Chicken recovering from respiratory issues now losing feathers ...

[threehorses]

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OH ok, good then - that's NOT the Marek's grey eye - that's the typical greying of the surface of the eye after injury, which takes a while to repair but can repair actually sometimes. But that takes a while. Another good reason for vitamin A supplementation as that's the target vitamin for respiratory and ocular health.

On your layers, what are they eating again now? Are they all cherried out in their combs?

I don't know why the molt, but if she has pinfeathers as replacements, then that's her replacement. I've seen a lot of new feathers and replacements on our birds about the same age. Not a true molt - but sort of a time where they get adult feathers.

 

[flymamma]

Quote:
OH ok, good then - that's NOT the Marek's grey eye - that's the typical greying of the surface of the eye after injury, which takes a while to repair but can repair actually sometimes. But that takes a while. Another good reason for vitamin A supplementation as that's the target vitamin for respiratory and ocular health.

On your layers, what are they eating again now? Are they all cherried out in their combs?

I don't know why the molt, but if she has pinfeathers as replacements, then that's her replacement. I've seen a lot of new feathers and replacements on our birds about the same age. Not a true molt - but sort of a time where they get adult feathers.

The LAYER not layer's .. I only have 1 red sex link who is laying [ she just started 6 days ago] they are finishing off a bag of start /grower[ I have about 1/4 of the bag left ] with oyster shells available then I will switch to layena .. Here is my list of girls .
Big red , Red sex link .. laying age unknown [ I got her as a well start .. all chickens from the same poultry farm]
Pepper , Black sex link 21 weeks , Very red comb and waddle and just started squating and showing interest in nest
Reba , Red sex link again unknown age , I got her wil Big red .. her comb and waddle are redder than Big red's
Paprika , my one eyed pirate chicken , despite her sickness her comb and waddle have grown and gotten redder
Margelo 1, RIR 22 wks VERY RED very big comb that has just appeared in the last few wks
Margelo2, another well start mystery chicken ... her vent looks like it is opening and getting ready to lay also very red comb and waddle+she does the squat
Rhoda , 19 wk RIR just starting to get her comb and waddle
Cinna-mini , 24 wks , RIR .. she was raised in a flock of 1000 birds till 20 wks so she is small and really likes to eat !Her comb and waddle are JUST starting to develope .
Salt , unknown age ... Red Leg hybrid . She is as big as my biggest RIR comb and wadle are still coming in and still pink
Sid , 22 wks , another Red leg same size as Salt .. and same comb and waddle
Dee dee , 22wk , Delaware Bright red comb and waddle , very vocal
Buffy , I have no Idea how old she is , I got her for free as a well start . They thought maybe she was not getting enough food or she was a runt . She has not grown a speck since May, her legs are tiny like pencils , her beak seems almost too big for her face . She is starting to get red around her eyes like she is getting her comb . She is the most food aggressive of all of my chicks .But she is tiny , she fits in my hand she might wiegh a 20 oz's So maybe a Bantam ? The farm I got them all from said they never order bantams and would know if they got one ... but what other explanation is there ?

 

[threehorses]

How weird - that one sounds like a bantam. Do you have any pictures of her, maybe we could figure out what kind?

Ohhh boy it does sound like you're about to get egg blasted.

Silly me - I meant to ask if they were eating layer, not eating *again* like they hadn't eaten. /sigh long night. Your plan sounds good. And the layers are about to be layers.

Really that's the best time of having chickens. Unfortunately that's also when a lot of things happen, there even being some diseases that are unique to pullets coming into lay though it's more rare now than it was back in the older days for various reasons. Still it's a time when their body is changing rapidly, their calcium usage changes (and thus so does everything else in their metabolism and body systems), and then there's the issue of passing an egg. Lots of stuff happening, and a time when immune systems therefor go down. It's a good time for all hens to have a good immune boost. Also a good time for weekly yogurt as that helps with calcium and vitamin D(important for calcium absorbtion) some as well as boosting their good bacteria in their gut. That's one time when I really prefer yogurt above all other probiotics - because of the calcium and D.

IN the mean time, interesting about this girl's eye. I'd love to hear if it ever clears up. I've seen this happen in birds but never really could get a good hands-on real life experience of how long it takes for them to clear.

 

[NotTheMomma]

For a few weeks BEFORE mine started laying, the coop looked like someone had a pillow fight in there! There were feathers everywhere. The entire coop floor was covered in feathers, however, not one chicken looked like they had lost feathers! They were all just as feathery as normal. I assumed it was a molt from their teenager feathers, into the adults one. I'm hoping that's what you're seeing as well.

It seems like you're doing all the right things with sick chicky. I'm sorry I don't have any other advice.

Oh, has it been seperated from the others this entire time? If so, could it be depressed? Do you feel the illness is contagious? Have any others shown any signs of the same illness?

As for the wee one, I'd love to see some pics! I had a black astralorp that I was thinking could be a bantam. It was the smallest thing, and didn't grow like the others. The feathers didn't come in like theirs either. In fact, it had no feathers on it's back for weeks. That was 4 months ago, and today, Mr. Roo

is looking fine and dandy and is just the most beautiful rooster. His feathers all came in, and are black, and shiny, and when the sun hits them, the most beautiful green shows up. He is gorgeous! So maybe you have a roo?

 

[flymamma]

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it does look like they are having a pillow fight and they all look shiny and healthy ... so probably the same thing . Just a juvenile molt of sort . They are big girls now !

My sick chick has been separated quite a bit since July , the only time she was not separated was when I started to see 2 other chicks start to sneeze and 1 started breathing funny .. I then medicated the whole flock . She did seem depressed so I put her back in with her friends . I know it is contagious , as I had at others come down with similar symptoms ... put medicated early enough that they show now signs now , unlike my one eyed Pirate chicken .

I am pretty sure that my wee one is a hen , and I only say that because when I got her I brought her home with 3 other chickens Big red and Reba [see list above] and a Barred rock who protected her from being pecked by the others ... she and the barred rock slept in the same nest box every night , funny to see too because the little one would stretch out and almost push this HUGE barred rock out of the box ... are you surprised to find out this barred rock was a ROO !? lol Well I was , and now little Buffy thinks she is a big tough girl . She is too funny , she is like a small yappy dog that thinks it is a doberman !

I am going to try to get pictures of her later , I would love to know what I have .

 

[flymamma]

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Sorry , Buffy my maybe bantam is a Buff Orpinton . Are there different types of bantams ? I will keep you posted on the eye , I would love to see her return to flock before winter . They tend to gang up pon her and they wont let her eat .

 

[Year of the Rooster]

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I dont have any roosters ... well I have not had any crow yet . I am 75% sure they are all girls . I have a Buff Orpington that is either a runt , OR a bantam . I got her as a well start in may .. she has not grown at all since then and now she getting red around the eyes like she is getting her comb and waddle . But that is a WHOLE other issue ..

Him being a rooster didn't make a difference in what I was saying. I was stating that maybe it's just that time of year for your bird to be molting.