Well, I have spent many hours reading threads about sick birds trying to figure out what could be wrong with one of my hens. I haven't really been able to pin point on anything so I was hoping that someone might have some thoughts/suggestions. Sorry this post is so long I just want to make sure I am covering all my bases!
I have a large chicken coop that has 19 hens (heavy brown layer mix age 7 months) and about 10 (give or take a few that I am not sure of sexes on) EE roosters in with them and 8 EE pullets in a smaller area in same coop. All EEs are approx 17-18 weeks old. I have had the EEs since approx 4 weeks of age in a separate coop and run. The older ones free ranged and checked them out from time to time but no physical interactions. 3 weeks ago we moved everyone into a brand new coop, older girls in the big part and EE in the small one. The only thing keeping them apart was chicken wire so they could see, hear, smell, etc each other. After a week we put them all together. It did not go well. I thought it was because of too many roosters. I started to put them in the small coop. I realized that the older hens were not letting the younger ones eat or drink anything. After a couple days I changed my mind and pulled out the EE girls and put the roosters in with the older ones since they have a little more spunk and at least attempt to eat. The pullets hid all the time, they never got off the roosts and hid in the nest boxes and suffered from feather pulling from the older ones!!
The chickens have been in this set up for 2 weeks now: Older hens and roosters in large coop, smaller coop has 8 pullets. Everyone can see each other. They currently do not use an outside run for various reasons but they have ample space for sure. Roosters in with hens are able to eat and drink and scratch for treats. I have noticed the EE girls are better too. They seem much happier and active and they eat treats again now too!
Well, 3 days ago my daughter thought one of the Barreds looked pale. I am slightly color blind so it would have to be very pale for me to see it. I picked her up and looked her over. Yeah she did seem a little different than the others but acted normally. Then I watched her yesterday, she was interacting with the rest of the flock, eating, drinking, roosting etc but did seem to have a little less energy and her coloring did seem slightly more pale. Today she was even less active and mostly just sitting under the roosts or in the corner of coop with her eyes closed. She did come over to greet me when I came in and she did peck around at the veggies I brought in. I checked her over again looking for swollen crop, mites, lice, any injury, runny nose, anything. She has no feather loss, she is not droopy winged. Today she looked paler than yesterday and her eyes are not as wide open as everyone else. Pale I mean her waddles look pale and her face seems off color. I can't tell on the comb. No one else in the flock is acting unusual.
Side note *Our egg production has declined drastically but there are so many reasons for that (perhaps the last cold stretch for example and I mean COLD!)
I really don't know. I did stumble across a thread that someone lost a hen to internal bleeding and the only symptom was pale comb/waddles. That is possible that she could have gotten hurt. I realized the older ones managed to figure out a way to get up to the top of the wall frame and roost up there. Only 3-4 do it. I saw one jump down yesterday and she ran into the opposite wall like 13 feet away. I only thought of it now reading posts that she could have gotten hurt jumping down but really that is all I can think of.
Am I missing something? I really don't know what to do for her since I can't see whats wrong. What do you think?
Thanks for taking the time!
Rhetts
I have a large chicken coop that has 19 hens (heavy brown layer mix age 7 months) and about 10 (give or take a few that I am not sure of sexes on) EE roosters in with them and 8 EE pullets in a smaller area in same coop. All EEs are approx 17-18 weeks old. I have had the EEs since approx 4 weeks of age in a separate coop and run. The older ones free ranged and checked them out from time to time but no physical interactions. 3 weeks ago we moved everyone into a brand new coop, older girls in the big part and EE in the small one. The only thing keeping them apart was chicken wire so they could see, hear, smell, etc each other. After a week we put them all together. It did not go well. I thought it was because of too many roosters. I started to put them in the small coop. I realized that the older hens were not letting the younger ones eat or drink anything. After a couple days I changed my mind and pulled out the EE girls and put the roosters in with the older ones since they have a little more spunk and at least attempt to eat. The pullets hid all the time, they never got off the roosts and hid in the nest boxes and suffered from feather pulling from the older ones!!
The chickens have been in this set up for 2 weeks now: Older hens and roosters in large coop, smaller coop has 8 pullets. Everyone can see each other. They currently do not use an outside run for various reasons but they have ample space for sure. Roosters in with hens are able to eat and drink and scratch for treats. I have noticed the EE girls are better too. They seem much happier and active and they eat treats again now too!
Well, 3 days ago my daughter thought one of the Barreds looked pale. I am slightly color blind so it would have to be very pale for me to see it. I picked her up and looked her over. Yeah she did seem a little different than the others but acted normally. Then I watched her yesterday, she was interacting with the rest of the flock, eating, drinking, roosting etc but did seem to have a little less energy and her coloring did seem slightly more pale. Today she was even less active and mostly just sitting under the roosts or in the corner of coop with her eyes closed. She did come over to greet me when I came in and she did peck around at the veggies I brought in. I checked her over again looking for swollen crop, mites, lice, any injury, runny nose, anything. She has no feather loss, she is not droopy winged. Today she looked paler than yesterday and her eyes are not as wide open as everyone else. Pale I mean her waddles look pale and her face seems off color. I can't tell on the comb. No one else in the flock is acting unusual.
Side note *Our egg production has declined drastically but there are so many reasons for that (perhaps the last cold stretch for example and I mean COLD!)
I really don't know. I did stumble across a thread that someone lost a hen to internal bleeding and the only symptom was pale comb/waddles. That is possible that she could have gotten hurt. I realized the older ones managed to figure out a way to get up to the top of the wall frame and roost up there. Only 3-4 do it. I saw one jump down yesterday and she ran into the opposite wall like 13 feet away. I only thought of it now reading posts that she could have gotten hurt jumping down but really that is all I can think of.
Am I missing something? I really don't know what to do for her since I can't see whats wrong. What do you think?
Thanks for taking the time!
Rhetts
