Thanks for the replies!
@rosemarythyme, they used to free range daily. That's why I didn't worry about a dust bath. With my new job I can't work from home, so they only free range a bit in the evening or weekends. I don't really have room for anything extra in there, so I ended up mixing...
I'd like to dig up our current run that's filled with pine bark nuggets (recommended by a neighbor when we first built our coop) and replace with something else so our girls can more easily have daily dust baths. Recommendations? My husband likes the idea of nuggets, but I'm sure I can convince...
Thanks! Good to know it should heal quickly.
I started with a crate in the yard, then removed it the next day and they all did relatively well together free-ranging. By day 3 the pecking was no worse than any other hen and I thought she'd be ok.
Right now they're all in the yard together and...
A week ago we tried to integrate a single hen that a friend was trying to unload. I've been keeping a close eye on the flock (7 hens, plus one new one) and things seemed to be going well until yesterday when they beat her up pretty handily (photos attached). I can't tell if it's bone or...
Here's an update on our little Heihei. This morning her toes are curled, like photos I've seen for Marek's. It may be due to her prolonged sitting on them (7 days) but we are giving her one more day before calling it. I can tell she's miserable. Occasionally she tips forward onto her face, and...
Day 4: Her crop didn't completely empty overnight. Her stools are normal. Gave her a warm bath and she fell asleep for a bit. Still can't seem to feel an egg. She seems to be regaining some feeling in her left foot. Here's a link to a video that shows how she can move her legs when her body is...
I don't want to start another thread, but since her symptoms have changed so dramatically maybe I should? She's not even 2, she's always been very healthy. She's never picked a fight with other hens and no signs of pecking. I don't think she fell from a fight - versus certain other hens who...
I really appreciate your response.
No mites / lice.
No chance she got into something toxic, there's no access to those areas.
She's drinking a good bit. On another thread someone suggested watermelon, so she ate a good bit of that yesterday. Will give her crushed calcium citrate now (we gave her...
her poop from overnight. Searching more on this site, since her poop has returned to normal, she obviously isn't egg bound. Any ideas why she can't walk?
Feeling around her vent area there doesn't seem to be an egg, but maybe up higher? I don't want to hurt her but also want to try and move it along if that's the issue.
She won't curl her toes when we touch them. She seems to have strength at the top of her legs, but not her toes.
Giving her a...
Not certain when her last egg was. It could easily have been a couple of days. Will calcium citrate and D3 help with bound egg? I haven't tried to check for an egg before. What we do for these girls!
Thanks everyone - quick update:
She's eating and drinking a lot of the mash and gatorade mix.
BUT now I think it's something else. She is unable to stand. Yesterday she would stand out of desperation or flap her wings if we picked her up. Today her eyes and head are alert but she can't put...
Any idea what I can do for my little one-year-old, Heihei? She's always been a very active girl. Yesterday she seemed ok but not her usual active self. Today she's very lethargic, just resting on the ground while the others are free ranging. It's been very hot and two days ago the hens ran out...
Thanks so much for the replies. It definitely is wonderful to have someone who likes them so much.
We have 10 hens, so it sounds like a cup or two a day would be ideal, though I usually see her feeding them in the afternoon or evening so you're right that they should be getting enough of their...
We have a new neighbor who thankfully loves our chickens. We're in a residential area, small backyard with ten hens (the limit). She comes over daily to see how they're doing which I don't mind at all.
However she always brings them treats and scraps. She initially asked about feeding them...
Thanks for the response! I don't have anything smaller unfortunately.
Of all the hens, the broody one is the only one that doesn't have signs of trauma on her neck. I suspect she's been chasing the others off the nest by pecking their necks, so she may be just fine if I have to isolate her.
On...
We have a hen that's been broody for 2-3 weeks now. We were out of town for a week and when we returned she had taken over the nest, chasing away other the other hens (we have 10 total). For the past two weeks we've kicked her out of the coop during the day. She began sitting on the nest at...