Hello! I am brand new to writing but have been reading this site faithfully for the last 3 months on advice for my brand new flock. I have 8 little hens who just turned 12 weeks and 3 guinea fouls that are 7 weeks all in the same coop. They are all still on the starter food. 4 weeks ago my husband was driving and found the below hen under a tree. He was able to catch her and she rode home on his lap. The below pics are what she looked like when he brought her home. We were told it was probably a dog attack but no one was looking for her and now she is a wonderful part of our flock. If anyone could tell me whst breed she is I would appreciate it. Well she gave us our very first egg ever on Tuesday of this week. I have read on this site how exciting it is but I had no idea until I found it. It made my day. My question is , all my flock is on starter. Is it too early to introduce layer feed for my one hen that is laying eggs or will it hurt her if she doesnt get the layer feed? Also will the layer feed hurt my youmg guineas ? I was going to slowly start mixing it with my starter but was scared. Thank you for your help.
Welcome to BYC! Glad you decided to join our flock. The hen in your picture is a Black Australorp. They are my favorite standard breed; very hardy, calm and gentle, and the best layers of the standard, brown egg laying breeds. If your hens are twelve weeks old, they should be off of starter feed, and onto grower feed until their 18th week. When they reach their 18th week, switch them to layer feed. There is a good article on feeding chickens at different ages at http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2012/11/feeding-chickens-at-different-ages.html. Please feel free to ask any other questions that you may have. We are here to help in any way we can. Good luck with your flock.
Hi and welcome to BYC from northern Michigan You will need to wait for layer feed until your young birds are grown. Offer some oyster shell grit on the side to provide calcium for the hen. The feather damage appears to be typical of a hen that has been housed with a rooster - she also needs to molt to replace her worn-out feathers. If you add birds to your flock in the future, especially those from unknown or questionable sources, keep them strictly isolated from your birds for at least 3 weeks, to ensure they are not harboring parasites or infections that may endanger your flock.
Hello there and welcome to BYC! X2 That looks like damage from a rooster. I would keep her separate for a few weeks, not only for a quarantine period against disease, but to allow these feathers to re grow. Other birds are going to want to pick at the growing feathers. In a few weeks if the bird is not showing any signs of illness, you can mix her into the flock. Mixed age flocks require either a flock raiser type feed or starter feed with oyster shell on the side. As for your Guineas, I think they require a higher protein feed than chickens do. So you might post this in our Guinea section and talk to the Guinea experts as to whether you should be keeping them housed with the chickens...https://www.backyardchickens.com/f/45/guinea-fowl Enjoy your flock and welcome to ours!
Thank you everyone so much for your help. The oyster shell on the side is a great idea. I was worried about not giving her what she needed for egg laying when everyone else is so much younger than her. I will post the rest of my question on the guinea site. Thank you again.
Hello and Welcome To BYC! How nice of you to rescue the hen, bet she likes her new home, good luck with your flock.
Thank you. She has been so much fun. I couldn't imagine my flock without her now. Her feathers are also coming back and she is looking so healthy. Feel lucky that she let my husband catch her and she is in our life.
Welcome to BYC! Please make yourself at home and we are here to help. You've gotten great advice above.
Maybe she ran away from home to escape an aggressive rooster (evidenced by her bald back). This also means if you save her eggs she may produce fertile ones that could be hatched. That might be your thank you gift.