Hi there! I'm in the top of the south island of NZ on a smaller lifestyle section in the middle of a larger rural property (owned by dairy farmers), with a lovely spring day today! Need some help!
This is regarding a year and a half old brown shaver hen, who just this morning started acting strangely. We have a flock of four birds which are in a large run and get a few hours of free range activity a day, and a lot of leafy green vegetables from an organic garden (usually anything that has aphids, caterpillars, and other insects, along with the older leafy greens that we won't eat but are fine for chickens). We also consistently add apple cider vinegar to their water, and give a total scoop of about 2cups of layers pellets to them every morning. They also have access to oyster shells, and their coop and run are dirt with layered straw or lawn clippings and natural leaf litter. We have two nesting areas, one for laying during the day, and the other which gets locked up inside a secure coop overnight. The inside coop is lined with sand mixed with ash under the roost for easy cleanup and smells, and the nesting boxes in there are filled with straw, leaf litter from a gum tree, and untreated sawdust, but don't get used as much anymore due to the flock having previously been attacked by a ferret last year after it wasn't locked properly, and the outside nest boxes are straw lined with cardboard boxes, and a light dusting of ash around.
In order of the day: started with not eating pellets or greens when let out in the morning, instead straight to water and drank a lot. Next, sat on nest, and got off twice after I bothered her to check crop, and vent, first time off went straight for water then food, and second time off, just a little water then back to nest. Spent a good 3-4 hours on nest, and after 1 and a half hours I had gone back to check on her again, she'd gone broody minus the aggression (flattened out, and adjusting eggs under her). Didn't get out to check her again until around the four hour mark, and she'd come off the nest and was foraging with the others pretty normally, if a bit quieter than usual. After I'd been out with them for fifteen minutes, she'd suddenly stopped foraging and instead was standing around, puffed up and often with eyes half shut like she was napping. This continued on for a while, with her vaguely following the flock, but not really interacting with them as normal (she tends to be higher up in pecking order, and more pushy, but not getting any of that today). After around 20mins, she was back in the sheltered run while the others were off foraging, and she was sticking to under the trees and near the fence line while puffed up, and appearing to nap while standing. As of now, her behavior is almost normal, if a bit slower and less enthusiastic than her usual self, and she is pecking at some fresh silverbeet, and hanging around closer to the flock in following them.
I have not seen her poop as of yet (nor have I seen the other girls but haven't been watching them as closely), but the poop in their overnight coop is about the same as it usually is, and haven't seen any accidental poops in the nest box, nor does she have anything hanging around her vent.
I have picked her up a few times throughout the day to feel her crop and her abdomen to see if there's any impacting in either, but haven't felt anything out of the ordinary. She also doesn't have the tell tale waddle walk or random squatting, nor does her tail point down, although it doesn't seem as perky as usual.
So my train of thought for the day is basically, sour crop, egg bound, broody, egg bound, something else?
Does anyone have any advice or ideas for me?
Only other thing to note is there is a paddock next door to them that has recent been tilled, and today we have had trucks going back and forward on the neighbors property (opposite side of our property to the chickens) so a lot of dust around at the moment.
Pics included for reference, she's circled in red
Thinking of locking her up in an oversized cat carrier for the night with us to keep a closer eye on her.
This is regarding a year and a half old brown shaver hen, who just this morning started acting strangely. We have a flock of four birds which are in a large run and get a few hours of free range activity a day, and a lot of leafy green vegetables from an organic garden (usually anything that has aphids, caterpillars, and other insects, along with the older leafy greens that we won't eat but are fine for chickens). We also consistently add apple cider vinegar to their water, and give a total scoop of about 2cups of layers pellets to them every morning. They also have access to oyster shells, and their coop and run are dirt with layered straw or lawn clippings and natural leaf litter. We have two nesting areas, one for laying during the day, and the other which gets locked up inside a secure coop overnight. The inside coop is lined with sand mixed with ash under the roost for easy cleanup and smells, and the nesting boxes in there are filled with straw, leaf litter from a gum tree, and untreated sawdust, but don't get used as much anymore due to the flock having previously been attacked by a ferret last year after it wasn't locked properly, and the outside nest boxes are straw lined with cardboard boxes, and a light dusting of ash around.
In order of the day: started with not eating pellets or greens when let out in the morning, instead straight to water and drank a lot. Next, sat on nest, and got off twice after I bothered her to check crop, and vent, first time off went straight for water then food, and second time off, just a little water then back to nest. Spent a good 3-4 hours on nest, and after 1 and a half hours I had gone back to check on her again, she'd gone broody minus the aggression (flattened out, and adjusting eggs under her). Didn't get out to check her again until around the four hour mark, and she'd come off the nest and was foraging with the others pretty normally, if a bit quieter than usual. After I'd been out with them for fifteen minutes, she'd suddenly stopped foraging and instead was standing around, puffed up and often with eyes half shut like she was napping. This continued on for a while, with her vaguely following the flock, but not really interacting with them as normal (she tends to be higher up in pecking order, and more pushy, but not getting any of that today). After around 20mins, she was back in the sheltered run while the others were off foraging, and she was sticking to under the trees and near the fence line while puffed up, and appearing to nap while standing. As of now, her behavior is almost normal, if a bit slower and less enthusiastic than her usual self, and she is pecking at some fresh silverbeet, and hanging around closer to the flock in following them.
I have not seen her poop as of yet (nor have I seen the other girls but haven't been watching them as closely), but the poop in their overnight coop is about the same as it usually is, and haven't seen any accidental poops in the nest box, nor does she have anything hanging around her vent.
I have picked her up a few times throughout the day to feel her crop and her abdomen to see if there's any impacting in either, but haven't felt anything out of the ordinary. She also doesn't have the tell tale waddle walk or random squatting, nor does her tail point down, although it doesn't seem as perky as usual.
So my train of thought for the day is basically, sour crop, egg bound, broody, egg bound, something else?
Does anyone have any advice or ideas for me?
Only other thing to note is there is a paddock next door to them that has recent been tilled, and today we have had trucks going back and forward on the neighbors property (opposite side of our property to the chickens) so a lot of dust around at the moment.
Pics included for reference, she's circled in red
Thinking of locking her up in an oversized cat carrier for the night with us to keep a closer eye on her.
