Shadow seems to be absolutely fine apart from the constant mucky bottom. Of course I know that this means not all is fine.
I have continued to pick her up every afternoon and wipe her as clean as I can with tissue. This isn’t ideal and some poop gets left behind which by the next day sets hard. It is always around the shaft of her tail feathers and her fluffy bottom feathers stay clean.
This means I have to part her fluff to see how she is underneath. Yesterday she had hard poop stuck to her again. It hadn’t set into as big a lump as last time I washed her but just a tube of hard poop around the shaft of her tail feathers.
I think that Shadow is unable to expel the poop and it exits her vent and sits on the shaft of her tail feathers, where any that I can’t wipe off quickly enough, sets hard.
As it was mild yesterday I decided to bring Shadow indoors and wash her properly. I stood her in a bowl of water and gradually softened the poop until I could remove it completely. I then dried her as best I could before returning her to the run.
Shadow is as good as gold when I bring her in. She stands on the towel just where I put her then stands in the bowl of water and lets me deal with her. I stood her back on the towel when I had finished and took a photo.
Now that I had got Shadow properly clean again my plan was to lift her the next afternoon and see if she had managed to stay clean. I was really hoping this was improving but I knew that I couldn’t allow myself to get too hopeful.
I have just lifted Shadow and unfortunately nothing has changed. Already she has a tube of hardened poop around the shaft of her tail feather again. I managed to remove any that was loose but not all of it.
I will continue to clean Shadow each day and bring her in now and again to wash her properly. I know that she is on borrowed time though. This isn’t a permanent solution.
Once Shadow is ready to lay again I know that her time will probably be up. This is so sad. She is such a lovely girl. I wish that I could do more but sadly I know that there isn’t anything more that I can do.
We just have to enjoy every moment we have her. It is heartbreaking.
Click here to see the history of my flock.
You are doing really well and are being realistic; maybe the current scenario you’re dealing with might mean that Shadow will not come back into condition for laying for some time.
I hadn’t thought of that. It would be good if she didn’t come back into lay anytime soon. She started half way through February last year and she was a regular layer so I have worried about her starting soon especially as she was quite vocal and chatty this morning. I suppose we will just have to wait and see. Only time will tell.
Let’s keep our fingers crossed that David is right Carol. I’m dreading Bubble laying again too after her prolapse last year – they are such a worry! xx
They are such a worry with their egg laying problems. xx
She certainly seems to know you are helping her, for her to stay still and let you clean her.It would be good if she did not come back into trying to lay.
I feel as if she knows that I am trying to help her. She must feel better afterwards. When I put her back in the run she never runs away. Shadow does have a red comb and face though which when a girl isn’t going to lay it goes pale. Sadly I think it’s just going to be a matter of time.