- Jul 31, 2013
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Went out late morning to give my two one year old hens treats. One, the BR, was laying dead in a little heap. She had been ostensibly fine a few hours earlier when my husband opened the coop door to their run. In the nest there was a fragile egg shell broken open with the egg still in it.
Background: these two hens are the roo's favorites, and he scratched all the feathers off a patch of the BR's back, and had started taking the feathers off the other, NHR. So I got chicken saddles to protect them. During the winter they were in an insulated coop with the roo and a RIR hen who aggressively grabs food from them all and may have eaten eggs, as may the roo. I separated them four days ago and the next morning found two perfect eggs in the new coop (had no eggs like these when they were together) - so it looked like things were going in the right direction. The next day I found one perfect egg and another with dents in the fragile shell. Yesterday there was one odd egg with a little dark nodule on the end and several shadings of color on the egg. Their diet includes oyster shell and some cheese.
When I took the chicken saddle off my BR, there were no feathers from her neck down in the area covered by the saddle. Her back looked like a grocery store chicken. Her skin was intact with no evidence of predation or sores. The vet suggested she might have been picked on, been malnourished, and hypothermic. She might have been eating less since the move, getting adjusted to the different coop. And it had been quite cool the night before, but she was running around earlier in the morning. I didn't see any signs of infestation on her, or any wounds.
So I took the chicken saddle off the NHR, and her back was nearly clean of feathers, too. I so hope it doesn't get too cool tonight. I'm afraid to put her back with the roo and RIR, thinking they could pick on her in her condition. I just don't want to lose her. The vet said to keep my eye on her. But I've kept my eye on them all and this happened. What do I need to do to help her? Any ideas are very welcome.
And a p.s.: before I separated the hens out, I put a rock shaped egg and a golf ball in the coop to see who might be eating eggs. The next day, the RIR had broken the tip off her beak, which has had not effect on her eating or behavior. In addition, I saw the roo peck an egg open. The RIR lays her beautiful eggs in a high cubby, so they don't get eaten by the roo. I don't know if I dare try them together even after the NHR is better. Does anyone see a happy ending here?
Many thanks!
Background: these two hens are the roo's favorites, and he scratched all the feathers off a patch of the BR's back, and had started taking the feathers off the other, NHR. So I got chicken saddles to protect them. During the winter they were in an insulated coop with the roo and a RIR hen who aggressively grabs food from them all and may have eaten eggs, as may the roo. I separated them four days ago and the next morning found two perfect eggs in the new coop (had no eggs like these when they were together) - so it looked like things were going in the right direction. The next day I found one perfect egg and another with dents in the fragile shell. Yesterday there was one odd egg with a little dark nodule on the end and several shadings of color on the egg. Their diet includes oyster shell and some cheese.
When I took the chicken saddle off my BR, there were no feathers from her neck down in the area covered by the saddle. Her back looked like a grocery store chicken. Her skin was intact with no evidence of predation or sores. The vet suggested she might have been picked on, been malnourished, and hypothermic. She might have been eating less since the move, getting adjusted to the different coop. And it had been quite cool the night before, but she was running around earlier in the morning. I didn't see any signs of infestation on her, or any wounds.
So I took the chicken saddle off the NHR, and her back was nearly clean of feathers, too. I so hope it doesn't get too cool tonight. I'm afraid to put her back with the roo and RIR, thinking they could pick on her in her condition. I just don't want to lose her. The vet said to keep my eye on her. But I've kept my eye on them all and this happened. What do I need to do to help her? Any ideas are very welcome.
And a p.s.: before I separated the hens out, I put a rock shaped egg and a golf ball in the coop to see who might be eating eggs. The next day, the RIR had broken the tip off her beak, which has had not effect on her eating or behavior. In addition, I saw the roo peck an egg open. The RIR lays her beautiful eggs in a high cubby, so they don't get eaten by the roo. I don't know if I dare try them together even after the NHR is better. Does anyone see a happy ending here?
Many thanks!
