My heart is breaking

[brwneggs]

My 6 wonderful Isa Brown hens are not not doing too good. I started getting some bloody eggs. Not all of them. They were having all their eggs in a plastic tote, and were doing fine. Something changed. They started having them under the ramp that leads to the outside (on the inside of the coop). I dont have a lot of money at all, so I work with what I got. This morning one girl was shaking her leg like she was cold (though its kept at 40-50 degrees in the coop) she pooed with a squritng sound, and all the other hens were coming over to peck her bottom. I dont know what to do. We just put up 2 new hen boxes that are made out of those plastic milk crates, but they just have not found them yet. I took the ramp away, so they do not have the idea of going under it to have their eggs anymore. When they use to go under it, they would get pecked from the back. Thats the only place besides their back feathers, they are getting pecked from. Thus the bloody eggs. I give them fresh water, layer with grit and schell and a cake of suet everyday. I dont have room to divide them up, nor a pet carrier.
I dont know what else to do. Can I put a medicine in their food to help them? I please welcome your advice. Thank you.

 

[Judy]

It sounds like what you have is a lot of pecking, probably caused by being kept in too much. How big are your coop and run? Are they staying in the coop because of snow? Do you have a light in there? It sounds like you heat your coop, which might actually be making the problem worse; sometimes a light seems to make things worse, too, especially if it is on all night.

It may be the only good solution for you, in order to prevent this from progressing to cannibalism, would be to let them free range. Tell us more about your setup and we'll try to help a bit more.

 

[hoosier]

Do you hang the suet cake so they have to jump up to reach it? (I think of a suet cake as being high in fat, and I am not sure if that is good to give them every day.) Maybe you can get some greens that are destined for the trash bin from your local grocer.
I have heard of people using anti-pick bits or orange coloured peepers to prevent picking. I have seen them at the local farm store.
I hope something you try works. Good luck.

 

[chkn]

Have you wormed them recently and treated them and the coop with poultry dust?

 

[BooBear]

Have you treated the sores and sprayed Bluecote on the wounds to prevent /discourage pecking?
Chickens are drawn to red the way sharks are. The urge to peck the red spot is very stronge.

Instead of the suit try the Trailmix seed cake for wildbirds or as they are laying try a flock block. Flock blocks have added calcium in them and help deter boredom. Another great tip is hanging some cabbage by a string or in one of those treat balls.

Another issue that comes to mind is are they showing signs of prolapsed vent?
The more input you can provide as far as symptoms go the better.

 

[feathersnuggles]

Give all of them (esp. the girl with the squirts) a big daily dose of plain, live-culture, yogurt. Do it until poops go back to normal. Sounds like they have trouble in the digestive tract and good "alive" non-sweetened yogurt has the probiotic bacteria to help balance their digestion. Do it, asap.

You can mix a big portion of yogurt into a little oatmeal, so that their beaks have something to "grab" when they eat it.

Good luck!

 

[ultasol]

What are you feeding them? Possible protein level problems.

 

[brwneggs]

How do you treat them? Please let me know.
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[brwneggs]

They are doing sooo much better now. We have 3 fixed hen laying boxes, and they usually only use 2 of the three. We rae getting our 6 as normal. They are not bloody anymore-found out that they would get half under the ramp to lay their eggs and then they would peck each other. They still have dirty little bottoms. But the eggs are clean. Its warmer and they are getting out. I know that has to make them happier.

 

[brwneggs]

Oh they LOVE LOVE yougurt!! I give thenm Wal mart yougurt, but I dont know if its live culture. Can you please tell me what brand you give your girls?
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