in the house for 17 days to try and stop the spread of the Pox virus.  Such a beauty.  Alice is so tame and gorgeous.  She would bounce out of her hutch once the door was unlocked and come in to the kitchen to preen on the floor, await feeding and have a chat.  If we went outside or out of view she would call and call.  I could hear her screaming from the kitchen, no doubt the neighbours could also hear her at 7:00am as I was feeding the other girls in the garden and I'd come running in the house to tell her everything was okay.  Our dog Madi developed a bit of a fancy for Alice, typical Jack Russell stalker.  Otherwise it was all smooth sailing.  I was really happy to see Alice lay her first egg in more than 3 weeks on Monday.  She's also massively fat (in a healthy hen way) and eating well.  I have great hopes for her and her sister Holly who is equally ravenous and portly.

A Crowing Hen

Our remaining girls Selene, Rosie and Jewel have shown no signs of Fowl Pox infection.  Though both Jewel and Selene are moulting and are ripe for all sorts of nasties.  The only odd behaviour is Selene crowing occasionally.  But that's pretty standard for her.  Being the dominant hen and having her hormones twisted up at the end of the laying season she's inclined to go rogue and lose the plot a bit.  It does her no harm and due to the hit and miss nature of the occasional crowing it does not bother the neighbours in any way. I've seen Selene faux mate with the hens on occasion.  She takes her role as head chicken very seriously indeed! 

Selene - a hen in disguise

Once Again, in Writing

It's really deflating caring for the girls when they're so sick and then thinking about writing it all down on top of the medicating, Vet visits, hutch cleaning, daily hen linen laundering, crop feeding.  It just goes on and on and as much as I love them and would do it all again it does feel pretty awful to then relive it all in writing.  So the Blog suffers as they suffer.  But I do hope to get Angie's ILT results within 1 week and either move forward or deal with a rather bleak future as best we can.          

Respiratory Infection in Chickens

Amelia Update

Spoken to Veterinary staff who have Amelia and she is feeling much more comfortable today.  She is not 'out of the woods' but is able to return home - no doubt with a few kilos of medication in tow.  We'll see how she goes over the next several days on her new medication. 
Here's Rosa this morning - eagerly awaiting Amelia's return. 

Nice Day for a White Wedding

It's in fact a beautiful day to celebrate a wedding with a pair of gorgeous, white, Wyandotte bantam hens. 

Rosa and Amelia take front and centre stage today to fulfil their duties as Commemorative Wedding Chickens.  The civil ceremony for two of my great friends took place this morning at the British Embassy in Perth, Western Australia. 

Although unable to attend, the girls were suitably apprised of todays events when I picked them up this morning and took them from the lounge, back to the pen to be 'real' hens once more. 

Here they are last night, ready for their debut.

Congratulations S & E. xxx

No wedding jitters here, Rosa and Amelia - 19 November 2012. 

Respiratory Infection - Amelia Update

It has been two weeks since Amelia started taking her long course of general antibacterial medication.  It was a slow start and I wasn't very confident that it was doing any good.  Tonight I saw behaviour in Amelia that I have not seen in the year I have had her.  
The girls have a new 'Grandpa's Feeder' which is driving them all a bit crazy as it is still in the training phase.  They were all really hungry by the end of the day and were very concerned about going to the feeder, which was making a noise when they moved off the foot stand.  I went in to help them out and I had three of them finally eating off the feeder when I noticed a Wyandotte hen to my right.  I immediately thought it was Rosa, she's not a chubby, little bantam due to a lack of appetite but amazingly it was Amelia.  Amelia is very skittish and never sidles up to me for fear of being cuddled er rather caught.  I kept an eye on her and she was within less than an arms length of me and showing no signs of backing off.  

I brought Rosa and Amelia in for a feed.  Amelia has had a small to medium appetite so far.  Tonight she ate so much her crop (where the index finger tips are in the photo) was completely bulging.  She had eaten until she was completely full.  This is a great sign.  I can still hear her slightly laboured breathing from across the room tonight, but she seems so much livelier and more confident.  I also had a fair look down her throat two days ago and saw no signs of the white infectious build up of a fortnight ago.  And now I think about it, I haven't seen her swallowing in response to her chronic sore throat even once tonight.  Maybe this is the start of her real recovery??

