Clipped tails??

[Eggcessive]

Sorry folks...I misread tails for nails, LOL. Again pictures may help. Tail feathers fall out during a molt and grow back quickly.

 

[rayk47]

Hi there and welcome to BYC!

I've never seen a chicken with a clipped tail. Though I have trimmed bumm feathers that were mucky.

But feathers can break and might not grow back until molt. It could even be molting time, perhaps.

They could also be having parasite issues.

How many chickens did you get? Are you able to post photos using that little button that looks like a mountain and sun in the edit bar? Do you have any ideal how old the birds are?

Do the eyes look clear or have bubbles? How does the breathing sound? What color is the skin under their tail area on their belly? Have you seen their droppings yet? Do you low the gender of the chickens? What are you planning to feed them? Are you located in the US?

Adding your general location to your profile can help folks make their best suggestion possible at a glance.. as it can give clues to the type of resources which may or may not be available to you.

Hope they start to improve quickly, and I don't see why they wouldn't under your new found care!

here’s the chickens just how I got them, you can sort of see where their tail is cut in the second photo. It’s just these two hens, both Rhode Island reds. They seem pretty regular compared to my other chicken and ones I’ve had in the past, no weird breathing or eyes or anything. They’re a bit people shy, but that’s pretty normal in my experience. We plan to feed them a pretty standard pellet feed (I don’t know the name of it) as well things like tuna and veggies for extra treats and protein. I am in the US, in the PNW area!
despite the tail thing and them being on the thinner side, they’re acting pretty normal and do not seem sick or in pain.

 

[coach723]

Can't see the tails well enough in the pictures to tell. If they came from a badly kept previous home then it could be feather picking. If they were over crowded or not fed well, it happens. I would quarantine to make as sure as you can that no other health issues pop up and give them some time. The feathers should eventually grow back.

 

[rayk47]

Can't see the tails well enough in the pictures to tell. If they came from a badly kept previous home then it could be feather picking. If they were over crowded or not fed well, it happens. I would quarantine to make as sure as you can that no other health issues pop up and give them some time. The feathers should eventually grow back.

that would make sense, the Craigslist listing mentioned that they had too many and judging by their size in comparison to my hen they weren’t eating a ton

 

[EggSighted4Life]

here’s the chickens just how I got them, you can sort of see where their tail is cut in the second photo. It’s just these two hens, both Rhode Island reds. They seem pretty regular compared to my other chicken

Pretty young looking actually, maybe pullets.. have you gotten eggs yet?

The rest of the feathers look in fairly decent condition, pointing away from parasites and again at age.

I do see some pin or broken feather action.. hard to tell which. But I would not worry too much about them. I had forgotten about crowding,, but it definitely impacts these things.

If they are pullet and not hens they SHOULD be smaller comparatively. Consider getting a weight and monitoring it.

Maybe a fecal float to check internal parasite load.. or treat with a broad spectrum dewormer if that seems like a better choice for you.

Reds (dual purpose birds).. get higher protein/amino acids here than most standard "layer" feeds offer.. to it, a grower or flock raiser with oyster shell free on the side *might* be a good choice. (preferred, not required)

Sorry folks...I misread tails for nails, LOL. Again pictures may help. Tail feathers fall out during a molt and grow back quickly.

I thought maybe you're right, auto correct does all sorts of funny things. Plus my fingers sometimes seem to have a mind of their own.

 

[NatJ]

here’s the chickens just how I got them, you can sort of see where their tail is cut in the second photo.

I can't be positive, but it looks to me like other chickens probably picked at the tail feathers until they either broke off or were pulled out, rather than a person deliberately cutting the feathers short. (From your original description, I thought someone had taken scissors and cut the ends off the tail feathers.)

If the feathers were pulled out, then new ones should grow soon.
If the feathers broke off, then the short pieces that are left will stay until the next time the chickens molt, and then new ones will grow.