Last night when I got home from work the Roo was going NUTS! Litterally crowing like crazy and it was dark! I thought, what in the world...
I was headed out with some lettuce and to collect eggs. As I approached the coop, (our house perimeter lights were on so I could see) the Roo and the girls were outside already... I noticed one of my lovely Polish was what appeared to be laying on the ground and not moving. I called her name and nothing. Oh, no! So I went in the run and sure enough, she was dead.
I have no idea what it could have been. She was only 9 months old, and never showed any signs of sickness. This morning I went out to check on them and one of my RIR's was jsut sitting in the doorway of a nesting box all puffed up. Before I approached her, I looked around the coop and saw a few bright red spots on the bedding. Then I picked her up, she didn't even protest, (those girls don't like being touched), and her left foot was covered in a bloody looking poo. So... what in the wolrd could it be... I have her isolated now and we're going to treat for Coccidiosis. I've never wormed the girls so maybe that's my problem.
So my question is.... A while ago someone on here said to feed higher protein in the winter to help with egg production. But they also said to mix something with something (obviously I don't remember.) I thought ok, so last time I bought feed I bought the 22% grower feed.
Was that bad???? I also thought maybe that's bad so the last few days I've been giving the egg shells mixed in with a mush to give them more calcium. Again, if they aren't crushed up really fine will that hurt them???
Oh, and I've been using the water from inside the house and we recently restarted our water softner... would that hurt them to have the salt in the water??
(I feel so dumb.
)
I was headed out with some lettuce and to collect eggs. As I approached the coop, (our house perimeter lights were on so I could see) the Roo and the girls were outside already... I noticed one of my lovely Polish was what appeared to be laying on the ground and not moving. I called her name and nothing. Oh, no! So I went in the run and sure enough, she was dead.
I have no idea what it could have been. She was only 9 months old, and never showed any signs of sickness. This morning I went out to check on them and one of my RIR's was jsut sitting in the doorway of a nesting box all puffed up. Before I approached her, I looked around the coop and saw a few bright red spots on the bedding. Then I picked her up, she didn't even protest, (those girls don't like being touched), and her left foot was covered in a bloody looking poo. So... what in the wolrd could it be... I have her isolated now and we're going to treat for Coccidiosis. I've never wormed the girls so maybe that's my problem.
So my question is.... A while ago someone on here said to feed higher protein in the winter to help with egg production. But they also said to mix something with something (obviously I don't remember.) I thought ok, so last time I bought feed I bought the 22% grower feed.
Oh, and I've been using the water from inside the house and we recently restarted our water softner... would that hurt them to have the salt in the water??
(I feel so dumb.
