After 4 years of asking I have chickens!!!

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bmartin5

bmartin5

Hatching
5 Years
Mar 31, 2014
9
0
9
Nevils,Ga.
I have always wanted chickens and finally after 4 years of my husband saying he was gonna build me a pen he finally did! he said if he would have known they would have made me this happy he would have built it when I first ask! I started out with a rooster my uncle gave me cause all his hens got killed. We got 6 one week old Rhode Island Reds but of course kept them seperate from Rocky(our rooster). Well, this weekend we went to livestock sale and got 6 white leghorns & one white hen that the guy said he didnt know what she was. Before we even got home 2 had already laid eggs! I guess rocky didn't like the invasion to start with cause he went a lil crazy when we first put the girls in with him but he calmed down quickly and uh became romeo all of a sudden. By morning we had 7 more eggs! This morning my sis told me to come get a hen that hatches her eggs so we did and before we got back home with her she had an egg in the floor board of our truck! I'm just so amazed at these girls and of course I love my Rocky! I'm a newbie but I read alot of y'alls threads so I could learn about what to feed and how much and temp on the chicks etc. Maybe I should put this on another thread, if so let me know but on the way home yesterday with our new hens I don't know if one may have gotten hurt or what but when we got her out she just laid there a bit. She eats & drinks good but when she walks it's like she has something stuck up her. She mostly lays around but not sickly or anything. She will roost, eat and walk around its just a wobble like she may be hurt. Any suggestions?! I'm so thankful for this site! I have been able to find the answer to everything I needed to get started! Thanks everyone!
 
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Welcome to BYC!

Congrats on finally being able to keep chickens!! And congrats on all those eggs too. How egg-citing!

As for the hen that maybe hurt...I would give her an exam. She could have sprained or strained something in her hips or legs. Feel for heat, and make sure she is not limping. If it doesn't appear to be an injury, she could be egg bound as egg binding can make a hen walk like a penguin, like she is bearing down. An easy exam....put on a latex glove with some KY jelly on the index finger and gently insert your finger into her vent. If she has a stuck egg, you will feel it there. Stuck eggs can kill the hen. There are a couple things you can do....start by giving her a couple of broken up Tums tablets. She should eat them readily. This high calcium can many times get the contractions going to expel the egg. If this doesn't do it, soak her lower half in warm water for about 10 mins or so. The warmth will help to unstick the eggs too.

While you are feeling around for things, feel her abdomen on the outside between her legs. This area should be fairly firm and not soft and squishy like a water balloon.

There are lots of other things that can cause them to go down hill. If you can find any other symptoms, you can also post more info in our emergency section here on BYC for lots more help as well...

https://www.backyardchickens.com/f/10/emergencies-diseases-injuries-and-cures

Enjoy your new chicken adventures!! And welcome to our flock!
 
Thank you so much! That's exactly what I told my husband was she looks like a penguin. I'll check her. I'm so glad I found this site!
 
Hello :frow and Welcome To BYC! TwoCrows gave you some good advice about things to check, good luck with your hen.
 
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Good luck with your poultry raising adventures, and I hope you find everything you need to know. Don't forget to take a look at BYC's very useful learning center (If you haven't already)! The learning center as well as the forum should answer your questions! Glad to have you here! See you around with the flock. She might be egg bound.
 
YAY!!
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I just mine last month from my moms old friend. I have no clue what kind they are but they are big black and sweet. I love my birds and got 2 dogs just to guard them (we live in the woods) glad you got the birds.
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can imagine life with out them. also welcome to chicken crazy town!!
 
Thank you! I bouht 6 rhode island reds at a week old then bought 6 white leghorn ( thats what the guy said) thats a yr or so old I think. I started out with just Rocky (my rooster) my uncle lost his hens so I adopted his rooster. I have questions about Rocky but I think I'm suppose to put it somewhere else! thanks y'all!!
 
I am new this as well!! After nagging my hubby for a year we finally just completed our coop and run and brought home 3 (7 month old) Red stars and 1 (1.5yr old) black star ( or aka sex-linked) this past weekend!!! They have been laying since the day we brought them home and turns out the hubby is quite into them now that they are here :) This site has been so helpful to me along the way, what to feed? what breed do I want? how high should this be? How big should this be? etc
 

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