Severe stress | The Holistic Hen - How to raise quail, chickens and pigeons organically in a food forest

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Stress and Organic Chickens Part Two - Emergency Treatment, Follow-ups & Keeping Calm.

Stress is a potential killer, so it's important to treat it quickly, in particular if concurrent with any kind of injury. Your bird's system needs to be functioning at optimum to deal with both the physical trauma of the wound and the potential for any kind of infection. The great thing about this emergency treatment is that it is concocted from simple foodstuffs you probably already have to hand in your kitchen cupboards. It is also an excellent treatment for extreme fatigue, such as in the case of finding an exhausted racing pigeon, which I have done on a couple of occasions.

Easy home-made electrolyte solutions

The simplest of all remedies and much akin to the old treatment for shock you'd find in 1930's detective novels is the ubiquitous warm sugary drink. Just take a fraction of a teaspoon of raw organic cane sugar, a tiny amount of salt and dissolve it in a egg cup of warm water. The technical term for this is an electrolyte solution and your objective is to rebalance the bird's system and thus get the bird's body back up and functioning as quickly as possible. As suggested by the name, an electrolyte carries the electrical impulses which the body uses to 'communicate' within itself, in essence to tell itself what to do. Thus a sudden shock, stress attack, overheating, hypothermia, sudden or prolonged physical exertion can cause electrolytes to be rapidly depleted. The effect of this imbalance on the functioning of the muscles, heart and nervous system, no doubt explains the nature of those symptoms I have observed in birds under stress. These latter I outlined in my previous blog.

This remedy I have used not only on my own birds but on other rare occasions such as when rescuing an exhausted homing pigeon. In fact if you look on racing pigeon web sites you will see a similar emergency treatment (using a greater proportion of sugar) advised for those who find displaced birds. 'Hubert' as we called him, was on his first race and had been thrown off course by a storm. I also used the treatment on a stressed out sparrowhawk, who became entangled in our hedge after having been surprised by me whilst she was attacking a fantail.

WARNING You can only use this method however, if the bird is breathing normally. If your bird is gasping for breath, trying to get it to drink can be highly dangerous, as it can choke or 'drown' by breathing water into its lungs. My solution for this is to get a small piece of fruit such as orange or banana and dip it lightly in the sugar and salt mix. The fruit is then introduced just into the point of the beak with the bird's head in its normal position. The electrolyte is thus absorbed even if the bird is not able to swallow the fruit. If the bird is hardly responding at all and/or you have a problem opening its beak, then with your fingers coated with sugar take the tip of the beak and gently try to introduce some sugar into it.

Another great kitchen cupboard electrolyte is organic unpasteurised apple cider vinegar, which also contains enzymes beneficial in giving the bird's system the 'kick start' needed post shock. You will only need a few drops added to an egg cup of warm water.

I have found, although I can not explain why, that stroking the back of a bird's head whilst lightly dipping its beak into the liquid will get it to drink. I obviously have very tame birds, who trust me and are easy to treat but we recently rescued a moorhen, who had been run over and was exhibiting signs of stress. I gave the same

emergency treatment and got it to drink in the way described above. The moorhen's case is a good illustration of why treating for shock should be the first treatment given. As you can see from the photograph, it is holding its wing down and leaning against the orange box. These two factors were in effect due to stress and righted themselves over 24 hours. It actually had concussion and a wound in its side but no breaks. After a week of recuperating, we were able to return it to the wild.

What to do if the symptoms still persist or get worse?

Sneezy my Silver Sebright, as explained in my previous blog, had what I presumed to be a stroke after having witness close-at-hand a sparrowhawk attack on one of our fantails. I had immediately given her the electrolyte but her condition continued to deteriorate. All I could think was, that I needed to get some nutrients into her to support her nervous system. The ones I chose were turmeric, Brazil nut and coconut oil. Turmeric for curcumin, traditionally used to prevent and treat neuron damage and the amount I took was just enough to cover the end of a teaspoon. Brazil nut for selenium, again to support the nervous system and coconut oil, which contains a multitude of nutrients and essential trace elements, to support and strengthen the immune system. The turmeric and Brazil nut were mixed into a teaspoon of melted coconut oil.

It was quite difficult to treat Sneezy. By now she was paralysed all down one side and she was losing control of her neck but on the positive side, I had the knowledge of her being very tame and trusting of me. When I finally succeeded in getting the teaspoon into a good position for her, she made a supreme effort and managed to suck the mixture up. I was worried about the amount of selenium, as it is toxic in large amounts and it is quite difficult to gauge in such a small bird (Sneezy is about the size of a thrush). However, I just finely grated the end of the nut, took just a couple of these gratings and hoped it would be enough.

Well it worked and I have used this mixture again for extreme cold stress and have been just as successful. I was amazed how quickly (less than 24 hours) Sneezy regained the use of her wing, leg and neck and made a full recovery.

Keeping calm - you and your bird

To complete and complement the treatment you will need to keep the bird warm and calm. I have always found that birds are very receptive to the reaction of others. So even if you feel like panicking, don't. I talk to my birds all the time I am treating them, explaining what I am doing and they certainly respond to the tone of my voice.; Poulie and Chicklette, the first hens I ever had, taught me so much about how my own stress levels impacted upon theirs. They say the Ardenner breed takes on the personality and comportment of the breeder, so I cannot thank them enough for holding up that mirror!

Even the moorhen was calm and receptive, whilst it was recovering. The day it pecked me whilst I was feeding it, was the day I knew it was ready to be released! It is interesting that I find the same pattern occurs with wild birds in stress or injury. They will trust me until they get better, which is as it should be.

I have made two films, one on the subject of Squeaky's cold stress and the other in which Sneezy demonstrates how I administer the emergency treatment. They were made on my old camera so are not in the HD of my more recent films. However the main thing is, I hope, that they will help by sharing what I did.

The next article on stress can be found by following this: LINK

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Until next time, all the very best from sunny Normandie!

Sue

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© 2013 Sue Cross

Stress in Organic Chickens - When? Why? Whom? Identification, causes and those most at risk.

Stress comes for all sorts of reasons to an organic flock and if not treated within 24 hours there is a good possibility, if it's a bad attack, that it can be fatal. Over the years I have dealt with stress triggers such as, predator attack, problems in laying, loss of status, fights, bullying and overheating but if like us you are living in the Northern Hemisphere, then, at the moment, your most likely problem and cause will be the cold.

"Now what do we do?" Cochin brothers in adversity.

This is such an important and complex topic, it can't possibly be dealt with in a single post. I truly believe, from all I've experienced, that stress lies at the very heart of most if not all the health and behaviour problems encountered within the organic flock. In this first post I will look at the identification of stress, its underlying causes and how to identify those birds most at risk.

The first time I encountered stress in a bird was on bringing home a new Ardenner cockerel from an exhibition. He was young, only just in full colour and my eight year old niece, who was staying with us at the time, attracted to him as a lovely gentle bird, named him Dark Cloud. We were very careful to keep him cool on the way home, as it was a hot May day. Unbeknownst to us, as he had not been on show, he had been kept in the breeder's car throughout the morning. On arrival, although he seemed rather nonplussed, which was not unexpected, he appeared to be fine. However, after an hour he suddenly started to eat and drink rather manically and after another half hour or so, he was unsteady on his legs. The next morning he was dead and we were all very upset. When I rang the breeder and told him what had happened and explained the symptoms he recognised it immediately for what it was, heat stress brought on by the morning spent in his car. That was ten years ago and having sworn at the time to find out all I could on the subject, despite predator attack, serial broodiness, extremes of cold and heat, difficulty in laying and general internecine battles amongst both hens and cockerels, I've always been able to treat this condition.

How do I know if my bird is suffering from stress?

This is Ruffles, a calmer and more phlegmatic Ardenner you could hardly find, he is the son of Raffles the cockerel I was given as a replacement for Dark Cloud.

Here's Sneezy our 8 year old Silver Sebright she looks a picture of tranquillity but she suffered from one of the worst cases of stress, due to predator attack, I have ever had to deal with. It was easy to diagnose because it came on so quickly after the event and with dramatic symptoms including complete paralysis down one side.

