New Owner of 11 beautiful hens

[Brooks_]

Here is one more picture

Those spurs.

 

[Kiki]

Welcome. Poor girl might have something serious going on that you may not be able to fix. Is her belly full and squishy feeling?
Is a vet an option?


I know you mentioned you aren't sure of their age... Which probably means you have no clue how they've been fed. What are you feeding?

 

[Hensofthehill]

If your hen is not being picked on she is molting and should have new feather back before it gets really cool. What's your Coop situation look like? Is it predator proof and large enough for all your girls with adequate ventilation?

I saw one other chicken pick her ass one time today, thats it. Coop is somewhat ok... Ive been watching some videos and it looks like I will be doing some heavy circular saw work and extending it and laying box. I will update the post tomorrow with pics of coop. It looks decently beefed up against predators, but roosting balusters are thin 2 *2s thinking to change that to 2*6?

Thank you so much for everyone's help.

 

[Hensofthehill]

Those spurs.

Those spurs.

Yeah, poor girl. Hoping I can help her improve.

 

[Hensofthehill]

Welcome. Poor girl might have something serious going on that you may not be able to fix. Is her belly full and squishy feeling?
Is a vet an option?


I know you mentioned you aren't sure of their age... Which probably means you have no clue how they've been fed. What are you feeding?

This is my 3rd day owning them. I am a bit overwhelmed, scared and excited.

Never held a chicken in my life yet. Trying to get a strategy how i will do this. How would i best catch her to inspect? I appreciate your and everyone's kind responses.

Previous owners didnt feed a good diet. I switched their feed to nature smart organic layer feed.

This hen I believe is 2 years old, but that could be wrong as a lot of things that sellers said but in reality it was different...

 

[Brooks_]

How would i best catch her to inspect?

Pick off roost at night/dusk. Head light to free your hands.

 

[Kiki]

This is my 3rd day owning them. I am a bit overwhelmed, scared and excited.

Never held a chicken in my life yet. Trying to get a strategy how i will do this. How would i best catch her to inspect? I appreciate your and everyone's kind responses.

Previous owners didnt feed a good diet. I switched their feed to nature smart organic layer feed.

This hen I believe is 2 years old, but that could be wrong as a lot of things that sellers said but in reality it was different...

Don't stress about catching her yet.

Is your feed a pellet or a crumble?
If not I HIGHLY recommend getting a pelleted or crumble feed. The number one thing in your control to prevent illness is what you feed. It may be too late for some birds but for the future a balanced diet is worth its weight in gold.

Giving them a choice to pick and choose between which grain they want to eat in a whole grain type feed... Can lead to problems like you're seeing in the swollen bird.

Treats should not be fed daily. Treats is ANYTHING besides the commercially made balanced pelleted or crumbled feed.

If you feel like you must feed treats limited to once a week and then only one tablespoon worth per bird.

Overweightness itself can cause things that can be prevented. Treats leads to overweightness quick.

 

[Grammy60]

Hello Dave and welcome to BYC Congratulations on the new home and chickens. Best of luck with your girl

 

[InterestingChickens]

Welcome to BYC!

2 by 4's inch roosts with either side up, work well. Regarding the coop and run (if they have a run), the rule of thumb is 10 square feet in the run and 4 square feet in the coop for every chicken. As well as one square foot if 24/7/365 ventilation per bird (best area for this is above the birds heads while roosting). One nesting box to every five birds and a linear foot to every bird on the roost. Keep in mind, these are the absolute minimums. Remember, the more space the better and the happier they will be.

 

[DobieLover]

Hello, Dave, and welcome to BYC! Glad you joined.
As has been mentioned, use a head lamp and pluck the birds off the roost one at a time to treat after dark. It's quite easy.

The rooster needs his spurs trimmed. Get a very heavy duty plier style dog clipper and trim the tips then use a heavy duty file to blunt the edges.

Your hen looks like she may have ascites which is a symptom of a more serious disease. You will need to examine her better at night. Compare her belly to the other hens to see if it feels different.