Hen acting weird

[TwitchysChicks]

Does this hen have a discharge of pus from her eyes?
I would try to get a better look at the eyes and face.
Check her closely for lice/mites and consider getting a fecal float to check for worms.

Her feathers look like she may be molting, but hard to tell in the video.
Where they are housed, even if it's cold you want to make sure they have ventilation-that is important to move out moisture and ammonia from the poop.

Just a note - anytime you bring in new chickens it's best to keep them quarantined away from your existing flock(s) so you can monitor them for illness and parasites.

Theres no discharge at all. I did a medical amd separated. Had them for a month now and the other girls are totally fine. I put some dust on all of them last night because my one roo was covered in lice. Waiting for the holiday to be over so I can grab some shavings to clean the coop again. They are in a Kramers shed so theres two ventilation screens up top. Most of my chickens are having a hard molt. A couple are bald in spots. Its been a hard molt this year.

 

[TwitchysChicks]

she is now High stepping

 

[TwitchysChicks]

His chickens came from a hatchery where they were vaccinated for Mareks. I'm thinking maybe mites?? And her crop is rock hard.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

she is now High stepping

His chickens came from a hatchery where they were vaccinated for Mareks. I'm thinking maybe mites?? And her crop is rock hard.

High stepping with a rock hard crop sounds like crop problems to me.
Re-check the crop very first thing in the morning before she eats/drinks, it should be empty. Morning is the only time that you can accurately gauge crop function.

If it's not empty in the morning, read the following article
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...w-to-know-which-one-youre-dealing-with.73607/

 

[TwitchysChicks]

High stepping with a rock hard crop sounds like crop problems to me.
Re-check the crop very first thing in the morning before she eats/drinks, it should be empty. Morning is the only time that you can accurately gauge crop function.

If it's not empty in the morning, read the following article
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...w-to-know-which-one-youre-dealing-with.73607/

It was almost empty. There was a tiny hard ball left in her crop this morning. When I pick her up, shes back to being fine and fights to get away. When she sees food and water, she attacks it. I'm boiling eggs today and letting them have that as I disinfect the coop for my monthly cleaning.

 

[TwitchysChicks]

I have one with cataracts and one with arthritis in both legs. Theyre both over 3yrs. Then my one molting hen keeps squatting while walking. It has been an insane week. Just gave the black one layer feed.

 

[Aunt Angus]

Geez, TwitchysChicks, you are a marvel! What a week, indeed! Maybe it's lice working in detrimental tandem with a hard molt? I'd def keep an eye on that crop... But it's a very good sign that she's feisty. This may be one of those frustrating cases of "watch, wait and see."

 

[TwitchysChicks]

Geez, TwitchysChicks, you are a marvel! What a week, indeed! Maybe it's lice working in detrimental tandem with a hard molt? I'd def keep an eye on that crop... But it's a very good sign that she's feisty. This may be one of those frustrating cases of "watch, wait and see."

Ya. Its giving me anxiety not knowing anything. Cleaning their coop, bringing home wood ash from work, and rubbimg DE on anything that moves and their roosts.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

It was almost empty. There was a tiny hard ball left in her crop this morning. When I pick her up, shes back to being fine and fights to get away. When she sees food and water, she attacks it. I'm boiling eggs today and letting them have that as I disinfect the coop for my monthly cleaning.

I have one with cataracts and one with arthritis in both legs. Theyre both over 3yrs. Then my one molting hen keeps squatting while walking. It has been an insane week. Just gave the black one layer feed.

It's good that the crop was almost empty this morning. I would just keep monitoring that.
What and how do you normally feed your chickens?
Do you make feed available free choice?

Eggs make a great treat. I would probably also put some poultry vitamins in the water once a week. Since you have molters, a daily treat of egg or meat would be good, but back on things like scratch and see that they are eating their normal layer feed for the most part.

 

[TwitchysChicks]

It's good that the crop was almost empty this morning. I would just keep monitoring that.
What and how do you normally feed your chickens?
Do you make feed available free choice?

Eggs make a great treat. I would probably also put some poultry vitamins in the water once a week. Since you have molters, a daily treat of egg or meat would be good, but back on things like scratch and see that they are eating their normal layer feed for the most part.

I have four feeders all with layer crumble in it. I usually throw a cup of cracked corn into their pen to coax them all to blow the stink off them. They have acv with mother in all four waterers. I put the food out once they wake up. My Cocoa and Pom Pom will scream until they are fed and get water. I have seen old hens which include the black one who stay on top of the nesting boxes and dont like to go down so much.