This is Squarky, a Sebright Frizzle cross, showing distinct signs of cold stress. I know him well enough to see the signs but even at first glance you can tell he is not at his best, in fact he even looks miserable!

In my experience, the symptoms of stress have two ways of manifesting themselves, there is a severe form, which appears quickly and dramatically after a given event and is therefore easily diagnosable. Then there is a more measured build up of stress, in which the time or even exact nature of the trigger may not be obvious. In this latter case, knowing your bird's normal behaviour and comportment are the key to early and successful diagnosis. For, if allowed to go unchecked, this latter case may possibly develop into a severe stress condition and may like the former, prove fatal.

Perhaps literature and country lore has been correct in associating cockerels with pride and position. They seem to suffer much worse than hens from stress brought on by more psychological reasons, such as loss of status and the aftermath of a fight. However, if you don't have a cockerel in your flock, you will probably have a hen who takes on the mantle of both cockerel and dominant hen, in her case therefore, stress caused by loss of status may be equally as dramatic.

Harmony within a flock is something we all strive for but each group's dynamic and its rules are often complex and unfathomable. We have three hen houses within our garden, all with a dominant hen and dominant cockerel(s) (we have three sets of brothers). Although I have some understanding of where the territorial boundaries have been drawn, certain groups seem to have passe-partout. There are also bands of 'marauders' leading ritual skirmishes which result in nothing but mutual bravado. The occasions on which tension and stress have occurred has often been by our intervention, such as our removal and eating of a cockerel, thereby causing a power vacuum and serious conflict.

So what should you be looking for

Severe stress Comprising, sudden loss of motor function after the event, loss of balance, complete inability to move, lying on the ground, prone with legs often sticking out the back, complete or partial loss of 'voice', inability to focus, bewilderment and in extreme cases, paralysis.

Stress build up This in my experience follows a pattern in which, your hen or cockerel stops talking, eats erratically and voraciously, drinks incessantly, stands huddled with feathers fluffed, stops eating altogether, gasps when breathing, loses balance, can no longer stand. This is why at the start of this post, I mentioned that knowing your hen is key, Squeaky and Sneezy are very 'chatty' birds, the minute they stop talking, I start taking notice.

Proviso In the case of specific stress particular in laying hens, I would be again noticing a progression; comprising, an occurrence of soft-shelled eggs, the hen experiencing difficulty walking and constantly stretching one of her legs out at the back as she walks. In extreme cases, I would expect, difficulty in standing, 'rubbery legs', sitting down constantly and if untreated, a progression to difficulty in breathing, gasping and a change in colour of crest and face.

Identifying those most at risk

You would think this would be the most stressful job in the flock, but the mother hen and resultant chicks are often the most carefully guarded, respected and often feared, group of all.

Poultry when left to their own devices, given enough space and food, have a fine understanding of continuance. I do wonder if this very capability of the hen to cope with so many beaks to feed is also why, unlike her male counterpart, she seems far less prone to the forms of stress engendered by loss of status.

However, broody hens can sometimes get themselves into a vicious circle of stress by becoming so intent on being broody that they forget to eat and drink. It's a good idea if your hen goes broody, even if you are not putting eggs under her but just letting her 'practice', to make sure that, she is getting off the nest at least once a day.

The most likely candidates for stress are the young and old and their lower rating in the pecking order, may thus be key in depriving them of necessary nutrients and trace elements. Stress and nutrient depletion make for a vicious circle, thus stress caused by jostling for a place, or inherent in the loss of a long-held position, may serve to deplete the system even further and engender yet more stress. Young pullets and cockerels are also more prone to chasing and being chased, something again which increases levels of stress. To add to their problems, the young and old are also often less well-feathered and thus more likely to become susceptible to heat and cold stress. Amongst my own flock most susceptible to cold stress, are my older birds, in particular the light-feathered breeds I crossed with my light feathered Frizzle. Yet again, mea culpa, in my craze to get a Frizzle line going, when I rehomed an old Frizzle hen, who suddenly started to lay I didn't think of the consequences of old age....but that's another story...

Next Up - Simple, organic emergency treatment for stress and how to administer it without stressing out yourself or your bird. Follow this LINK