After a long quarantine, I recently added a young (3 mo) Sapphire Gem pullet to my small (14) flock. She seemed to integrate okay, roosting with the flock, just off on another perch. I've never seen her actively picked on and she never showed obvious wounds. She's pretty flighty, so getting hands on her in daylight is nearly impossible and handling her at night creates contagious panic in the coop. At last night's night-check, she let me pick her up without a fuss. I thought it was "progress" until I had a good feel of her. There's nothing to her! Apparently, the older birds were keeping her away from the food and water.
She didn't "look" sick at all and until last night, she had been quietly active, but I pulled her to see if she'd eat and drink normally. She gorged! The poor thing pecked at chick starter/grower for a half hour, nonstop except when I pulled her away to make sure she drank. I tried to keep her from her filling her crop with dry crumble then splitting or souring her crop with a lot of water.
She is currently in a separate pen with four Nankins roughly her age. So far, so good socially and they are sharing resources well. She pretty much just sits while the other youngsters go about their business. I'm about to take her a scrambled egg and dose her with electrolytes again. Any other recommendations?
She didn't "look" sick at all and until last night, she had been quietly active, but I pulled her to see if she'd eat and drink normally. She gorged! The poor thing pecked at chick starter/grower for a half hour, nonstop except when I pulled her away to make sure she drank. I tried to keep her from her filling her crop with dry crumble then splitting or souring her crop with a lot of water.
She is currently in a separate pen with four Nankins roughly her age. So far, so good socially and they are sharing resources well. She pretty much just sits while the other youngsters go about their business. I'm about to take her a scrambled egg and dose her with electrolytes again. Any other recommendations?
