New to BYC

[AngieChick]

Perhaps some electolytes for her as well as the yogurt?

I Hope she continues to improve for you.

 

[gritsar]

Hi and welcome to BYC.
About the only advice I could offer on the digestive issue is what you've already been told. The plain yogurt is really good for them.
As for her vision problem, I have a hen with a vision problem too. When she was very young I had to help her out alot, but she's learned how to get by with her disability and does just fine. She recently started laying. If you free-range at all keep an eye out that your hen doesn't get so distracted trying to find food that she loses track of where the flock has gone. I sometimes find my hen standing all alone in a field because she was so intent on the food she got left behind. I pick her up and take her to where the others have gone.

 

[Sassymygirl]

<<<This say it all

 

[wexfordwoman]

Thanks to all who replied to my post about my sick hen. Just to update you all she is doing fine now, still thinner than the rest but, abel to hold her own. I don't think she has started to lay yet, can't be certain of course, she seems to be a bit behind the rest in development, she is still molting slightly around the head all the rest have fine red coats. She pecks around every where getting a bit more adventurous everyday. I was just wondering I know this question has probably been answered many times before but, I found 38 eggs today that were not being laid in the hen house and I'm not sure how to tell if they are still fresh or not or if they would be safe to eat any ideas would be welcome. Thank you all once again

 

[Jena]

Hi Wexford woman and RTRChick, welcome.

I am new too and I live in South Wales, in the UK.

I hope your girl come on well , I think you are already very attached to her. Good luck to her.

Jena

 

[Wynette]

I wanted to mention that you should have free choice grit and oyster shell available for your girls. The food looking the same going out as it did going in sounds like she needs grit.

If she's making her way around okay, I'd leave her be but of course watch her and give her extra treats; higher protein may help - you can cook some egg yolk for this, maybe pick her up or hand feed her so it's a special treat just for her. I have one that is blind as well, and they seem to learn to use their ears more. Mine gets around okay, but she's smaller than my others, and thinner, too. I am careful not to move the feed and water too much; if I do, I pick her up and take her to it so she knows where it is and doesn't have to struggle to find it.

Welcome to BYC, and enjoy your girls!

 

[christmaschicken]

I had an Americana she was always thin and very sickly looking she was partially blind in one eye and the girls kept pecking at her.

I took some sterile drops, put them in her eye followed by an Eye Ointment every day for 14 days. I could not believe the differance. She is perfectly fine now and she is one of my prettiest girls now small but very nice and shy. Same thing happend to on of my RIR and I did the same thing and she is fine now will be showing her at the fair this year.

Do not know if it was the right thing to do but as my Mom always said you don't know if you don't TRY something......

 

[wexfordwoman]

Thank you all for your advice, I'm sure she will be fine now and I agree she does need more grit but the problem is getting her to eat it ! She gets lots of attention and gets little piles of corn left just for her where the others can't get at it and she can eat it in peace, not always easy as they seem to have eyes in the back of their heads. So once again thank you all.

 

[spook]

 

[chickenannie]

Do you give them grit? Perhaps the sick hen has no grit in her crop to process (grind down) the feed.
By the way you know you're "training" her to follow you around by giving her bits of feed everywhere. I know this from personal experience -- just ask my spoiled rotten baby roo "Brownie".

As for the eggs, you fill a large bowl of water, then put the eggs in it. If they float, they are old. If they lay horizontally at the bottom of the bowl, they are very fresh. If they stay at the bottom, but one end of the egg rises (so the egg is vertical) they are still good, but not as fresh as the horizontal ones. This works because as an egg is laid with a small air bubble. As the egg ages, the pores of the shell allow the moisture inside to evaporate very slowly, therefore causing the air bubble to get bigger. The bigger the air bubble, the more the egg floats.

Hope this helps!