Hi, and please help me to be a better keeper!

[antz]

Hi there, I have just signed up here because one of my chooks has developed a limp, and it is looking like a very expensive issue. But since I am here, I should mention that I have another problem with some Chinese Silkie bantams. They are depressed and constantly afraid. I think it is because when I bought them, I collected them after they had gone to bed, and they had been born and raised in their family where their daddy was their best friend. Now I have brought them here to be with two Red Shavers (ex battery farm chooks), where they feel inferior. They have never been friendly or tame, and they get stressed whenever I walk past them. I have never kept this breed before, and I am not sure if it is just the way they are, or whether there is something I can do to make them a bit happier. Maybe someone here can give me a nice, useful answer to that. I am sad that they aren't happy.

 

[Yorkshire Coop]

Hi
Glad you could join the flock! Sorry to hear your chicken is limping and not 100%. There could be a wide variety of things that could be wrong. I would suggest posting in this section of forum here is the link https://www.backyardchickens.com/f/10/emergencies-diseases-injuries-and-cures give as much detail as you can and pics are always useful so other members can help you.

As to your silkies moving home can be stressful for any bird and they may just need time to settle in their new surroundings and new people keeping them. The other hens may also be picking on them and making them nervous. Adding new birds to existing birds creates the need for a new pecking order. The look but don't touch method is good for this so they are seperate but can still see each other but can't fight or peck. That way they become aquainted but without the aggression and can gradually be introduced. Adding extra water and feed stations helps too so they can't be bullied out.
Hand feeding them with treats too should help them to trust you more. I've also found just sitting in with them helps, just nice quiet chatting so they get used to you being around.

Wishing you the very best of luck and hope you enjoy BYC

 

[BantamLover21]

I'm glad you joined us!

I'm sorry about your problems with your Silkies and injured limping bird.

Silkies do tend to not get along the greatest with other birds.

 

[Wyandottes7]

Welcome to BYC!

I'm sorry to hear about your Silkies' problems!

Good luck with your flock, and I hope they intermix better eventually.

 

[BantamFan4Life]

Welcome to BYC!

 

[TwoCrows]

Hello there and welcome to BYC!

Excellent info from Yorkshire Coop. Definitely do a slow introduction with your new birds as putting them all together at once can cause a lot of stress and injuries to the new birds. So keep the new ones separated in a cage or enclosure for a few weeks. And definitely put out more food and water stations when you do mix them all together as the older birds can starve out the new ones. Also, if these Silkies are going into a flock of larger birds or birds that are not Silkies, it can be common that other birds pick on these crested birds since they look different. So if they will just not mix well into your present flock, you may need to keep the separately for good.

As for your limping chicken, definitely post in our emergency section. Have you looked at the bottom of the pad? Does he have a big black spot on her pad? She could have bumblefoot, an infection in the pad from a poke to the foot pad. You will need to do a surgery on the bird if this is the case. There are lots of good threads in our archives on bumblefoot surgery.

Good luck with your flock and welcome to ours!

 

[Book Em Danno25]

 

[Kelsie2290]

Hello and Welcome To BYC! Good luck with your flock.

 

[Mountain Peeps]

Welcome to BYC! Please make yourself at home and we are here to help.

Sorry about your bird!

Yorkshire Coop and TwoCrows have given you amazing advice.

 

[ChickyChickens]

Welcome to BYC!!! There are loads of members on here…so if you have ANY questions…just ASK!!!

Hope you have loads of fun and all your answers answered here on BYC the BEST CHICKEN KEEPING FORUM on EARTH!!