Light Brahma--hurt in leg joint

[Miss Lydia]

You don't lock your coop up at night? your asking for trouble, predator type trouble. they come in every size and their everywhere. your rooster will not hurt your hens, well if he does get to rough the most that would happen is they would lose a few feathers on the backs or wings where he hangs on at. But he will not harm them, he's there to protect them let him do his job. ...

sounds like an over protective mom..you know how I know cause I am one also.

 

[Miss Lydia]

sorry for your loss bawk, sometimes we just don't know. Glad to hear your other birds are okay.

 

[Farm_gurl]

ohhh they are completly inclosed 24/7 their house opens into their run ... i dont know how to upload pictures

 

[Farm_gurl]

this is our coop and hen house! sides and top all in chicken and bird wire.

 

[Farm_gurl]

ok tomorrow I will take a picture of her leg now that I found out how to upload

 

[Miss Lydia]

What a nice setup, only thing I would be worried about is if they get close to the chicken wire and a predator reaches in it can pull them right through the wire not a pretty site, Most everyone on here would recommend at least 2 to 3 ft. up from the bottom 1" hard ware cloth all away around. But I love your coop. You did it you found out how.

Hows your girl doing this morning?

 

[Farm_gurl]

She is doing the same so happy to see me..but waits for me to lift her out of the house..lol.....my daughter is home today so we are gunna clean her up and check her leg out.and check for mites/lice.......i havent seen any but maybe im not looking in the right spot. I will try to post the pic of her joint. I gave them the tuna and yogurt yesterday they ate the tuna up.....they werent sure about yogurt.

The coop is 1/4" hard wire 24" up then the smallest chicken wire the rest of the way up and on top. We have ranch dogs so I have never had any thing in my yard. I have never seen a fox or cyoette near our place...but I was worried about an opossum family that lives 3 places down. And I wanted them safe from dogs.....not just mine but if someone came over. We learned the hard way once..... My nephews dog killed one of my nigerian dwarf goats.....so I dont trust any dog including my own.

I have a question on feeding.....i bought them the medicated feed when they were babies..but now I just by regular feed.....i wasnt buying the same everytime could that have made big mamma sick. We have a few feed stores so depending where I was buying hay I would just pick up a bag.....also besides the laying feed I always take them lettace..peas...corn carrots I buy the froozen and deforst it then give it to them.......what should the be offered on a daily basis so they get vitamin/mineral intake. One of the feed stores has this big 12" by 12" block of bird seed for chickens I was thinking of getting it.

Thank you for all your help

 

[Miss Lydia]

sounds like you set up is perfect. It may take them some time to get use to the yogurt, and becareful about sodium also not too much these are just little extras to help boost immune system, mine had left over salmon patties with warm oatmeal and raisins this morning, doesn't sound too good but they loved it. peas, corn and carrots sounds good, just be careful on the corn. too much can cause them too get fat not good for a laying hen to be fat. Laying feed should be fine also might want to offer oyster shell on the side, and do you give them grit it's very important. I buy the flock blocks for my chickens for their coop, they like them also hang out head of cabbage and fresh beets with tops, they can really eat alot of different things, no potatoe peelings though. Any more things you can think of theres google custom search at the right side of this page full of all kinds of answers to any question, and we're always here to help too.

Be sure to look at her feet and try to get a pic, today so we can try to help figure this out. Blessings. I have dachshunds and 1 mix and they pretty much keep predators away too.

 

[Farm_gurl]

sry didnt have a computer for a few days......it is warm and sunny today so i will try and get out there and take pics. Thank you for alll your help!

 

[19hhbelgian]

Honestly, we had a RIR tear a tendon in his leg, and he healed after a while. He always had a limp after that, but he regained use of his leg. More recently (over the past summer), my Husband's barred rock rescue roo was fine one day, couldn't use his leg the next. I think he somehow hurt himself in the coop over night. We tried keeping him alone for a while but it made no difference at all - just made him sad. He actually started to lose weight cause he was by himself rather than with the other birds. So, I put him back out into the coop. Wound up that he actually gets along extremely well with my polish birds who are separated from the layers for breeding purposes, so, that's where he now lives. He can't breed since he never re-gained use of his leg, but he is happy to hop around on one foot, using the bad leg as a crutch when he needs to. He goes outside and free ranges when I let them out, and seems happy irregardless of his handicap. His bad leg just hangs from the middle joint down, but he has never rubbed himself raw, and I've never had to put any type of bandage on it. I hope your hen comes around, but if she doesn't regain use of her leg, it's not necessarily the end either

Here's a pic just from today of our boy sitting at the door to go out into the run wishing the darn snow would melt already!: