I love my hens very much, please help me with this unusual behavior!

[lululemon436]

Yesterday, i had a little emergency so i forgot to feed the chickens before i got to bed so they were hungry all day. today i came back and fed them immediately, i gave them 1/3 scraps, 1/3 oats which is really good for their health, and a very small handfull of this bird food mixture (me and my mom: were trying this new stuff it doesnt say whether or not its for chickens but it has corn kernels, sunflower seeds, and such). well, i gave them the food and let them open to run around, at first they pecked at the food. i came back an hour later and the food was untouched! i noticed that they had pooped in the water so i changed the water and the 2 of the hens at them and one of them didnt- she was the one of the the hens standing in the corner with her tail down and eyes open and walking a little lazily. i closed my chickens up so they could go to sleep and that hen went to the corner and sat down. now im inside. i reallly love my chickens, i dont know what is happening! a few months ago i bought this stuff that helped the chickens if they had watery poop but i never used it. should i use it now even tho they don't have watery poop? by the way my chickens are of old age about 3 years old. please help!

PS thanks for everybody who have helped me out in the past

 

[allieloveschickens]

Hi there, you really need to be feeding your chickens actual chicken feed, or look up a reliable recipe if you want to make it yourself. Chickens need a lot of protein to stay healthy, so regular wild bird seed will not cover their needs- I say get them some laying feed ASAP tomorrow if you want your hens to survive and be healthy. As far as the chicken laying in the corner it may be too late for her, go get her, put her in a box inside and feed her plain yogurt and scrambled egg, also make sure she has water, drip it on her beak with a dropper to make sure she is staying hydrated. Good luck!

 

[PaulaJoAnne]

What you fed them is snack food.
They need a 16-18% protien layer grower chicken feed mix, that you either make from a recipe or buy commercially.

 

[pontoosuc]

if you need to before you go to the store for the chicken feed, break open a can of tuna. all protein.

stop the feed with the corn. it's all carbohydrates and only good for a treat in REALLY cold temps.

 

[BooBear]

The wild bird seed is not a substitute for chicken feed. I give mine some bird seed mix only as a treat. It has cracked corn, sunflower, millet, peanuts, sassaflower. They pick out their favorite seeds first.

Depending on their ages they should be on either chick start, growers, or layers feed specifically made for poultry. The majority of the commercial foods are already formulated to fill all of the chickens nutritional needs the same way dog or cat food does. There are options on the different brands. I use the Purina brand and have been happy with it. Everyone has their favorites.

Not all table scraps are good for chickens. Avoid high salt foods, potatoe skins, apple seeds and check the food list on BYC. I do not have the link as I am terrible at linking stuff.

Sounds like your chickies have some sort of illness. Have you just noticed the lethgargic behavior (overly sleepy)?
Have they just turned down this meal or have they been showing loss of appettite for awhile?
Tail down along with the sleepy behavior could also signal worms.

If they do not have runny poop then it is not necessary to medicate them for it.
Poop in water does not necessarily equal runny poop. Have you noticed them making running poop when they poop? Does their poop have an off color from normal?
Do you see any blood in the poop? Do you see any worms in the poop?

Could they be dehydrated or weak from not being fed?

The more input you can add the more others can help in figuring out what kind of feedback to offer you.

Hope your chickies get better.

 

[tinychicky]

check them for worms, as well (bloating, greenish watery poop, droopyness, etc.) it may have caused your birds to develope nuitritional deficiencies. FEED THEM CHICKEN FOOD! it has all the nessicary nuitrients they need.... wild bird food doesn't! while you're at the feed store to buy chicken feed, get them a packet of vitamin supplement to give them a boost. some high-quality canned cat food (without chicken in it!), canned fish or mealy worms (anything with lots of protein) couldn't hurt either. if you suspect worms, get a worming med. for them. i hope they get better!