Not a good day

[Nagdabit]

We have been treating our little Crested hen (Willow) for about two weeks now, trying to ascertain what was making her sick. Tried a variety of things and she fully appeared to be turning the corner.

Last night however when we got home from Exton we noticed our fawn pied hen (Kaia) looked a little askew. I got her out of the cage and was very disheartened to discover she is falling victim to the same condition that claimed her Aunt and Grandma. Some type of calcified growth in her lower region. This link is her Grandma Bella's story.
http://finchforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=5783

Since we still wanted to keep the heat light on Willow we put Kaia in the cage with her. This morning when I woke up I couldn't find Willow, finally noticed she was in the nest laboring heavily. I was hoping she was just having egg issues but after about a hour I realized the worst. Got Willow out and saw she was clearly on her way out. Woke up Sher and to tell her the bad news and she held Willow for a minute or two until she passed.

Obviously Kaia's time is limited as well. After going through this with two other hens we realize that there is nothing we can do for her. Just try and make her last days as comfortable as possible. Kind of tough to basically lose two girls within 24 hours like that. Kaia very well could hold on for another year or so, but it'll be a rough go for her.

[L in Ontario]

I'm so sorry to hear this news. It's always so sad and never gets any easier for us.

Do you have any idea what the 'calified growth' is all about?

[Nagdabit]

In all honesty, no. Our first hen that displayed the symptoms was Bella's daughter, Miss Karis. We thought she was egg bound and after she didn't respond to treatment, we took her to the vet. After trying to suck the egg out with a small vacuum (ouch!) he took some dental x-rays and discovered the growth.

Bella started with the symptoms about six months later so we never bothered to take her to the vet, since everything looked exactly the same. Obviously it's a genetic thing. We thought that would be the end of it since all of Bella's daughters are gone , but Kaia is the result of one of her sons. We've had her almost a year and a half and she's produced a couple of clutches for us.

Another one of Bella's sons has had a pile of kids and none of those girls ever showed any signs of the weakness. Could very well depend on who they're paired up with. Kaia's dad (Sym) was with a hen that passed suddenly on us (never did figure out why) so her breeding influence probably didn't help to strengthen Kaia, whereas, Sym's brother (the famous Mel) is with a nice sturdy CFW hen. Together they have produced a number of excellent offspring for us.

[dfcauley]

Gosh.... so sorry to hear this also. It is very disheartening to loose our finches.

[Pukasand]

This has been a rough weekend for you and Sher. So sorry to hear about your two little hens.

[lovemyfinch]

I can honestly say that I feel your pain. So glad that she has you and Sher to look out for her during her final days.

[cindy]

My thoughts are with you.

[GOULDYGIRL]

Sorry for your loss

Renee

[Sally]

So sorry for your loss. One is hard enough, but two in 24 hours is really tough to bear.