HELP - I'm a total Newby

[jmct87]

Hello,

I recently rescued 10 chickens from what was we were told from a free range farmer, but really they were 15000 birds in a barn!

All of my hens are thin on feathers and one is dying each day, they are still laying eggs and i think the reason 2 of them have died if with problems with laying as one started bleeding from the vent, one today also bleeding but had all its insides hanging out. the other one just died over night. The farmer we got them from said its just one of those things.

Can anyone give me any advice on trying to build them back up and things that will help their feathers grow back quickly? as although they are all bald round their back ends some look at lot sorer than others, was thinking if maybe petroloum jelly or sudocreme could soothe them as some look sore.

I am feeding them layer pellets and they have fresh water and there is also yogurt and bits of corn in there enclosure. they are also surrounded by grass which they are pecking away at.

 

[Omran]

I really would like to welcome you to the Fourm first and formost,

I don't know much about your case, but I think they have something called prulabs ( spelling issues) and may be you can look on the search section, I did read some cases like yours before.

Good luck and welcome.

Omran

 

[NGT ANGL]

from Virginia! I will leave the advice about your chickens to the much more experienced members here as I am a newbie myself. I just wanted to welcome you and say how wonderful it is that you rescued the chickens!

 

[jmct87]

Thanks very much,

I am glad i rescued the hens but its rather sad that i am loosing one a day :-( am in the process of building a new coop for them hopefully it should be sorted for them by tonight,

I just want healthy hens! ha

hopefully these ones will get stronger and healthier

 

[robin416]

Not a lot of advice to give you, these are basically battery hens, bred to lay eggs. Their longevity isn't great.

You can up their protein for the feathers but if there is something else going on other than a molt its going to take time, fresh air, and good food. Clean any messy bottoms to prevent scalding and more feather loss. If the skin is not irritated I wouldn't put anything on it for now. Anything that you put on will cause dirt to stick to it.

I would certainly check them for mites since they were kept in less than ideal conditions.

 

[jmct87]

I really don't know anything about hens, just couldn't let them be sent for dog food when they are just a year old.

What would you advise is good protein for them - ideally something that isn't too pricey - on some of them you can see the little spikes where new feathers are starting to grow. Some of them have really red skin where they are bald

 

[jmct87]

Also the things on the tops of their heads are rather pale - shouldn't they be red?

 

[ChooksChick]

I had an old freezer-burnt side of salmon in the freezer I baked with a bunch of brown rice for my girls- they loved it!

For the one with prolapse, you absolutely can keep gently pushing her vent back in with witch hazel and vaseline. She needs to be kept somewhere quiet and dark for a while so she stops laying to give it a break!

Bless you for taking these girls, and I hope the losses stop- that's heartbreaking!

 

[ChooksChick]

Quote:
Yes, their combs should be red- this could just be stress, but it changes depending on the temps, nutrition, stage of molt, and all sorts of variables.

I would definitely go to the pet store and get avian vitamins to add to their water, or just get baby vitamins (poly-vi-sol, but use the kind without iron) and add some to water for them. They likely have not had great nutrition.

 

[jmct87]

thanks very much for that chookschick,

I really hope they are not in molt as they having got many feathers to start with,