Hi, I have a silkie hen that has bald spots on her neck, back, chest, and belly. She looks so ugly. I am in the middle of Wisconsin and winter is comming soon!! Also, she sometimes lays leathery eggs. The other chickens eat them because they have been layed outside but i have a coop that they can go into all the time. Sometimes when i pick her up, she throws up and poops runny liquid. Is there any treatment, or should i "get rid of her"??? Kelli

-- Kelli (bingo215@yahoo.com), December 11, 2001

Answers

The bald spots and leathery eggs tells me she needs more calcium. Crushing up egg shells and feeding them back will help, but oyster shell will help more. Don't know about the throwing up. I'd isolate her from other chickens until you figure it out (just in case it's contagious).

Good luck!

-- Wingnut (wingnut@moment.net), December 11, 2001.

Kelli, Post your question with the experts: The Poultry Connection, Leghorn Forum. those folks know "where it's at" re poultry. Your hen sounds very sick and I would think a Vet would be consulted but then I have ducks not chickens and being a retired Vet Tech I like to get someone to get a good look at one of my pets that doesn't seem right. LQ

-- Little Quacker (carouselxing@juno.com), December 11, 2001.

I had a chicken with a related problem. I wanted to know if she has a contageous illness. So after calling county extentions I was told that they will not consult hobby farmers, but only commercial operations. So, I had to go to a vet. They charged me $40 and said they couldn't tell me anything about her condition unless I left her for 2 days and they performed $150 worth of test. I said this is a farm animal, not a pet. They berated me for diminishing this poor animal's right to life by saying I just wanted to know if it was contageous as I would euthenize it if it was. So I took her home and performed a microscopic exam myself at work since I'm in the trade. The stuff she was oozing was a crystal and did not contain any bacteria. So I left her alone and she recovered. Now, I get cards in the mail from the animal clinic reminding me that it's time for "Chicken's" annual check-up. Well,a year later, that $40 bird was the first to die of all the hens in the flock. So before you take a $1.20 chicken to the vet, think about the relative value of this action.

-- Dwight (summit1762@aol.com), December 12, 2001.

Try a chunk off a cattle mineral salt block. Her minerals are definitely out of balance.

-- carol (kanogisdi@yahoo.com), December 13, 2001.