New flock...noticed a couple things...seeking advice

[Penny spender]

New to chickens and picked up my first 6 girls today. They have mostly just started laying and are a mix mostly red sex link). All came from the same flock. They are a little beat up from roo attention and most seem very healthy.

The blonde hen is breathing opened mouthed and her feathers seem very hard. She seems the most beat up but is not bald anywhere. She is also doing something funny with her backend (kind of flagging her tail?) She is also blind in in one eye. (There is another hen also blind in one eye but very healthy shiney feathered).

Is there anything special I should do for the blond, open mouthed, beat up girl to help her settle in better?

 

[lazy gardener]

Be sure not to add chickens from any other sources, since you're not positive that this flock is in perfect health. She may be stressed from the location change. Chickens don't do change! Why are they blind in one eye? Give them time to settle in. You might want to put them on a higher protein feed. (If you do so, and it's not layer, you'll have to supplement with oyster shell.) An other excellent option would be to put them on fermented feed. If you just keep them on layer, you could boost their protein by giving them a few eggs, or some meat scraps. How old are they? Have you inspected them for mites and lice? That's a MUST DO with new chickens. Also, check them for signs of scaly leg mites. You can do a thread search that will give you pics and treatment options. I'd not treat unless they do in fact have mites or lice.

 

[bobbi-j]

Be sure not to add chickens from any other sources, since you're not positive that this flock is in perfect health. She may be stressed from the location change. Chickens don't do change! Why are they blind in one eye? Give them time to settle in. You might want to put them on a higher protein feed. (If you do so, and it's not layer, you'll have to supplement with oyster shell.) An other excellent option would be to put them on fermented feed. If you just keep them on layer, you could boost their protein by giving them a few eggs, or some meat scraps. How old are they? Have you inspected them for mites and lice? That's a MUST DO with new chickens. Also, check them for signs of scaly leg mites. You can do a thread search that will give you pics and treatment options. I'd not treat unless they do in fact have mites or lice.

This ^^^^ And for future reference, if a bird doesn't look healthy, I wouldn't take it home. It sounds like you'll give these girls a very good home, though. They're lucky birds.

 

[Penny spender]

Strangely enough, even with the move, and the heat, Blondie has given me an egg every day! I was in the coop with her when she laid one so I know what hers look like! (I'm getting 3 eggs per day right now and I'm pretty darn happy with that!)

 

[aart]

Strangely enough, even with the move, and the heat, Blondie has given me an egg every day! I was in the coop with her when she laid one so I know what hers look like! (I'm getting 3 eggs per day right now and I'm pretty darn happy with that!)

Great!
Sexlinks are pretty prolific layers and not much keeps them from producing.
The fact that you didn't integrate them into an existing flock ups the chance that they will resume laying pretty quick, especially point of lay birds.
New place probably offered more relief than stress.

I have a sexlink mix (hatched here) that lays like crazy since POL, she's 2 now and I don't think she's ever even molted much.
She's a tiny thing, but the heat seems to bother her more than any other bird,
she's my indicator bird to get the heat beaters ready when she starts panting and holding her wings out.

 

[Lookin4GoodLife]

What are "heat beaters"? I have 6 golden sex links and they seem to pant now that it's gotten hot during the day, but they don't seem to be in stress otherwise. Their mouths are pretty much always open during the heat of the day.

 

[aart]

What are "heat beaters"? I have 6 golden sex links and they seem to pant now that it's gotten hot during the day, but they don't seem to be in stress otherwise. Their mouths are pretty much always open during the heat of the day.

Mostly I just keep a close eye on them, I might toss a treat to gauge activity level,
make sure no one is stroking out....if they start stumbling or can't get up, it's time to get extreme(dip in cool water) tho I've never had to.

But late afternoons on really hot days I try to offer some relief with:
-melon rinds(stored in the fridge).
-large shallow pans with a bit of water and some ice cubes to wade in a drink from.
(will hold a suffering bird in there to cool their feet-it's funny, they fight it for a second then I can almost hear the sigh of relief while their body relaxes).
-wetting the shady part of the run to cool it a bit more.
-box fan in the coop.