Chicken losing feathers, has wounds. Blood on eggs. Eggs with thin shells.

DragonClaw01

Chirping
6 Years
Sep 25, 2013
205
5
96
I've got three problems as of now and it's a little unnerving.

For the first, I got a hen at a flea market named New, she looked a little ratty, but I felt sad for her and bought her. I thought with some TLC she might grow feathers back and look normal, but if anything she's been being picked on here too and losing feathers and looking bad. She has some scabby lesion like wounds on her side and sometimes there is pus leaking from them. The wounds seem a little better, but she doesn't look good, though she lays well and decent sized egg. She's a tan color and her tail feathers had black tips. Her feathers are also kinda frayed all over and not consistent with the feather "Quality" of my other chickens who are doing rather well mostly. I put her in a pen with my duck with 1 working leg and some a chicken that we found on the road (Culled from a farm nearby and tossed to die), should I give her something to help grow back feathers and heal or extra rations or what? I cannot allow a buffet because the dogs will shoo the chickens away and eat it all. I'll post some pictures tomorrow.

Next, my small red pyle old english game bantam (At least I think she's that)Off White, some pictures here https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/907619/ive-got-a-few-unsure-breeds here of them (New is not included).
Since Off White is the only bantam laying and I see her int he box, it's her egg, but the egg is like 1/3-1/4 covered in blood. I read that chickens that started laying after a hiatus of laying or chickens laying larger eggs may have this happen? If the egg is bound for a little, would that cause it too? She's been laying more than a month now, it is something I need to worry about?

Last, I came home today and picked up an egg and it practically crumpled in my hand and looked like it was crushed a little when laid. If I set out a bin of calcium, would they eat it when their body tells them they need it by themselves or do I need to add it to food?
With this, could it be something other than a lack of calcium?
 
First off, for new have you anything on her wounds? and she is separated from the flock? Second, for calcium, i usually mix it in with the grain and they seem to have pretty goods eggs and I've found they prefer it that way. and how many days have you noticed the blood on off white's eggs? how old is she?
 
Hi.

So sorry for the problems. I can provide my experience to problem #3 - crumbly shells. My girls had this problem when I first started with chickens a few years ago, the shells broke easily. The kind folks on this website turned me on to oyster shell I get from tractor supply. I mix a little bit in with their food and also will put a small pile every few days in the corner of their coop that they peck at. The shells are nice and hard, too. I've read on here that some folks grind up egg shells and feed it back to their girls as a remedy, but I don't know how that works so stick with the oyster shell from Tractor Supply.

best of luck
susan
 
I was going to Tractor Supply tomorrow for oyster shell,actually. The dogs tore apart the last bag.

I'm not quite sure what you mean? Did I treat them? Not yet,as I thought she would get better, but she hasn't really, so now I'm wondering what the best choice of action is. Today is the first day I've seen it and she's a little less than a year or just around a year. All the chickens took their time to start laying (Or at least that I know, but the dogs always got the eggs first before we elevated the egg box).
 
well, id recommend cleaning the wounds on new with hydrogen peroxide then putting zinc oxide ointment on it. I've had the same problem with a hen being picked and thats what i did and the wounds healed. another thing to consider and i now its going to sound crazy, is a chicken apron! I've got one on a hen right now and it keeps the others from pecking her. some hens don't like those though, so don't know how new will react. with off white's eggs, i would recommend waiting a few days to see if it continues. if it don't, id say theres nothing to worry about, but if it continues id start to really look into it.
 

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