New Chicken in QT. What do I need to know? *pics*

[itsy]

Hello all. I purchased two three year old hens yesterday with the thought in mind to process them. I've never killed a chicken before, but I wanted to try it before my meat chicks arrive. I got two birds from a local farmer: A RIR and this BR. The RIR had a BARE butt that was getting pasty with poo and what looks to be leftovers from a Rooster. As a matter of fact, this BR has the leftovers of a roo on her too. Either way, I put a couple posts about it in the meat section with photos of the bare butt RIR. I'd link you to them, but I don't want to bother anyone who isn't interested in reading or looking at pics. I processed the RIR today. It wasn't fun - and I'm sure the first time never is. After processing her and seeing yolks inside of her, I decided not to process the BR. She's now living in a temporary set up in the front yard. We live on a farm. All of our other pullets (and one cockerel) are in the back. I think there's 17 back there, but I've lost count. We've raised all of them from chicks.

Anyhow - I think I've decided to save the BR. I plan on QTing her for at least two weeks, if not more. Are there any other tips you may have for me before introducing her to the others? Is there anything I should know? Any downside? I'm going to do my best to not cross contaminate. I'll not use the same containers. I'm not using the same hose to fill water. I wash my hands after touching her or where she is.

Any advice would be appreciated. I've checked her for mites and don't notice anything wrong with her. Granted, I'm very new to this and we've never had a chicken of this age. I know she won't be a good layer, but something about her and my recent processing of her pal is making me not want to kill her. I wouldn't advise any first timers to process such an old bird. I think it would have been better for me had the bird been younger.

If it's ok to keep her, I'm naming her Nelly.

This is what she'll be staying in for a little while. I know it's small. I recently added that cat litter box. I bought it new today and thought she might like to go in?

She's friendly for not being terribly socialized. She's come to me for a few butterworms and mealworms.

While I was outside sitting with her, she fell asleep standing up. Is this normal??

ZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

 

[dawg53]

It's not normal for a hen standing up with her eyes closed as if she's sleeping during the daytime. They are normally foraging, eating grass etc...An exception would be if it's too hot, she would be laying in dirt in the shade or under a bush maybe dozing off, but not for long. You stated that she didnt have mites, do you know if she has been wormed? You could ask the farmer.
I would keep her quarantined away from the others permanently til you find out what's going on. Also, respiratory problems dont always show up right away in chickens, there are incubation times to take into consideration. Alot of people quarantine for 30 days, even so, that doesnt guarantee that she is safe to introduce to your current flock.

 

[itsy]

Oh great

He says that he worms them in the fall. It hasn't been very hot today and she's mainly under a tree. She has what looks like normal, but stinky poo. Her poop is definitely larger than my birds in the back.

So she may not be good at all? Does that mean you wouldn't eat her? lol. I had this debate in the meat section and I ended up processing the other bird. It's in my fridge. The funny thing is - she looks better than the other one. The other one had a big bald butt that was dirty with poo and rooster stuff. Her eyes looked a little watery. When I opened her up, everything looked normal. She was pretty fatty. Her liver had some white spots, but they told me in the meaty section that it was ok.

I bought some powder antibiotics today. I could shake and bake her in a bag of that plus some DE?

 

[dawg53]

Quote:
All I'm saying is that if you keep her, observe her frequently for telltale signs of any problems and treat accordingly. Dont just start throwing meds at her, because you dont know what you might be dealing with and if they arnt the right meds, it could do more harm than good....that includes DE.
Here's how a cursory inspection should go: Open her mouth and look for any sores or anything out of the ordinary. Look in her ears for wax or goop. If you see any... it could indicate ear mites, bacterial infection or a respiratory issue. Pick her up and look on the bottom of her feet for bumblefoot, check her legs for scaly leg mites. If she has poopy butt, clean it or trim it with scissors...it can attract flies and they will lay eggs which will grow into maggots and cause all kinds of problems. Lice and mites like the vent area, inspect that area closely. Check her poop for internal parasites or any other abnormalties. Check her head to toe for any cuts, scrapes or previous scars. Pick her up and put your ear to her chest and sides and listen for any clicking, wheezing or gurgling. Clicking means there is a problem with her heart or heart valve. If you hear wheezing or gurling, it's chronic respiratory disease (CRD.) When she lays an egg, check and see if it's wrinkled, if so, there could be a problem in her reproductive tract. Crack the egg open and if the whites are excessively watery, she has infectious bronchitus virus (IBV,) there would be respiratory problems as well. Check her nostrils and eyes for mucous or if they are runny, any face swelling...these all indicate CRD.
Now that I've told you how to inspect a chicken (I'm sure I've missed something, always do lol)...personally I would just keep an eye on her and observe her for 30 days for anything out of the ordinary. Perhaps she was just tired from the excitement and stress from being moved around and her new surroundings. She will get used to her catbox and her surroundings, ensure she has the proper feed (layer feed) and of course fresh water. Time will tell how it goes with her...I'm a softie for Barred Rocks, love them! Good luck.

 

[itsy]

Dawg, that response is exactly what I needed! Thank you. I'm quite green to this and wouldn't know what to look for. You're a big help.

I took the lid off of the box because she jumped on top of it and wedged herself in next to the roof. There's straw in the box and I threw a golf ball in there to make her feel better. I don't know if that'll remind her enough of her own eggs or not, but we shall see! I'll continue to watch her. I'm moving the crates twice a day to make sure she's not standing in poo.