I couldn't believe it! It was the equivalent of a puppy mill. It was awful. There were Orpingtons there that were 3 to 4x her size with less feathers than she has. We chose ours because she's the runt. We figured she didn't have much of a chance there. She's our bat crap crazy chicken, but we love her lolPretty pullets! Good that you got them when you did though.
I don't think so....but now you have me wondering. Oh well, we'll love her no matter what lol
We've had her for about 3 weeks, and she was quite young when we got her. I'm not sure she's lost feathers so much as she's never had them. She's actually got about twice as many feathers now as when we first got her. Thank you very much for the links. I've read them, and we're going to take her to the vet to make sure she's thriving. The BLRW was pretty bald when we got her from the same place, but she's putting on feathers a lot faster than little Rain. I love this site. I'm really worried about her, and I've gotten such great advice from so many people. Thank you!
I wondered the same.
We've checked them over very closely many, many times. We check them at least a couple of times a week just to make sure we're not missing something - or that there are symptoms that weren't there before. We've checked their bedding, their skin, their feathers, their poop. If we're missing something, please, please tell us to check it. Believe it or not, they've got SO many more feathers than when we first got them.
Actually, the ones we got from Tractor Supply were in perfect condition. I may have not been clear. The 2 with the feather issues are from a hatchery, but it reminded us of a chicken version of a puppy mill. The larger Orpingtons looked like miniature ostriches - they were HUGE - and then there was our tiny Rain hiding in the corner. I grabbed her and said, "We're taking this one home." There was poop everywhere. The chickens looked panicked and vacant. They smelled so bad. I don't mean they stunk because they had poop on their feet. I mean their skin and feathers smelled foul. It took forever to be able to pick them up and not gag. Now, they smell like ours - like nothing. when ours see us coming toward the run or coop, they run up to us because they assume we are either going to give them a treat or at least talk to them. If we come up to the coop or run and just start talking to them, they will gather around and follow our every move. Believe it or not, the Tractor Supply here keeps their chick area clean and the chicks sell so fast that there's no fighting issues. When they get new chicks, they're generally gone with 72 hours.It might just be because there was a lot of fighting happening between the chicks. Plus lack of care at the tractor supply.
