Chickens

[SuperLuke]

What happens if my chickens get sick? What are the symptoms of a sick hen? Also, is there any other toys I can make my chickens?

 

[TwoCrows]

Welcome to BYC!

Chickens do get sick. Generally a chick or chicken should be lively and active. Most chicken are rarely standing still unless the are sleeping. They are moving, scratching, preening, eating, chasing bugs, etc...When your chickens get their combs in, they should always be red and bright. Pale combs can mean sick birds. The only time they can be pale and the bird is not sick is when they are molting or broody. The poop color and consistency can tell you a lot about the health of a bird. It should be solid and a nice white cap on the top. Occasionally chickens will have diarrhea from something they ate or from heat and stress. This is ok. The cecal poop really stinks, and they pass a few of these every day. But this is normal as well. A healthy chicken never refuses treats or food. They drink a lot of water and lay on a frequent basis.

As you grow with your birds and watch them, you will be able to tell if one of them is sick. Each bird has different personalities and energy levels. So learn who is who and how they are normally so that when "Lucy" is off that day, you can tell.

Here is is a page from our learning center on health issues and how to spot and treat them...

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/maintaining-a-healthy-flock

Here is another article on toys for chickens. Just remember that chickens are scared of everything new in their environment. So anything you make for them will take them time to get used to....

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/chicken-toys-why-they-are-important-and-how-you-can-provide-them

Enjoy all your poultry adventures and welcome to our flock!

 

[1muttsfan]

Hi and welcome to BYC from northern Michigan

 

[SuperLuke]

Yesterday my hen had yellow stuff come out of her. It looked like the yoke of a egg, and there was a small thing next to it that looked like a egg but shrunken. What does this mean?

 

[TwoCrows]

Sounds like she laid a shell less egg. Sometimes young birds will do this before they get their egg laying machines in gear. If this is an older hen, make sure she is eating her layer feed and you are not over doing the treats. Make sure your birds are on layer feed and that you are providing oyster shell on the side in a low tub or feeder. Go easy on the treats so they don't fill up on other things and are getting enough layer feed. If this is a young bird, all this is the same for her, but she will probably lay better as time goes on.

If she continues to have trouble you can post this question in our Egg Laying forums for more help....

https://www.backyardchickens.com/f/18/chicken-behaviors-and-egglaying

 

[SuperLuke]

She also lost feathers on her neck. What happened?

 

[gander007]

 

[chickie farmer]

TwoCrows x2. As for missing feathers, if you have a rooster, it could be pulling the feathers out during mating. maybe other hens are pulling them out. Did you check for mites? or they could possibly be molting too.