Help! I think my chicken might be sick!

[Dinos_rock]

Thanks for the help. Yes, I forgot to add that I am ordering four more chicks from mypetchicken.com. Her cage used to be big, but she kinda grew out of it. Her new coop should be finished soon, hopefully. I will go get some layer food as soon as I can. Thank you so much for the help.

 

[Dinos_rock]

My mom can't take me to the feed store until tomorrow. Should I continue to feed her the scratch? I have some chick starter, but I don't know if that would be any better for her than scratch.

I saw some of her poop and it doesn't look normal anymore. It looked like a black/dark brownish raisin at first, but then I realized that it was poop.

 

[Dinos_rock]

?

 

[mmajw]

You could do chick starter for tonight and get feed tomorrow.

 

[SpottedCrow]

Chickens can have all sorts of ploops that can be normal...
Obelisk today had one that was clear with chunks. Green/Grey with a white cap is normal. Splort, the stinky gross liquid one, that looks like melted chocolate, is perfectly normal.
You may get orange if they eat Chef Boyardee.
Licorice makes things an odd green.

Even if you can go to the pharmacy and get a bottle of PolyViSol, that can't hurt...

Pictures would definitely help with the spots and things.

 

[mandomama]

If her crop is impacted, maybe scrambled eggs with olive oil might help to smooth things along.

 

[Dinos_rock]

Ok, I finally got pics.

Here is a pic of her crop. The white circle is where it is hard. I fed her some scrambled eggs with olive oil yesterday, but I don't notice any change. I think she had this too a while ago when she was younger, but it went away on its own.


Here is a pic of the odd black spot on her leg.


Here is a pic of her red bump. She has more on her other leg too, but I didn't get a pic of those. She has about 2-5 of those red bumps.


Here is a pic of her house. I know, I know,...it is really small, but her new coop should be finished soon.

Here is a pic of her poop that looks like a raisin. There are several more like this. I don't know, maybe it is normal.


Please, don't think of me as a bad chicken owner. I am trying to do the best I can do. Her new coop will be finished soon and I am getting her layer food today or tomorrow. I have considered giving her back to my dad for a while until I can get her new housing and food, but I don't think it will be that much better at my dad's house because he is having a problem with his chickens cannabalizing each other and he feeds scratch too (I am going to tell him to change though. Can roosters eat layer feed?). Anyway, so please don't think poorly of me. I am trying to do what is in the chicken's best interest. That is why I am asking you guys for help.

 

[jjthink]

There is some evidence that layer food provides too much calcium for roos and can result in serious problems. Roos can be fed a game bird maintenance feed. Apparently so can hens for that matter, as long as free choice calcium (I use oyster shell) is available 24/7 for the hens to get the extra calcium they need. They will know how much they need.

I have layer feed for my hen and game bird maintenance for my roo. I think my feed store just got Layena in 25 pound bags for the first time (had always been 50 pound bags - a lot of waste with only one hen!). The hen and roo figure out which to choose - both are available free choice. They also get Avia Charge 2000 in their water to help close any nutritional gaps. Plus a myriad of other things in moderation - black oil sunflower seed daily, and small cut up pieces of fresh fruits and veggies. Plus free range bugs and plants.
JJ

Edited to add - Megan, I could be really wrong about this but her nails seem very long, like they might possibly be uncomfortable when walking. I guess chickens out and about on the ground exploring kind of naturally get their nails filed. Since you note she hasn't gotten out of cage much, maybe hers don't get that natural trimming. A pedicure might make her more comfy. I could totally be wrong, but that's just how the pic looks to me.....

 

[Dinos_rock]

Ok, thanks. So if you have layer feed in one feeder and game bird maintenance feed in another feeder and a bowl of oyster shells in there, the roo and the hen will automatically know which one to eat?

Also, do you know what could be wrong with my chicken?

Thanks again.

 

[silkiechicken]

Legs don't really look that bad... could be bug bites or a bruise for the black spot.. or just leg pigmentation. Her nails look like they are long though, so maybe a cat litter dish with dirt in it for her will help her wear them down.

As for a hard crop..is she drinking enough? Fruits may help a bit to get her to get moisture though her.

Compared to the way many chickens are housed, yours doesn't look that bad. Food, water, perch, maybe a bit small, but if she get's out, is not too bad if it's just her. Wire on the feet usually isn't the best though.