Help! Did I Buy Dud Hens??

[SigningChickens]

Sorry everyone. My phone is struggling to upload. Sorry for any duplicates.

 

[SigningChickens]

Is it a 12x12 stall?

Yes. It is temporary. I will turn the hens out tomorrow but leave the keets in.

 

[folly foot]

Though I'm new at this too I've been told by a friend who has had chickens all their lives to check their legs and feet. If they are smooth and don't seem rough they tend to be younger hens, the rougher the legs and more scaley they look the older the hens are. They could be just reaching maturity meaning they likely won't be laying yet, even the stress of the move could affect them laying

 

[SigningChickens]

Just to add, one is missing a toe on each foot. Not sure why. My husband was worried they may have been used for fighting.

 

[tmarsh83]

That seems like a lot of bread for a couple hens. I'm wondering if their diet isn't part of the equation. Too many treats. Not a balanced enough diet.

 

[folly foot]

A few of our hens have that too but, though I don't know much about chicken fights they way you describe them they seem like pretty good natured girls. One of the girls we have who is missing a toe had an incedent in the enclosure (open fenced in area) we had them in before introducing them to the flock, she tried to fly up and ended up getting tangled in the fence and lost it. Who knows? I suggest giving them some more time to get comfortable in the place

 

[folly foot]

And a suggestion thinking on what tmarsh83 is saying it could partially be their diet. Try instead of all the fancy chicken treats and bread try scratch grain and other laying poultry food. I also find that the occasion fresh soy beans (after being boiled for ten minutes or more) provide lots or protein if they don't have access to bugs and other things. Peas, soybeans, and corn tend to be favorites

 

[tmarsh83]

Toes could be something like frostbite. I have a leghorn that injured a toe during the coldest spell we had last year, and trying to keep it clean and bandaged was a nightmare. She ended up with frostbite and lost all but the back toe on her left leg. Doesn't slow her down tho.

 

[rebrascora]

All 3 look like hens (over a year old) rather than pullets to me so they may be just about to moult, the third one looks to be missing tail feathers and there are feathers in the cage, so may have started moulting already. If so, you may not get any eggs from them for several more weeks/months.
Feeding them that much bread will not help. Bread is much lower in protein than layer pellets.... they need higher protein, particularly when they are moulting or producing eggs. Layer feed is usually 16%protein, anything else you feed them lowers the % of protein they get in a day, unless it is meat, fish, eggs or insects. Half a slice of bread each once or twice a week might be ok if they are getting bugs or higher protein treats as well. Unfortunately, like us they often prefer the things that are less good for them and will eat bread and scratch before their layer pellets. To keep them healthy and productive, you need to regulate their diet.

Hopefully, once they are back in production they will lay you lots of lovely eggs but it may be a while yet before they reach that point although the second and third birds do at least have redder combs..

The barred bird looks like she might have scaley leg mites....the photo is not good, but that foot looks thick and knobbly.

 

[aart]

That seems like a lot of bread for a couple hens. I'm wondering if their diet isn't part of the equation. Too many treats. Not a balanced enough diet.

Absolutely.

Most layer feed is pretty low in protein(~16%) adding all that other stuff is diluting the minimal protein in the feed.
Stop all treats, unless high protein treats....might not get you egg right now, but will be good for birds in the long run.



I like to feed a flock raiser/grower/finisher 20% protein crumble full time to all ages and genders, as non-layers(chicks, males and molting birds) do not need the extra calcium that is in layer feed and chicks and molters can use the extra protein. Makes life much simpler to store and distribute one type of chow that everyone can eat. I do grind up the crumbles (in the blender) for the chicks for the first week or so.

The higher protein crumble also offsets the 8% protein scratch grains and other kitchen/garden scraps I like to offer. I adjust the amounts of other feeds to get the protein levels desired with varying situations.

Calcium should be available at all times for the layers, I use oyster shell mixed with rinsed, dried, crushed chicken egg shells in a separate container.

Animal protein (mealworms, a little cheese - beware the salt content, meat scraps) is provided during molting and if I see any feather eating.