I only have two chickens. Have had them about three weeks now. They're about five months old. Seem perfectly healthy and content. Should start to lay soon as their combs and wattles are getting a bit bigger and definitely redder.
They do a fair amount of feather preening and they lose about three or four feathers every day. They are the best of friends and are always together.
They eat and drink well; poops seem soft formed and not loose or smelly.
I mist them twice a week or so with "Poultry Protector", lifting their wings and their tails to get the mist onto their skin as best I can. Lots of food-grade DE sprinkled with sand into the deep-litter pine shavings in the coop and all over the run.
There's a local vet office that calls itself an Animal Hospital and Bird Clinic, so I'm thinking of calling him and asking him if he's experienced with chickens at all.
If he is, I'd like to bring HennyPenny and ChickenLittle to the vet for a "well-baby" checkup. Just to make sure that there are no mites or lice itching them. And maybe a blood test to make sure that they are free of any blood-detectable problems.
Seems like a good idea to establish that the two girls are healthy to start with.
Has anyone else done this?
They do a fair amount of feather preening and they lose about three or four feathers every day. They are the best of friends and are always together.
They eat and drink well; poops seem soft formed and not loose or smelly.
I mist them twice a week or so with "Poultry Protector", lifting their wings and their tails to get the mist onto their skin as best I can. Lots of food-grade DE sprinkled with sand into the deep-litter pine shavings in the coop and all over the run.
There's a local vet office that calls itself an Animal Hospital and Bird Clinic, so I'm thinking of calling him and asking him if he's experienced with chickens at all.
If he is, I'd like to bring HennyPenny and ChickenLittle to the vet for a "well-baby" checkup. Just to make sure that there are no mites or lice itching them. And maybe a blood test to make sure that they are free of any blood-detectable problems.
Seems like a good idea to establish that the two girls are healthy to start with.
Has anyone else done this?