Chook and Cat update

This is Lacy, the chook that was sick, isn't she cute with her 'lacy' neck. She is a silky x

Good news on both fronts - Cody was fine and is back to normal meds and normal personality. The chook seemed a lot better yesterday - hardly any crackly breathing and just doing the "crowing" noise occassionally (and I checked on Backyard Poultry and SHE is definately a SHE YAY). However this has been a VERY expensive week $1600 on Cody and another $60 on the chook for meds (although will do all chooks) - **sigh**, plus we bought some things we needed for bubby etc.

I was discussing the chook situation with a fellow chook lover but much more expert than me on Backyard Poultry. After monitoring the situation we decided to put the chook, who I am now naming Lacy, on a treatment for coccidiosis. Coccidiosis is a disease which can kill chooks very easily as it does something very bad to their intestines. It can be very easily spread through the whole flock so I am putting them all on the medication (via their water - Sulpha-Quin).

The upside of this is that hopefully they will all be ok, the downside is that following treatment (5 days) we will have to wait another 2 weeks before we can eat any eggs **sob** so we have to chuck out Browney's eggs. But this is a preferred option to having dead chooks!!! Thinking back there have been some blood tinged poop's in the coop since I got them (not the new ones from the produce store and Roger), which I didn't really connect or think about too much, but now it is all coming together with the sick one and better to be safe than sorry.

I guess I am lucky, in 10yrs of owing chooks, I have NEVER experienced this. I'm guessing that it has come from the guy who I got the chooks from. In hindsight I think the little chick had it (I have seen some info on Backyard Poultry and the chick definately had the look which is typical cocci) and he did have some dead chooks in his pens - Jemma found one and also some sick ones. He had SO many chooks though (I think 100's) - I guess with so many it would be inevitable really.

The good news is that the chooks all seem in really good health including the sick one so fingers crossed everything will be ok now. Following this treatment, I will worm them and give them a vitamin boost so they will be at optimum health, hopefully for when they all start laying!!!