One of my ex-batts, adopted yesterday, doing classic sick hen pose

techiebabe said:

I'll try picking each up, feeling crop, and weighing (um. Tips for weighing, pls?!)

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techiebabe said:

Hi Banti!

Similar today. She seemed a *little* better. Basically, again (day 2 now) she came straight out, to the far end of the run, and lingered there. A lot of the time she did Sick Hen pose and closed her eyes to sleep. The others ignored her, while gently pecking each other (sort of "I say, did you notice that I'm here? Oh you did, jolly good" rather than the pecking order fighting I'd been led to expect!)

She perked up when things happened, like me sharing some old baby corn or peas. She did still prefer to be alone tho. I made sure scratch reached her, and that she used the waterer and feeder. I gave her Nutri Drops again.

I'd say she was better than yesterday but it's close,and an instinct thing rather than something quantifiable.

Now they've been here a few days, and are used to me (I sit in the run a few hours a day) I'll try picking each up, feeling crop, and weighing (um. Tips for weighing, pls?!) and making notes as some have the spur like nubs, one has a toe in that orientation, a couple don't at all, etc. One has beautiful dark chocolate neck feathers (are they called hackes on girls or just boys?) so ill get my notebook out and start watching them each.

i hope Peaky is ok. At least she is laying,that rules out several issues.

Back tomorrow! Thanks so much for the support, it helps to have someone going thru this with me!

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techiebabe said:

In short...Peaky is now Perky!

For the first three days I chucked Nutri Drops down her throat - each day she looked rough, but also laid.

Yesterday she looked brighter... Didn't lay so hopefully the respite from that helped(!) she did however bed down in her favourite spot at the far end of the run, so I had to manually put her into the coop. The others were 2 to a nest box (sigh) and she got the entire coop and perches etc to herself.

Today she was active and mixing it with everyone! She still prefers to be alone but she's just as active in scratching, feeding, etc. And she put herself to bed with the others tonight. I did have a little panic -shine torch inside, coop empty... then I counted heads in the nest boxes and sure enough she was there... Boss hen and 3rd in command were sitting on her...

Oh well. I had just cleaned and re-lined everything so I guess they're all cosy...

I'll go start another thread (in the right place) regarding keeping the hens out of the nest boxes at night...

... For now, unless I come back to this thread, consider her well! Hooray! I was so worried about her on day 1. I don't care if she never lays again as long as she's OK

Thanks again everyone who commented. You're all kind and helpful - and I'm learning fast!

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