JD7764
Chirping
- Apr 18, 2022
- 37
- 80
- 69
I’m having trouble posting a video/pic but will work on adding them after.
Background:
I have a mixed flock. Currently have 3 pullets I got as chicks in May. Over the summer I noticed blood in two of their stools. Treated everyone with Corid for a week and it cleared up. I personally feel like those two took longer to mature. Just got my first egg from one of them at 27 weeks. I had one of my original 4 pullets taken by something on Halloween. But the the three I have left look perfectly healthy, laying, eating, bright red combs. No issues.
I have another 4 hens that will be 2 in March. They are all in various stages of their first ever molt. None of them are laying. They’ve all gone through various stages of looking sad but I didn’t notice any true major behavior issues until my two barred rocks started their molt, maybe two weeks ago, they are the last of the four to start their molt. They all have paler combs.
The two barred rocks have been very sleepy. They do have moments of getting around and foraging and seeming normal but they also spend at least half of the time sleeping standing up. The first barred rock, Aria, was originally so sleepy. Drinking tons of water and diarrhea. I was mostly worried about her and the other seemed fine at first. She seems to have improved and seems to be eating normal again. She still seems sleepy but her diarrhea has cleared up mostly.
It’s my other barred rock, Jimmy, that I’m concerned about. She has barely eaten in over a week. Started originally with just drinking tons of water and barely eating. Excessive diarrhea day and night. She wakes up first thing and doesn’t eat at all. Just stands and chugs water for 5-10 mins and then goes and sleeps in a corner for a while. A couple days I did notice some head twitching but I haven’t seen that for days. The next day I noticed some weird neck convulsions which someone said were coughs. But I haven’t seen those again either. If I bring out scrambled eggs she will perk right up and eat those. Sometimes she will walk around seemingly normal and forage a bit but she is definitely barely eating. Her eyes look clear. I don’t see any discharge from her nose or anywhere else. I don’t see any mites or lice. It’s not sour crop, it feels empty in the morning.
They are fed an organic layer feed from Kalmbach. I have been bringing out the layer pellets mashed with warm water and scrambled eggs or sardines morning and night to entice her to eat and also add protein for the chickens who are molting right now. I give some scratch and people food on occasion but have stopped once they started to seem off. Even so only Whole Foods and small portions. Right now they have access to regular water, water with oregano oil, and another water with electrolytes and a vitamin mineral supplement added. They’ve also had a pumpkin out there at all times to peck at since Halloween.
We had several nights below freezing around when they first took a turn but the temps are very mild right now, 50-60’s.
Their coop floor is sand and I scoop it every day. They have plenty of run space and no one is picking on Jimmy, if anything she is bossy with food and treats.
They have had some extra stressors. One of my pullets was taken and eaten by something on Halloween. I have kids and they hate the leaf blower. Hawks are hovering lately with the leaf drop.
I’m wondering do I worm and see if that’s it? What wormer do I use during molting? Do I separate? How long can she go barely eating? I have no idea what I’m doing. Help!
Background:
I have a mixed flock. Currently have 3 pullets I got as chicks in May. Over the summer I noticed blood in two of their stools. Treated everyone with Corid for a week and it cleared up. I personally feel like those two took longer to mature. Just got my first egg from one of them at 27 weeks. I had one of my original 4 pullets taken by something on Halloween. But the the three I have left look perfectly healthy, laying, eating, bright red combs. No issues.
I have another 4 hens that will be 2 in March. They are all in various stages of their first ever molt. None of them are laying. They’ve all gone through various stages of looking sad but I didn’t notice any true major behavior issues until my two barred rocks started their molt, maybe two weeks ago, they are the last of the four to start their molt. They all have paler combs.
The two barred rocks have been very sleepy. They do have moments of getting around and foraging and seeming normal but they also spend at least half of the time sleeping standing up. The first barred rock, Aria, was originally so sleepy. Drinking tons of water and diarrhea. I was mostly worried about her and the other seemed fine at first. She seems to have improved and seems to be eating normal again. She still seems sleepy but her diarrhea has cleared up mostly.
It’s my other barred rock, Jimmy, that I’m concerned about. She has barely eaten in over a week. Started originally with just drinking tons of water and barely eating. Excessive diarrhea day and night. She wakes up first thing and doesn’t eat at all. Just stands and chugs water for 5-10 mins and then goes and sleeps in a corner for a while. A couple days I did notice some head twitching but I haven’t seen that for days. The next day I noticed some weird neck convulsions which someone said were coughs. But I haven’t seen those again either. If I bring out scrambled eggs she will perk right up and eat those. Sometimes she will walk around seemingly normal and forage a bit but she is definitely barely eating. Her eyes look clear. I don’t see any discharge from her nose or anywhere else. I don’t see any mites or lice. It’s not sour crop, it feels empty in the morning.
They are fed an organic layer feed from Kalmbach. I have been bringing out the layer pellets mashed with warm water and scrambled eggs or sardines morning and night to entice her to eat and also add protein for the chickens who are molting right now. I give some scratch and people food on occasion but have stopped once they started to seem off. Even so only Whole Foods and small portions. Right now they have access to regular water, water with oregano oil, and another water with electrolytes and a vitamin mineral supplement added. They’ve also had a pumpkin out there at all times to peck at since Halloween.
We had several nights below freezing around when they first took a turn but the temps are very mild right now, 50-60’s.
Their coop floor is sand and I scoop it every day. They have plenty of run space and no one is picking on Jimmy, if anything she is bossy with food and treats.
They have had some extra stressors. One of my pullets was taken and eaten by something on Halloween. I have kids and they hate the leaf blower. Hawks are hovering lately with the leaf drop.
I’m wondering do I worm and see if that’s it? What wormer do I use during molting? Do I separate? How long can she go barely eating? I have no idea what I’m doing. Help!