22 week old speckled sussex sitting a lot

[htjosten]

Hey All.

Hope you can shed some light on what is going on. We have been looking back at other posts to see if we could find some info but didnt. We are newbies to keeping chickens!

Our Speckled Sussex has not been as active for the past five days. She is still eating and drinking, walking and can get up to the roost. But she is spending a lot of time sitting down. She hasn't started laying yet. When she was a chic her legs seemed weak and once she got bigger we noticed she is lopsided or leaning to the side. Maybe wry tail? I just wonder why she is spending so much time sitting?

 

[CapricornFarm]

Were your chicks vaccinated for Merek's?

 

[htjosten]

I don't think so ?

 

[htjosten]

yes. I just called the place I got them from and they said they were vaccinated.

It is weird. She gets up runs around, eats and everything but just ends up sitting a lot more than normal. And she keeps going to the nesting boxes but she hasn't layed yet.

 

[CapricornFarm]

How old is she, maybe she us getting ready to lay. Is her appetite good, what is she eating?

 

[htjosten]

she should be ready to lay anytime now, she is 22 weeks old. Do some hens start sitting around just before they first start laying? Our two red stars didn't do this before they started laying.

 

[clickncluck]

I don't know much because I'm new to this, but I have 2 speckled sussex chickens about 27 weeks old. One started laying at 20 weeks and the other at 24 weeks. Neither exhibited this behavior. Good luck. I hope she is all right