Newbie chicken mom in WA

Date sort Score sort
gapey

gapey

Songster
5 Years
Sep 15, 2014
233
120
111
Monroe, WA
I just recently bought a house with 6 chickens that I think are 3 buff orpingtons and 3 rhode island reds and have had to learn a lot in a short amount of time. In my first couple of months I've already had one of them go broody and she's been broody for nearly 3 weeks. I'm considering getting her a couple chicks to raise. I may get an ameraucana and a delaware. I've already bought a dog kennel and cornered off a section of the chicken run to separate her from the others and raise her chicks.

I've also had one that appears to be sick today. She seems to have lost her voice and has been sneezing. I posted in one of the other threads about it but it went to the moderator because I posted a couple of youtube video links of her behavior. I'm not sure if I should separate her from the others or not.

This looks like a good group of knowledgeable chicken owners so I hope to learn a lot from you all.

-Paula
 
Last edited:
Welcome to BYC!

You will find a lot of good information here. Keep on asking questions and you will get many good answers.

You may also want to read the FAQ below.

Chickens are a lot of work but a lot of fun.
 
Welcome to BYC! Please make yourself at home and we are here to help.

Sounds like you have done everything right for your broody and your sick hen. I'm sorry about her!
hugs.gif


She may just have a respiratory bug. Give her some water with garlic in it and put some thyme, rosemary, yarrow and lavender in her coop. This will help clear it up. If it seems serious then you should post here if you already haven't.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/f/10/emergencies-diseases-injuries-and-cures

What does her poop, face, vent, nostrils, eyes, etc look like?

As far as the broody goes, you have done it right! Separating a part for the chicks and their mama was very wise. Make sure that if you give her some chicks, that she is serious about being broody and that you give them to her at night.

Best of luck and glad you joined!
 
Last edited:
Im a newbie chicken gal as well. We have 4 chicks, Americauna breed. They are a real kick ! Mine are close to 5 weeks old and about ready to be introduced to their new coop. We have 2 that we are attaching together along with a good sized run area. Im sure my pot belly pig will find them amusing. Learning as we go, but enjoying this new adventure.
 
divinitymin said:
Im a newbie chicken gal as well.  We have 4 chicks, Americauna breed.  They are a real kick !  Mine are close to 5 weeks old and about ready to be introduced to their new coop. We have 2 that we are attaching together along with a good sized run area.  Im sure my pot belly pig will find them amusing.   Learning as we go, but enjoying this new adventure.
Click to expand...

Welcome to BYC!

Glad you joined! Enjoy your flock!:)
 
Thanks for the suggestions. I hope it's just a little bug that will pass. The other chickens seem fine for now. I have a ton of rosemary and lavender around the yard so will put some in the coop in the morning before I head to work.

And yes I did post to that thread but it went to moderation because I put external links in my post, to some videos I posted of my sick chicken on youtube.
 
Last edited:
How is your hen doing in other respects? Is she eating well and drinking? Are her poos okay. What about activity level? How long has she been like this? Generally it is a good idea to separate from the others. Respiratory issues can be very contagious. Your answers to the above would be determining factors to the severity level. Have you posted her symptoms at "emergencies, diseases, injuries, cures" thread?
 
Welcome to BYC, Paula. Glad you decided to join our flock. I've raised Buff Orpingtons for years and they are a wonderful breed; beautiful, hardy, friendly and gentle, and good layers of large, brown eggs. Just be aware that if you buy your Ameraucana from a hatchery that it will likely be an Easter Egger and not a true Ameraucana (guaranteed if it's misspelled as Americana or Americauna). If you're not familiar with the difference, there is a good article at http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2011/09/ameraucana-easter-egger-or-araucana.html explaining the difference between Ameraucanas, Araucanas, and Easter Eggers. Not that there's anything wrong with Easter Eggers. They typically outlay true Ameraucanas and our Easter Eggers are my granddaughter's fvorite chickens. She loves the different colored eggs that they lay. :eek:) