# Hen having trouble



## Feira426 (Dec 11, 2019)

Hey guys!

I've got a hen that's been walking oddly, almost like her bum is too heavy for her. She kind of waddles with her rear almost dragging on the ground. It's hard to describe - I'll try and get a video and post it below. I thought at first that maybe she had water belly, but it doesn't feel that way. She's not got that full and squishy feel to her. I'm not sure what else to check. Any ideas?


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## GoofyGoat (Sep 21, 2018)

Have you checked to see if she’s egg bound? (unlaid egg stuck)
Is she pooing ok?


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## Tanya (Mar 31, 2020)

Sounds egg bound to me too. Poor girl


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

I have to agree.


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## Feira426 (Dec 11, 2019)

Here she is:





If I remember, it’s a warm bath, oil up, and then reach up her butt and feel around for an egg? I’ve only dealt with a weird bantam we have who lays very infrequently, but has eggs without shells and occasionally has one break inside and the pieces get stuck.

I’ve never had to work on a whole intact egg before. Anything I should know?


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## Hounddog23 (Jan 13, 2021)

Soak her butt in epsoms salt water for a while n see if that helps her. Atleast 15 mins. Poor girl.


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## GoofyGoat (Sep 21, 2018)

Yep, a warm epsom salt bath for 15+ min. Then lube up the vent, hopefully she’ll be able to release the egg. Breaking it is a last resort. Give her calcium, tums crushed or pill crushed before the bath. You should only have to go about 1.5-2 inches in.
poor thing! Looks uncomfortable 🥺


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## Feira426 (Dec 11, 2019)

Thanks guys! I’ll give that a go and let you know what happens.


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## Hounddog23 (Jan 13, 2021)

Hope she gets it out n gets to feelin better!


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## DDFN (Jul 31, 2011)

Agree sounds like egg bound. Normally you have abour 24 to 48 hours to relieve the egg before it can take a change for the worse. The above suggestions are correct. Some of the most common causes is feed too high in protein and dehydration. With the recent heat and humidity (pending your location) you may want to double check the other hens are drinking enough water too. Best wishes!


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## Feira426 (Dec 11, 2019)

Thanks guys. After dinner this evening I gave her calcium and bathed her in plain warm water (out of Epsom salts) and gently felt inside pretty thoroughly. I couldn’t feel an egg, or anything hard in there, and nothing egg-like came out when she pushed against me either. Just a little regular chicken waste (the wet variety).

Any other ideas as to what could be bothering her?

It has been very, very hot here. Most of the hens are looking a little rougher than usual, although the roosters seem just fine, which I find curious. 🤷‍♀️
I do wonder if there could be something heat-related going on, but I don’t even have a guess as to what exactly that something might be.

I would think it’s probably not hydration related. I have my faucet just on slightly so it drips water into their dish all day, so there’s always fresh water trickling in. Makes it hard to tell how much they’re drinking, but it does ensure it doesn’t run out or get filthy (or even hot).

Anyway, if anyone has any other ideas please let me know! I feel bad for her. She doesn’t seem to be suffering terribly, but she certainly isn’t feeling great. I wish I could recall what year she hatched. She’s not a young hen, but not super old either. I’d guess 3 or so. 

The way she walks... it’s almost looks as if something is throwing her balance off.


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

I'd offer them water with ACV in it.


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## Feira426 (Dec 11, 2019)

I just used up the last of my ACV - will white vinegar do any good? Maybe I could give them white vinegar tomorrow and then ACV after my next grocery run?

What does the vinegar do?


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## Feira426 (Dec 11, 2019)

Also should the vinegar be in all their water, or should they have a choice between fresh water and vinegar water? And how much vinegar should be added to the water?


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Offer both. You want ACV.


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## Feira426 (Dec 11, 2019)

Okay. How much per gallon? What does it do?


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

I put 2 tablespoons in a gallon. Gives them all the nutrients that are in ACV. Sort of like giving them electrolytes.


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## Hounddog23 (Jan 13, 2021)

Ive also been wondering what it does for them ive heard alot of people that put it in the water. That strange she didnt have an egg stuck in there.. gosh i hope someone can think of an idea for you good luck!.


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## FizzyGoats (Apr 14, 2021)

I don’t really measure and just sort of add a glug to a gallon or two. Try to use the ACV with mother and shake it up so you get the good flaoties. It is a boost to their digestive system and helps absorb nutrients as well. Plus, they usually like the taste so it promotes hydration. Don’t put it in a metal container though. It’ll rust it. I like to offer both plain and ACV water and let them choose. 

Have you seen your hen eating? Does her crop feel ok? I really thought it would be egg bound, but crop issues would be my next guess. Or it could be the heat. The best time to check the crop is first thing in the morning before they eat, but you still might want to feel it and make sure it’s not too mushy or really hard and make sure there’s not a sour smell coming from her mouth when you gently massage the crop.


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## MadHouse (Oct 3, 2019)

I hope you figure out what it is and that she recovers for you.


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## Feira426 (Dec 11, 2019)

FizzyGoats said:


> I don’t really measure and just sort of add a glug to a gallon or two. Try to use the ACV with mother and shake it up so you get the good flaoties. It is a boost to their digestive system and helps absorb nutrients as well. Plus, they usually like the taste so it promotes hydration. Don’t put it in a metal container though. It’ll rust it. I like to offer both plain and ACV water and let them choose.
> 
> Have you seen your hen eating? Does her crop feel ok? I really thought it would be egg bound, but crop issues would be my next guess. Or it could be the heat. The best time to check the crop is first thing in the morning before they eat, but you still might want to feel it and make sure it’s not too mushy or really hard and make sure there’s not a sour smell coming from her mouth when you gently massage the crop.


I did see her eating this morning. I felt her crop a couple of days ago when I was holding her, and it felt full, but that’s all I really noticed, and I don’t think it was early enough in the day that a full crop would be weird.

I’ll have another feel and see what I notice.

Thanks for helping me with this, you guys!


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Maybe vet time.


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## GoofyGoat (Sep 21, 2018)

Gosh, I have no clue if she’s not egg bound. Sorry.


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## Feira426 (Dec 11, 2019)

Her crop feels a little... stiffish to me. Like it's still squishy, but firmer than usual. I think I'm going to try giving her some yogurt - I think that's supposed to help with some crop issues, and I figure it probably can't hurt. Might bring her into the air conditioning for a bit also.


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## Feira426 (Dec 11, 2019)

Much as I'd like to help her (or if I can't help her, at least learn what's going on with her and what may have caused it, for future reference), I don't think I want to take her to a vet - she must be three or four years old already, and with the cost of almost everything going up like it is, I just don't think I can justify the expense of vetting right now for an older hen. If she worsens and I run out of ideas, I can put her down if I need to. That's no fun, but... I guess that's just how it has to be sometimes.


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## MadHouse (Oct 3, 2019)

That makes total sense. And not all vets will see chickens.
I hope you figure out what it is .


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## Feira426 (Dec 11, 2019)

Well, she’s neither better nor worse today. I have her in a box in the living room where it’s cool, and I’ve given her some yogurt and put ACV in her water. She doesn’t look miserable, but she’s kind of just sitting.

If anyone has any more ideas, I’m still open.


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## FizzyGoats (Apr 14, 2021)

Well I’m glad she’s not worse. Egg bound or crop issues are about the limit of my knowledge, so I have no clue. I hope she gets better for you.


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## Dandy Hill Farm (Aug 5, 2021)

Sorry about your hen. Chicken problems are the worst.

Are you sure she doesn't have water belly? If so, then I would think her crop is/was impacted and is now turning into sour crop. We unfortunately have had hens with both water belly and impacted/sour crop and were not able to save either. I believe it is possible to save chickens with impacted or sour crop, but not water belly. Tonight, I would make sure she doesn't have any access to food or water so you can feel her crop in the morning. If it isn't flat and empty, then she has crop problems.


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## Feira426 (Dec 11, 2019)

Dandy Hill Farm said:


> Sorry about your hen. Chicken problems are the worst.
> 
> Are you sure she doesn't have water belly? If so, then I would think her crop is/was impacted and is now turning into sour crop. We unfortunately have had hens with both water belly and impacted/sour crop and were not able to save either. I believe it is possible to save chickens with impacted or sour crop, but not water belly. Tonight, I would make sure she doesn't have any access to food or water so you can feel her crop in the morning. If it isn't flat and empty, then she has crop problems.


Good idea. I put her back in the coop this morning so she could stretch her legs and I could get her house box changed. She’s moving a little better than she was, but still not right. I can bring her back in tonight without food and check her crop in the morning. No water either, you said?

I had a good sniff around her beak and didn’t smell anything weird, but yeah, maybe there’s some impaction going on in the crop and it just doesn’t have that sour smell yet. 

On the water belly subject, I actually have an older hen (6 years-ish) that had water belly, oh... gosh, maybe a whole year ago now?! She’s still kicking around lol. She was having real trouble for a while there, and we did that syringe thing and pulled some nasty liquid out of her. Only managed to get a good pull once - after that first poke and pull, I kept trying for more and coming up empty. I couldn’t find a good spot again. We gave up after a bit, tried on another day (still nothing), and then decided to stop poking and let her heal before trying any more. Strangely, we’ve not had to drain her again yet. She can get up on her roost again with the other hens, she’s active and perky... 

If I remember after work I’ll try and find links to the tutorials I used to drain her. Maybe you can try it if you get another one with water belly!

But yeah, I’m pretty sure this hen doesn't have it. She doesn’t have that full, squishy feeling.


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## Dandy Hill Farm (Aug 5, 2021)

Feira426 said:


> Good idea. I put her back in the coop this morning so she could stretch her legs and I could get her house box changed. She’s moving a little better than she was, but still not right. I can bring her back in tonight without food and check her crop in the morning. No water either, you said?
> 
> I had a good sniff around her beak and didn’t smell anything weird, but yeah, maybe there’s some impaction going on in the crop and it just doesn’t have that sour smell yet.
> 
> ...


Glad she's not declining. Yes, just for tonight I wouldn't offer her water either so you can get a better idea/feel of her crop in the morning.

That's awesome your hen with water belly is doing so well! We drained our hen a few times, but she just kept on declining so we decided to end her suffering. 😕 Maybe she had something else going on though.


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## Dandy Hill Farm (Aug 5, 2021)

How's your hen doing this morning?


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## Feira426 (Dec 11, 2019)

Wow, your timing is amazing! I literally _just_ got through giving her some yogurt and came inside to report. There was definitely some very thick stuff in her crop this morning, so it looks like your guess was spot on! There was also poop in her box, so some food must be working it's way through, but her crop feels like... almost like it's full of a very stiff dough. You can squish it, but barely. 

What is good to do for her aside from yogurt? I have plain water and water with ACV in the coop now, and gave all the hens some yogurt after I checked the sick hen this morning, just in case anyone else is developing a similar problem. 

Could this have been caused by our crazy heat wave, or do you think the timing was just a coincidence? Maybe she didn't drink enough one day and got dehydrated, and stuff got dry and compacted in there? We did get a nice thunderstorm yesterday and had temps in the 70's for a while instead of the 100's, so that was a nice break for everyone, but looks like for at least the next ten days we'll be back to around 106 during the day. 😝 

I'd like to not only get this one hen feeling better, but prevent something similar from happening to the other girls as well.


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## Feira426 (Dec 11, 2019)

Oh! Forgot to say, when I set her down after making her swallow some yogurt, she walked around for a minute, and to me she looked quite a bit better than she did the other day when I made that video. She might have just been very upset about being held and forced to eat something - maybe it gave her a burst of energy lol. But I like to think that maybe she's feeling a bit better today.


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## GoofyGoat (Sep 21, 2018)

You got rain? I’m so jealous we barely got sprinkled on.
im glad you think you’ve got it figured out😁


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## FizzyGoats (Apr 14, 2021)

When ours had sour crop, the vet showed me how to massage the crop and tip her upside down and drain it out through her beak. I’m sure you’ve done it before and know the technique if it gets to that point. He had us withhold all food for 24 hours and water for 12, then give her 3-5 cc of ACV two or three times a day. She miraculously pulled through and lived a good, normal life until a predator got her some time later. Her crop felt doughy too. But she definitely had the sour smell coming from her beak. 

I hope your hen pulls through. She sure seems like she’s trying. And so are you.


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

🤗


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## Feira426 (Dec 11, 2019)

FizzyGoats said:


> When ours had sour crop, the vet showed me how to massage the crop and tip her upside down and drain it out through her beak. I’m sure you’ve done it before and know the technique if it gets to that point. He had us withhold all food for 24 hours and water for 12, then give her 3-5 cc of ACV two or three times a day. She miraculously pulled through and lived a good, normal life until a predator got her some time later. Her crop felt doughy too. But she definitely had the sour smell coming from her beak.
> 
> I hope your hen pulls through. She sure seems like she’s trying. And so are you.


I actually have never done that before! But that seems like a great idea. I’ll look for a tutorial on YouTube and give it a go. Thanks for sharing!


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## MadHouse (Oct 3, 2019)

My go to for sour crop is Monistat, or similar feminine antifungal creme. It is the miconazole that is the active ingredient. A half inch long amount in her beak twice a day, using a diabetes syringe, for 7 days. That is after the 24 hour fast. I gave mine access to water during the fast. I have never emptied their crops.
After that she could eat what she wanted and be with the flock. Checked her crop every morning, and on day 4 it was empty. It is important to finish the 7 days of miconazole.


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## MadHouse (Oct 3, 2019)

And mine never had a sour smell, we had several with sour crop over a couple of years, and none of them did.


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## Dandy Hill Farm (Aug 5, 2021)

You've have gotten some great advice above! I also linked some helpful blog posts below. I truly hope you have better success than we did. Best of luck with to you and your hen! Keep us updated. ♥









Sour Crop in Chickens: What is it And How to Treat it


What is sour crop? It's something hopefully you'll never experience with your hens. Let's delve into what it is, how to treat it...




www.thehappychickencoop.com












Diagnosing And Treating Sour Crop In Chickens


your hens could suffer serious consequences. Today we are going to talk about diagnosing and treating sour crop in chickens.




www.backyardchickenchatter.com


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## Feira426 (Dec 11, 2019)

Wow, those two articles really contradicted one another in a few respects, didn't they? Lol

Since her crop isn't what I'd call "squishy" and her breath doesn't have a smell, I'm thinking this must be impacted crop, and I'm wondering if it might have been caused by dehydration from the heat. I don't think either article mentioned dehydration, but it seems logical, I think? That would explain a lot. 

I think I will try taking her off all solid feed and giving her some olive oil three times a day, and doing some gentle massaging to try to break up the stuff in there and get everything moving again. Maybe I will also add a drop or two of oregano oil once a day to help prevent sour crop from developing. That seems like a decent plan, I think? Maybe oregano oil in the morning, and a little yogurt in the evening to introduce beneficial bacteria in there.

I'll keep you guys posted!


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## Feira426 (Dec 11, 2019)

P.S. - You all are the best! 🥰 Thanks for helping me with this!


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## Feira426 (Dec 11, 2019)

Well, she's still alive. I think she was eating the hay in her hospital box though, which seems extremely counterproductive, so I took it out and replaced it with mulch. Hoping today I'll see the crop emptying some.


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Hopefully it will empty just fine.


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## MadHouse (Oct 3, 2019)

From what I understand, it can start with impacted crop, but that almost always turns into sour crop, smell or no smell.
From all I have read, and From my experience it is best to treat for sour crop if the crop is not emptying overnight.


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## Dandy Hill Farm (Aug 5, 2021)

MadHouse said:


> From what I understand, it can start with impacted crop, but that almost always turns into sour crop, smell or no smell.
> From all I have read, and From my experience it is best to treat for sour crop if the crop is not emptying overnight.


I do agree. Especially since she's been having trouble for awhile now. Hope she gets better!


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## Feira426 (Dec 11, 2019)

Yes, I understand. My hope was that the yogurt and especially the oregano oil would prevent the impaction from souring, or at least kill any budding yeast infection that does start to develop, similar to how the Monistat does, since I had a little oregano oil left on hand and it's supposed to be good for that. So far I think we're good in that respect, though if sour crop can develop without any smell, I guess I can't be sure.

The patient is still about the same. She's perky, but can't walk right, and the mass in her crop is still pretty large. I've been doing the olive oil and massaging to try to break it up, but I swear it's still right about just as big as it was before. I'm not sure what to try next.

I did have kind of a crazy idea this morning just as I was waking up. Know how when you're still half sleeping sometimes random thoughts just hit you? Sometimes kind of weird thoughts? Yeah, this was one of those. Only, I keep thinking about it, and maybe it would actually help her?

I'm thinking, if she has a mass of food in her crop that isn't breaking up... man, it seems so gross, but what if... saliva? Or something like that to break the food down? I mean, eww. But, it seems better than dying. Is there something else that breaks up food really good and isn't disgusting? I need some chicken Draino, haha.

Or... goats have enzymes and bacteria that specifically help break down grasses and grains, right? If I could get a hold of a goat cud, dissolve it in some water for a while, and then give her the water, maybe that would help?

Idk - for now I'm just going to keep giving olive oil and massaging, and maybe give her some milk for nutrition. I've put a towel down in her box just in case she was finding something in the mulch to pick out and eat and add to the blockage.

This is tough! At least she's still feeling pretty good. We actually just lost another hen to something unrelated - idk what, actually. She'd been a little lethargic and pale, but no other symptoms that I noticed so not much to go off of for troubleshooting. I did try giving some dewormer and a little Red Cell to the flock, but she didn't improve. Suddenly the other morning she seemed almost dizzy. I brought her into the cool house and made her take some water with a syringe. But she went downhill super fast and died just a couple of hours later. She was never particularly robust though. She and her sister were both unusually small, and her sister died young also. Unlucky genetics, perhaps.


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## Boer Mama (10 mo ago)

Seems like ACV might help dissolve (and also help bacteria).
This is an interesting thread, I’ve been stalking. So far I haven’t ever seen this. But now I’ll have these remedies in the back of my mind. Lol
Hope something gives for you with all you are trying! 🍀🍀🍀


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## Feira426 (Dec 11, 2019)

Thanks! She's still hanging out in her hospital box. I gave her a little scrambled egg today because I was worried about her not getting enough food. I figure since the egg is soft, it might be okay. Today the mass in her crop feels a bit smaller, so I'm hopeful it is beginning to break down.


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## Feira426 (Dec 11, 2019)

@GoofyGoat 
@ksalvagno 
@FizzyGoats 
@Boer Mama 
@Dandy Hill Farm 
@MadHouse 
@toth boer goats 
@Tanya 
@Hounddog23 
@DDFN 

I wanted to thank you all individually for your help with this girl. I'm happy to report good news this morning - the hen's crop bulge is SOOOO tiny now! Less than half the size it was yesterday. I think we finally have solid progress! I'm keeping her in her hospital box for one more day to keep an eye on her situation, but I think it may be safe to put her back out with her friends tomorrow.

Thankfully, I never had to try feeding her saliva or goat cud! For future reference, here's what I ended up doing:

I alternated between giving her fresh water and water with lots of ACV in it. For a couple of days I didn't give any solid food - just water, and I syringe-fed her olive oil mixed with a tiny bit of oregano oil to prevent sour crop. I massaged her crop a couple of times a day, after giving her the olive oil. A couple of times I put a little yogurt in the olive oil also. After maybe two days I gave her a bowl of yogurt with some tiny bits of cheese sprinkled in it (I figured the cheese specks would make the yogurt look more like an enticing thing to peck at and eat). Yesterday I gave her half a scrambled egg mixed with yogurt and olive oil.

I didn't think it was working, as yesterday the impacted mass was still pretty sizeable - but I guess I just needed to give it time. She seems to be feeling sooo much better today! She took a HUGE crap this morning. On my floor while I was changing the towel in her box, of course.  But I don't care. I'm just glad she's doing better.

This girl has been through so much I think she deserves a name! We don't name all our laying hens anymore, but we name the special ones. I'm thinking Guinevere. Idk why. It just seems to suit her. While I was taking care of her I kept talking to her and addressing her as "lady" since she didn't have a name, and I guess "lady" made me think of Lady Guinevere. Lol

Anyway, thanks again to all of you for helping me with her!! I appreciate the heck out of all of you!


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## Boer Mama (10 mo ago)

Great news and Lady Guinevere will be happy to able to go reign… I mean be with her friends 😉


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## Tanya (Mar 31, 2020)

I am so happy ro hear. I would maybe do two days to ensure she completely in the clear to join her coup of friend... well done


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Very good to hear. 🤗


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## GoofyGoat (Sep 21, 2018)

Yay! Great news 😁🥰🤗


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## FizzyGoats (Apr 14, 2021)

That’s so awesome. I just came on here looking for this thread to see if there was an update (I’m not getting notifications again for some reason). I am so happy to read this update. Chickens can be hard to get through these things but she was a fighter, hanging in there and letting you help her out. I’m so glad she’s doing better.


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Great news!


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## Dandy Hill Farm (Aug 5, 2021)

Aww, I'm so happy to hear that!! Great job! 🤗


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