My current flock is 1 Australorp and 4 Production Reds, all are nearly 1 year old. They have plenty of room, I think -- about 9 square feet each inside and about 24 square feet outside, and they get to free range some. They have always gotten along fine. Typically no fighting at all. They had some little squabbles when they got big enough to have a pecking order. They had to re-establish a pecking order when 3 birds got killed by coyotes over a period of about 2 weeks.
For a long time, the top of the pecking order hen has always been the Australorp. She is not mean to the others, but she is the leader. She comes out of the coop first in the morning, and she eats first. She also seems to be more aware and smarter than the others, plus she is bigger.
This last week, I noticed a few feathers missing from right behind her comb. She also had a little bit of white poop near her vent. Today, one of the chickens laid a tiny egg, even smaller than any eggs when they first started to lay. The egg had a tiny, mal-formed yolk. Usually, the Australorp lays a darker egg than the others. This egg was darker than the rest, so I think it was the Australorp.
Today, I saw the Australorp fighting with one of the Reds, and at one point two reds were ganging up on her.
Other than the stuff metioned above, the Australorp seems fine. She is eating. Her complexion is good. Her comb is red. She is active. She was fighting back pretty good. In fact, the fights were going on so long that I intervened. I don't think that this is a mite issue, as I did not see other symptoms, and they have not been terribly interested in dust bathing when giving the chance.
Any ideas what is going on here? Are there any diseases that could be at play? If so, how do I tell and what do I do about it?
Thanks,
Neil
For a long time, the top of the pecking order hen has always been the Australorp. She is not mean to the others, but she is the leader. She comes out of the coop first in the morning, and she eats first. She also seems to be more aware and smarter than the others, plus she is bigger.
This last week, I noticed a few feathers missing from right behind her comb. She also had a little bit of white poop near her vent. Today, one of the chickens laid a tiny egg, even smaller than any eggs when they first started to lay. The egg had a tiny, mal-formed yolk. Usually, the Australorp lays a darker egg than the others. This egg was darker than the rest, so I think it was the Australorp.
Today, I saw the Australorp fighting with one of the Reds, and at one point two reds were ganging up on her.
Other than the stuff metioned above, the Australorp seems fine. She is eating. Her complexion is good. Her comb is red. She is active. She was fighting back pretty good. In fact, the fights were going on so long that I intervened. I don't think that this is a mite issue, as I did not see other symptoms, and they have not been terribly interested in dust bathing when giving the chance.
Any ideas what is going on here? Are there any diseases that could be at play? If so, how do I tell and what do I do about it?
Thanks,
Neil
