Help! New chickens with problems!

[Neeks]

Hiya,

I have 3 chickens, 2 are new pullets I purchased from a farm about a month ago (after one of my chickens died from we think old age). My orginal chickens got given to me by friends so i dont know their ages, but they were well into their laying years and i think they are quite old. I've never had young chickens at point of lay and i'm having problems!

They settled in ok, after alittle squabbling over pecking order which settled after about 1 week. The farmer told me they weren't laying yet but wouldnt be long. Anyway, they started laying....

Chicken number 1: prolapse.... urgh!!! I separated her off and have been cleaning and applying honey which I read can help reduce the swelling and infection. She's active and happy but the prolapse is still their (pushed it in also, but it keeps coming out again). She's probably had the prolaspe about 5 days? But shes only been separated off for 3..... Dunno i i just keep up with what im doing, or if these anything else i can do to help.

Chicken number 2: just started laying also, laid some very little eggs which i read is normal. BUT the last 2 days she's laid what i can only describe as 'empty eggs'?? So no shell, just like white egg shaped dried skin with nothing inside. My prolasped chicken laid a few of these after i put her in her separate pen.... i caught chicken 1 eating some yolk, so not sure if she broke the egg .... there was no sign of shell apart from the died skin stuff....
Chicken 2 i noticed today her bum is looking abit dirty (she's particulary fluffy! and i can't quite see whats happening) so i' going to round her up tomorrow and have a closer look as i need someone to help! She's not used to being handled and can run realllly fast!!

Chicken 3: she's my old chicken, and seems happy as normal. She's laying every couple of days (which is normal, shes pretty old!), gave her a check over and seems fine.

Help!! Whats happening which my chickens. Had my old chickens for about 1 yr and not had any problems really, but im worried about my new ones. I give them grit in a container and scattered. Clean water, and layers pellets. They sometimes get veg from the kitchens, and i let them out of their enclose to roam about my garden regualrly.

 

[Judy]

How long ago did you get them? I hate to say this but frankly it sounds like you were sold this farmer's defective birds. He would have known that the stress of being moved might stop them from laying for a while. Were their combs already red? Or if you've had them for a month or two, then maybe it was just the luck of the draw. Are they on layer with some oyster shell on the side? The prolapse may resolve itself if you put her in a darkened place for a day or two, to encourage her to rest and not try to lay. The other one may be an internal defect. I wonder if it's a soft shelled egg that leaks out its contents inside the hen.

http://www.thepoultrysite.com/publi...ndbook/16/thinshelled-eggs-and-shellless-eggs

 

[Neeks]

I dont think i was sold defect birds, he caught them at random from his flock, and i looked at them best i could to ensure they looked healthy, no mites, red combs (although 1 of them is a bluebell breed and her comb is grey coloured naturally), clean bums, lively. I havn't had them very long maybe about 3 weeks. As i say they weren't laying when i got them, but i didnt expect them too as i new they were young birds anyway, and i know it takes awhile for them to settle in, as my old hens took a while when i got them to start laying after being moved.

The layers feed says it doesnt need extra grit or shell, but i give the birds extra anyway incase. My other bird is laying fine, so i dont think its to do with lack of oyster shell/calcium. Thanks for the link, certainly looks like the pictures shown, it says its common in pullet coming into lay, which she is, so ill just monitor her and she how she goes.

My prolasped hen in is a separate house at the moment in the dark, its her 3rd night in there i check her everyday, and she looks happy enough (as happy as she can be with a sore bum

) and it hasn't resolved yet, though i'll keep checking her.