Respiratory Infection in Chickens

Chronic respiratory infection in chickens seems to be the result of a less than optimal start in life.  Minimal shelter from cold conditions, lack of veterinary intervention at signs of infection, poor cleaning standards, inadequate feeding and of course exposure to already infected birds.  It can lead to permanent and significant loss of breathing capacity, chronic cold type symptoms - sore throat, wheezing, coughing.  It's unacceptable to allow any animal to live with these symptoms and this winter we have waged quite the battle against a range of problems.

Bantam Wyandottes

Rosa (left) and Amelia, Royal Agricultural Show, Perth 2011

In October 2011 we bought 2 white, Wyandotte bantam hens.  The first time we had strayed from the Silkie or the Pekins breeds in more than 15 years.  These two beautiful girls commemorate the wedded union of two other beautiful girls I know.  Yes, more commemorative wedding chickens!  When I went to collect them, they were very flighty and went bizerk when removed from their enclosure.  They flew hard in to every side of their cage, it was difficult to witness.  One of the hens (Amelia) squeaked and wheezed for nearly two days afterwards.  I was concerned that the rough handling by the person that retrieved her, may have damaged her in some way.  But then the noise completely stopped.

Rosa, enjoying the benefits of an indoor life

The girls clearly had been handled very minimally and even going within 2 to 3 metres of them resulted in them flying up in to the air, loudly protesting and at times hurting themselves as they flew in to the wire of their pen.  I took to avoiding them during the day but at night I would pick them up from the hutch and bring them inside for a feed.  They would sit on my lap, completely terrified but also very interested in getting the special treats I had ready for them.  I figured that if they associated us with feeding, that they would eventually stop fearing us so much.  It has been a year since we brought them home  - Rosa and Amelia and I can now gently approach them both, Rosa especially and pick them up without drama.  Rosa actually allows me to wash her whilst she sits on my palm and they both eat out of my hand every morning. 

The Wheezing Wyandotte

When Winter kicked in, Amelia and Rosa took a downward turn.  When I picked them up they both struggled to breath.  I had to hold Rosa with her feet on the palm of my left hand in order to ease the pressure from her body and allow her to have the maximum space for her respiratory system to inflate.  They wheezed a lot and their breathing sounded wet and stuttered.  It turned out that they both had a chronic respiratory condition.  This was caused by the presence of mycoplasma.  A microscopic organism similar to bacteria which is readily present but when a creature is kept in a less than optimal environment eg. too cold, unhygienic living conditions, poor food supply etc.  These conditions can compromise the immunity and allow mycoplasma the opportunity to thrive and take hold.  They particularly seem to thrive in the cold weather, when a hen is most vulnerable.  

Enjoying a night in the lounge during stormy weather

This winter has seen the girls off and on courses of antibiotics to keep on top of their symptoms.  Amelia has been particularly unwell.  Rosa seems to have gotten on top of it but Amelia, we can hear her erratic breathing piercing the night air and she swallows repeatedly due to a chronic sore throat.  When we look down her throat we can see white plaque deposits dotting the lining, indicating that bacteria are making a moist home for themselves.  

Back to the Vet again

This weekend we went back to the Vet again and this time Amelia has special long term medication that goes in to her water for the next three weeks. The additional issue here is that these girls have brought this condition in to the pen and passed it on to at least two of my other girls.  So I may be fighting this one for a long time to come.

Sun baking - the heat is a blessing for chronic respiratory issues

Buying new girls is a risky business, they don't come with a certificate of health and it can take months (as was the case with these girls) for undesirable symptoms to appear.  But when I look back, that rattly noise that Amelia made the first two days that we had her, was actually a warning of her condition.  I just didn't know what I was hearing at the time.  In the future it will be immediate quarantine and an ASAP Vet visit for any new girls who come with maracas in their chests.  

More updates on Amelia's progress are to follow over the next few weeks.  

Rosa (left) and Amelia

There's no throat lozenges for chickens, no Vix on the chest, no cough syrup, no chicken soup (!).  She is a real battler my Amelia.  I just want her to get better, breath normally, sleep comfortably and be happy.  This winter has heavily prevented her from enjoying any of this and if I'm frustrated, I can only imagine how she is feeling about this messy business.