lethargic, almost sad 23 week old RIR

[queenie_29]

Oops, I posted this under predators and pests by mistake;

Hi, you probably know me as a new, very overprotective and slightly paranoid chicken mama, however I need some reassurance as to what is going on. I have a 23 week old RIR who started laying the weekend before last. So far we have got 4 normal eggs and 2 soft-shelled. She is usually very vocal every morning,m however today I went to let them out and she did not rush out to the food like the others, instead she stayed standing in her nesting box (sometimes she likes to sleep in this nesting box and lay in the one next door). So she didn't want to come out this morning and I thought that's ok she's just laying because she hasn't in a few days.

Yesterday around 2:00 she went and sat in her nesting box for a good 30 mins but did not lay, and this morning she sat in there for 45 mins while the others came out and ate. She has not eaten any of her layer feed, but I picked her up for a bit and fed her some cheese, which she like. When I took her back down she drank a bit and then kinda just went and stood in the corner by herself - I think she has been drinking a lot this morning.

Usually when I go and pick her up she squats a little bit, but today she just stands there, and she hasn't made a sound which is very unusual for her. Also, when she finally came out this morning she had urates down all her fluffy butt feathers but her vent is not blocked. Her tail is not down as I have seen it before, but it is certainly not up and happy. Her comb is pretty red but she hasn't been moving much - just standing in the corner

Please help, I have a soft spot for her and I am a first-time chicken mama so I don't really know what I'm doing and any help would be appreciated

 

[JustBabyMargo]

Pictures would be helpful. How does her crop feel? Have they ever been de-wormed?

 

[queenie_29]

Pictures would be helpful. How does her crop feel? Have they ever been de-wormed?

I have attached a few photos. Her crop is a bit squishy, but definitely not very full. No, they have never been dewormed - they are vaccinated though. She finally lay down was looking a little more comfortable

 

[JustBabyMargo]

@azygous @Eggcessive @Wyorp Rock

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Oops, I posted this under predators and pests by mistake;

Hi, you probably know me as a new, very overprotective and slightly paranoid chicken mama, however I need some reassurance as to what is going on. I have a 23 week old RIR who started laying the weekend before last. So far we have got 4 normal eggs and 2 soft-shelled. She is usually very vocal every morning,m however today I went to let them out and she did not rush out to the food like the others, instead she stayed standing in her nesting box (sometimes she likes to sleep in this nesting box and lay in the one next door). So she didn't want to come out this morning and I thought that's ok she's just laying because she hasn't in a few days.

Yesterday around 2:00 she went and sat in her nesting box for a good 30 mins but did not lay, and this morning she sat in there for 45 mins while the others came out and ate. She has not eaten any of her layer feed, but I picked her up for a bit and fed her some cheese, which she like. When I took her back down she drank a bit and then kinda just went and stood in the corner by herself - I think she has been drinking a lot this morning.

Usually when I go and pick her up she squats a little bit, but today she just stands there, and she hasn't made a sound which is very unusual for her. Also, when she finally came out this morning she had urates down all her fluffy butt feathers but her vent is not blocked. Her tail is not down as I have seen it before, but it is certainly not up and happy. Her comb is pretty red but she hasn't been moving much - just standing in the corner

Please help, I have a soft spot for her and I am a first-time chicken mama so I don't really know what I'm doing and any help would be appreciated

I would check her crop first thing in the morning to make sure it's empty.

What do you feed including treats?
Do you provide oyster shell free choice?

It wouldn't hurt to give her 1 Caltrate for a couple of days to see if that helps. She may be having difficulty with a soft shelled egg.
It's not that unusual for a pullet that's just come into lay to act slightly odd or to even have a soft shelled egg, but it's good that you are keeping watch.

 

[queenie_29]

I would check her crop first thing in the morning to make sure it's empty.

sure. If it's not empty what should I do?

What do you feed including treats?
Do you provide oyster shell free choice?

umm we feed red hen 17 which is just in a feeder for the girls to access when they want. In the afternoon we often give them a treat, often rolled oats, sunflower seeds, greek yoghurt, rice, cheese or whatever we have leftover or just lying around. We also give them veggie scraps including carrot peelings, broccoli and cauliflower stalks etc (I know... they are spoiled chooks!)

In terms of the oyster shell, no not yet. We read somewhere that if you roast eggshells and feed that back to them, then that can act as a calcium supplement, so we are waiting until we have enough to roast - does that work or should we look into getting some oyster shell?

It wouldn't hurt to give her 1 Caltrate for a couple of days to see if that helps. She may be having difficulty with a soft shelled egg.
It's not that unusual for a pullet that's just come into lay to act slightly odd or to even have a soft shelled egg, but it's good that you are keeping watch.

Sounds good. Do I just feed her 1 dose in the morning or something?

Thanks so much for all your help, I would hate to see any harm come to her.

 

[JustBabyMargo]

sure. If it's not empty what should I do?

umm we feed red hen 17 which is just in a feeder for the girls to access when they want. In the afternoon we often give them a treat, often rolled oats, sunflower seeds, greek yoghurt, rice, cheese or whatever we have leftover or just lying around. We also give them veggie scraps including carrot peelings, broccoli and cauliflower stalks etc (I know... they are spoiled chooks!)

In terms of the oyster shell, no not yet. We read somewhere that if you roast eggshells and feed that back to them, then that can act as a calcium supplement, so we are waiting until we have enough to roast - does that work or should we look into getting some oyster shell?

Sounds good. Do I just feed her 1 dose in the morning or something?

Thanks so much for all your help, I would hate to see any harm come to her.

Oyster shell works best. From what I’ve read egg shells aren’t as good because they don’t last all night (which is when their egg shells do most of their developing).

 

[Wyorp Rock]

In terms of the oyster shell, no not yet. We read somewhere that if you roast eggshells and feed that back to them, then that can act as a calcium supplement, so we are waiting until we have enough to roast - does that work or should we look into getting some oyster shell?

If her crop is not empty in the morning then let us know. This article is helpful in determining what treatment is needed. It's what I use when treating my hens.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...w-to-know-which-one-youre-dealing-with.73607/

I would provide oyster shell free choice for them even if you feed back shells. I dry most of my shells and give them back too, but they always have access to oyster shell.

 

[queenie_29]

Great! Thanks so much for the help everyone, we think she is probably just having a bad day

 

[Aunt Angus]

You have gotten excellent advice, here. I hope she perks up. I'm an overprotective paranoid chicken/duckie/goat/cat/dog/human mama, so I know how worried you must be.

Just wanted to add that she's a beautiful pullet! Those feathers are so nice and shiny!
❤