Can someone help me please

[pecky longstocking]

Hello

I am brand new to keeping birds.Last Monday I acquired 4 seven month old brown hens from an elderly gentleman that had become too ill to care for them. I have been getting eggs, 9 in fact and I have not yet checked this morning, so all seems well except for 1 bird. She keeps on thrutching as we call it, that is behaving as if she is trying to lay an egg, if you look from behind you can see the vent opening at least I think so anyway. While she is doing this she seems to have laboured breathing in fact this is how she breaths all the time.Around her back end was all stuck together with poop so I washed what I could and cut out the worst with scissors, when I had done this within about an hour she had layed a paper thin egg which had broken as it was so weak. I have seen her eat and drink and scratch about etc but as for the state of her poop I am unsure although there is nothing untoward in the house. Could this be due to shock as on their first day they were briefly railed up and down their run by a dog. I am hoping that when I go down this morning they will all be fit as a fiddle but you know what its like when you get new lives in your lives

So thanks for any advice
Steve

 

[math ace]

If you are getting eggs, then they weren't too upset with the dog incident

The rest of your concerns will need to be addressed by somebody else.

 

[SummerChick]

Do you have crushed oyster shell out for the hens?

 

[The Chickens' Maid]

It sounds like she could use some calcium (oyster shell).

 

[pecky longstocking]

Well I have put out some oyster shell yesterday had three eggs, today 1 egg but it did freeze last night, She still looks unwell but a bit better.

 

[pecky longstocking]

Well it was back to three eggs yesterday so I can assume she is the one not laying,she is still exhibiting all the earlier mentioned symptoms, but as said before she does seem better I saw her preening herself for the first time yesterday, I am assuming this is a good sign right?. I have stopped going to the run expecting to find her dead anyway.

 

[RainbowBirds_of_a_Feather]

Quote:
Sometimes a hen will drop a paper thin egg. It usually means the egg passed quickly through the oviduct and had not been properly shelled. But after that she will lay well. I had hens lay those type of eggs when they are getting back into lay and during a move to a new facility/location. Keep the oyster shell in there and feed some greens. Monitor the hen and note how long it takes her to perk up. She should be fine by the 3rd days. Don't worry too much.

When you helped her by cleaning the poop from her cloaca, that made it easier for her to pass it through. Keep us posted on her progress. Are they tame enough to range a little?

 

[pecky longstocking]

Thanks Rainbow-birds

I think they will soon be tame enough to let them out. I had some fun with two of them this morning. The coop is a lidded garden tools box so it is easy to gain access for cleaning and egg collection etc.As is often the case they have been a bit heavy handed with their food and had knocked it over, so I went to refill it and left the lid open, schoolboy error methinks. I turned around and two of them had leapt out it must have taken me 20 mins to get them back. I wont be doing that again in a hurry.

 

[pecky longstocking]

Well just to let you guys know all seems to be well with my girls. Nervous Nora as she is now known is still doing the funny breathing like she cannot breathe through her nose (if chickens have noses) but she is not taking any B.S from the others anymore and for the last 3 days I have had an egg of each of them .
So a happy man am I.
Thanks to everyone that offered advice and support
Steve

 

[RainbowBirds_of_a_Feather]

Quote:
That is wonderful to hear!!