Ill or egg bound?

[jbtbhc]

I have two hen pullets, at least 9 or 10 weeks. When I checked on them after work this evening they were sitting /plopping down a lot but eating and walking fine. They appear to be drinking fine since I don’t think their water can evaporate so fast. I've added vitamins to their water and haven't seen any lice or mice. They have been ruffling their feathers though and a bit of beak scraping. They might be stir crazy or sore/injured from jumping their fence (they have an open air run right now) but as I've said moving fine. Since i'm new i'm super wary of disease and am hoping they're okay. Also noticed one of their butts were pulsing lol, but haven't gotten to inspect them fully yet. So far pretty uninterested in veggies and a hanging bell, they mainly like to just run around the backyard and scavenge for bugs and plants. Any advice/help would be appreciated, thanks!

 

[rosemarythyme]

They can't be egg bound, they're nowhere near close enough to laying (and egg binding is far less common than people think).

I don't really see anything from your description that would indicate they're ill, if they're foraging and eating just fine? Any photos? How do the poops look?

 

[Debbie292d]

What breed are they? Barely over two months old is a little young for most breeds to be laying eggs.

Are they getting chick feed still as they should be until they actually do lay eggs. That's got higher protein that helps their feathers among other things.

 

[jbtbhc]

Here are some pictures. They're still getting chick feed and the poops have been okay, some a bit mushy some solid. Like i mentioned I got them from a friend's dad so not sure about the breed or exact age.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Some sort of game chickens I'm guessing, though I'm not knowledgeable about them. I don't see anything in the photos that look problematic.

 

[Mrs. K]

They are in that kind of ugly stage of adolescence. In a month they will be beautiful.

General rule:if they are eating, active and bright eyed - they are healthy.

Best treatment for chickens is space, sunshine, good water, and good commercial feed.