I know this happens to the best of us even myself after keeping chickens for 30 some odd years it's happened to me here and there and I'm embarrassed to say it's happened to me today.
. I think I bought 2 spent hens!!!!! I don't know how I feel about this or what to do hopefully you guys can help me NOT feel like an idiot , here is the backstory. The week covid broke out mid-march there was an ad on Craigslist someone selling Easter Eggers $20 each they said they were about a year-and-a-half to two years old and still laying well. 
I messaged the person and they said they didn't want to do anything yet because of this covid-19 and they didn't want people around which is understandable. Fast forward 3 months I got a random text from the person saying they're selling their chickens again and if I'd still be interested in getting the couple of Easter Eggers, and I said oh my goodness I can't believe he remembered and sure why not.. they said okay $60 for the pair !!!!!!! and I sent back a screenshot of the original Craigslist post that I thankfully took and not deleted at the time advertising them for $20 each hahaha so thankfully the person honored it.... I got to the house today and the guy is outside throwing scratch grains on the ground so the chickens he had would come running up and I would be able to pick the ones I wanted, I should have known right there and then and walked away!!!!!!!
6 out of 8 of his chickens looked like they were 100 years old going through molt no back feathers no tail feathers I even asked if he had a rooster he said no... I mean they looked terrible, pitiful there werent even pin feathers growing!!!!there were some barred rocks mixed in and their Combs were complete pale pink and the Easter Egger Combs I couldn't really see but they all looked horrible!!!! and I looked at him and asked if they were still laying and he said yeah I started panicking and out of the corner of my eye I saw an Easter Egger and a Rhode Island red fully feathered with bright red Combs on the kther side if the property...and I askes if they were for sale also (which seems.like a dumb question, but the diff. Was so drastic) and he said yes and I said I'll take them real fast because they looked night and day from the ones. I threw them in the box got in the car and was trying to shake off the horrible experience, I got home as I'm putting them in quarantine I'm checking over for lice just in case that's why all the other ones lost their feathers. I was checking the vents which looked fine but when I measure their hip bones I could barely fit three fingers... and the Keel was about three fingers both were the same and what struck me was they were eating like there was no tomorrow, he told me he only feeds them cracked corn and scratch grains he doesn't have them on layer feed and was getting rid of them because he was moving. I'm praying I'm praying that they improve with real quality food and possibly give me a couple eggs a week..... so that's the whole sordid story!
Thank you to anyone who is reading this or could give me any advice or comforting words LOL oh, and I hope everyone is doing very well through this whole ordeal and everyone's animals are doing very well.
Aldo
. I think I bought 2 spent hens!!!!! I don't know how I feel about this or what to do hopefully you guys can help me NOT feel like an idiot , here is the backstory. The week covid broke out mid-march there was an ad on Craigslist someone selling Easter Eggers $20 each they said they were about a year-and-a-half to two years old and still laying well. I messaged the person and they said they didn't want to do anything yet because of this covid-19 and they didn't want people around which is understandable. Fast forward 3 months I got a random text from the person saying they're selling their chickens again and if I'd still be interested in getting the couple of Easter Eggers, and I said oh my goodness I can't believe he remembered and sure why not.. they said okay $60 for the pair !!!!!!! and I sent back a screenshot of the original Craigslist post that I thankfully took and not deleted at the time advertising them for $20 each hahaha so thankfully the person honored it.... I got to the house today and the guy is outside throwing scratch grains on the ground so the chickens he had would come running up and I would be able to pick the ones I wanted, I should have known right there and then and walked away!!!!!!! 6 out of 8 of his chickens looked like they were 100 years old going through molt no back feathers no tail feathers I even asked if he had a rooster he said no... I mean they looked terrible, pitiful there werent even pin feathers growing!!!!there were some barred rocks mixed in and their Combs were complete pale pink and the Easter Egger Combs I couldn't really see but they all looked horrible!!!! and I looked at him and asked if they were still laying and he said yeah I started panicking and out of the corner of my eye I saw an Easter Egger and a Rhode Island red fully feathered with bright red Combs on the kther side if the property...and I askes if they were for sale also (which seems.like a dumb question, but the diff. Was so drastic) and he said yes and I said I'll take them real fast because they looked night and day from the ones. I threw them in the box got in the car and was trying to shake off the horrible experience, I got home as I'm putting them in quarantine I'm checking over for lice just in case that's why all the other ones lost their feathers. I was checking the vents which looked fine but when I measure their hip bones I could barely fit three fingers... and the Keel was about three fingers both were the same and what struck me was they were eating like there was no tomorrow, he told me he only feeds them cracked corn and scratch grains he doesn't have them on layer feed and was getting rid of them because he was moving. I'm praying I'm praying that they improve with real quality food and possibly give me a couple eggs a week..... so that's the whole sordid story!Thank you to anyone who is reading this or could give me any advice or comforting words LOL oh, and I hope everyone is doing very well through this whole ordeal and everyone's animals are doing very well.
Aldo
