New and sickly chickens! Howdy! New member

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DontPulletMyLeg

In the Brooder
Joined
Sep 8, 2017
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Location
Tehachapi, CA
My husband and I just bought our first home last month that came with 8 chickens (all around 7 months old now) along with a dilapidated chicken coop and run they were housed in. They were never socialized or held and the previous owners dog killed two of them (one we found half-rotten under the deck the first day we moved in). The coop had 1 nesting box for all 8 so they argued LOUDLY often and had one tiny roosting pole. I live in in Southern Cali and it was in the 90's many days this summer (and still). Their run has no shade and their coop is an old shed with 1 small window, so it's hot and muggy in there. Miserable. *We renovated the coup with more nesting boxes and perches and are in the process of cutting lots of holes in the shed and covering with hardware cloth for ventilation.

I was finally able to get them used to us a week or so ago and when I picked a few up I realized how SKINNY they were and that 4 of the 8 have bumble foot! They were on layer pellets but not eating much. I switched to crumble and they're eating a lot more. Last week found tapes in a couple stools so I bought Equimax and used the exact dosage I found on this site. I have not seen tapes since but they are free range so I can't check every stool.

They were not free range until I took ownership of them, but now they are... until today. I thought I researched all there was regarding their care but I didn't think to look up toxic plants. I have an apricot, peach, cherry, apple and pear tree in my yard and those are all toxic to them apparently. They have eaten SO many apricot leaves for a couple weeks now. I just found out that they are super toxic. They are now locked away until I can figure something out. I feel absolutely awful.

I've had some questionable eggs. Calcium deposits on some and a thin shelled one. One chicken is acting weird. She lowers he head sometimes, will sometimes walk with crossed feet and wings drooped. She is eating and drinking though and getting around fine. It's hard to tell which chicken is laying which egg right now.

Sorry for the long story. I was so happy to initially get chickens and am now overwhelmed with chicken coop/run renovations and sick/wormy chickens. Thanks for letting me rant. I love this site and I look forward to being a member.

Questionnaire
:

(1) Are you new to chickens / when did you first get chickens?
-I used to raise and show chickens in FFA in high school, but haven't owned chickens in 11 or 12 years.

(2) How many chickens do you have right now?
-8

(3) What breeds do you have?
-2 are black sexlinks, 3 are red sexlinks and I do not know what the other 3 are.

(4) How did you find out about BackYardChickens.com?
-Any time you type any question in google about chickens... it almost always gets directed to this site. So many useful threads and great information

(5) What are some of your other hobbies?
-Full time student, new home owner and loves to hike and be outdoors
 
Hi and welcome to BYC:frow Sooo sorry to hear of your issues.:hugsGiven what you've described, I'd probably amp up their protein until you get them healthy again. I can't speak to the plant issue--but I'm sure someone will come along who can. Generally chickens won't eat things that will hurt them. I'm also concerned about vitamin deficiency and would probably invest in some nutri-drench applied to their water. When they are hot, they'll eat less which translates to both vitamins and protein drop.

Again welcome and we're so happy you've joined us:ya
 
If they have bumble foot, and worms, you can bet they have lice and or mites, etc.
Is the home you bought in good condition? I ask because they do not seem like the best of folks to buy from. I would imagine there are a lot more surprises tucked away for you to find. :oops:

Thank you for trying to improve their lives, they will bloom and flourish under your care.
 
Hello and welcome to our community. As D/Diva suggests, I'd certainly de-worm them and check for lice / mites and, as rjohns suggests, get some vitamins down them.

More generally, here’s a link to the Articles section - https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/ There you’ll find lots of information on almost every aspect of keeping chickens - from coop building ideas, to incubating eggs.

There’s a link on the page above to the Learning Centre - it’s a great resource. If you have a specific topic in mind, just type it in the search box - there's a wealth of information on past and present threads.

Each week, various topics are discussed, which can also be a great resource - https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/topic-of-the-week-thread-archive
You may wish to consider joining your state thread as it will put you in touch with other BYC members in your area - http://www.backyardchickens.com/t/270925/find-your-states-thread#post_3239224

All the best

Pork Pie
 
A warm :welcome

You have made good strides in bettering their lives. Hang in there as they are sure to improve.

I agree there may be a mite or lice issue. Check at night with a bright flashlight. Don't panic as mites and lice are treatable.
It would explain your droopy hen and their lack of weight too.

I give mine wet mash in the mornings and most will ignore the scratch to come eat the wet mash. I am able to mix some canned mackerel in once a week as well as some Apple Cider Vinegar. I use Bragg's with the mother and just 2 cap fulls per gallon of water.

I look forward to updates on how well they are doing with your care.

Best wishes.

Barbara
 
Wow, I never got notifications that I had any replies so I never bothered checking until now when I made my second post. JEEZ WHIZ! Thank you everyone for the support.

I have not seen any worms at all since deworming them. Did it twice with the proper amount of time in between. I have checked for mites and lice, and nothing I could find on their feet or in their feathers. They have gained weight since deworming them luckily. (And yes we have found some things wrong with the house since the old owners didn't seem to know what they were doing with anything apparently)

They love wet crumble, mealworms and veggies. I either give them ACV or Rooster Booster vitamin supplement into their water. They free range and seem to enjoy life much better with us.

I tried for a while to treat the bumblefoot and have given up. Took one to the vet and was prescribed an ointment to put on her feet as well as the others feet. Also got antibiotics to put in their water for a week. Lancing their feet, soaking in epsom salt, ointment, wrapping and antibiotics have not cured ANY of the hens with bumbefoot. They all still have it, but they seem fine. No swelling, just a normal scab. At this point I'm done treating it. I can't spend every single day soaking and wrapping these hens feet for many weeks to months for this to go away. Sorry if this sounds cruel.

The sick chicken is still around. She has permanently drooped wings, a weird head bob occasionally and walks side ways. The vet thinks its neurological from eating the toxic apricot leaves. They were going to TOWN on them. I was hoping they wouldn't eat stuff that is toxic to them but they did. Oh well.

On the new thread I just posted however, I decided that this flock has done me well but I want a change. I want to start fresh with new chicks. Chronic bumblefoot issues and the fact that they aren't real friendly, etc are reasons why I am going to make meals out of them. They had amazing lives with me though, I can sleep at night knowing that.

I do love this site because it has been the most informative place with chicken keeping on the internet. Thank you everyone who replied and sorry it took me so long to realize I had responses!
 
I'd be cautious about letting someone "pullet your leg" when it comes to the danger of fruit trees to chickens. Yes, they're going to be exposed to plants (and parts of plants) that they shouldn't eat when they're free-ranging. That's the case everywhere -- it can't be avoided. But people have been combining chickens and orchards for centuries and somehow the chickens managed to survive.

Welcome to BYC! Great to have you here!
 

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