Hen not eating. New to the flock. De-beaked.

[Dyann47]

I have 3 new red star hens that I purchased. I have never seen a bird that was de-beaked before until these girls. Anyway, I introduced them to my flock on Saturday evening close to roost time. They of course had some tension but overall did ok. There is one of the hens that does not seem to be thriving in the group and is staying under a playground tunnel that we have in the coop. I felt her crop and it feels mostly empty. When I put feed up to her she will take 1-2 bites then almost seems to have trouble swallowing it. Could it be that it is crumble and being de-beaked she is having trouble? I am going to isolate her when I get home and see if I can get her to eat/drink but I can tell she feels lighter than the other 2. I am just worried this is more then just not adjusting well, any ideas? I would like to treat myself, I do have polyvisol I could give her.

Thank you!

 

[Mei&Popcorn]

Maybe you could try mixing the feed with a bit of water - it might make it easier to eat for her...

 

[evesaddiction]

Try giving her meal worms. I have found that when they are not eating they won't eat anything. And my chickens never refuse a meal worm. They do not eat earth worms. But don't give her more than a tablespoon a day of worms, my vet said that is too much protien. I also put water in the pellets and they turn mushy that might help with the beak issue. Good luck.

 

[Dyann47]

I will definitely try both! Thank you! My daughter works at a pet store, so I will go grab some today.

 

[evesaddiction]

Also I forgot. My vet told me I could give my chicken GroGel Plus B even though it is used for baby chicks that have just hatched. Not as a meal of course but a supplement if the chicken or chick wont eat anything else. It has nutrients and hydrates as well. My sick one is a pullet and I give her about a tablespoon of it. Before that I did the vitamin B with a syringe (3 ml) per day. But don't do both. It is also easy to put in a baby medicine syringe ( no needle) and forcing it down.

 

[Dyann47]

GroGel B...can you get that at tractor supply?

 

[cafarmgirl]

Isolate her as planned and see if she eats more on her own and see what her poop looks like. She may just be getting bullied away from the feed, especially since she's new to your flock. See if she'll eat some chopped, hard boiled or scrambled egg. Check her carefully for mites/lice. It's also always a good idea to deworm new birds. Also watch them closely for signs of coccidiosis since it's very common when birds are moved to new property with other chickens. They may encounter a strain new to them that they are not immune too.

Did you quarantine these birds away from your flock before integrating them?

 

[Dyann47]

I have her quarantined at the moment and she is eating some. I gave her some live mill worms and she seemed to enjoy them. She was doing ok this morning but she still didn't seem too energetic. I am hoping she is just adjusting to the new environment. I really didn't quarantine them before, which now I realize thats a no no. My birds mostly free range and they are all together at night, so I just put them all together. I did make a mini chicken hospital last night out of a portable dog kennel and a dog crate with plywood over the top. Hoping she is ok, she is so darn sweet.

 

[countrygirl345]

Find out what she used to eat

 

[Dyann47]

Also, I did do a thorough lice/mite check last night. She has no runny nose or sneezy sounds. No eye/nose drainage or smell. I haven't witnessed a poop yet so I will check the pen when I get home to see. I placed antibiotics in their water when I got them and again in her water in the isolation. Should I worm her now since she isn't feeling well or wait a day or two? My husband is in the process of building a new coop with a extra "room' for this very thing so I am excited to have a transition area for new birds for the future. I sure hope I didn't mess up too bad by integrating them all. We've only had chickens for about a year and I am learning new things everyday. Thank you again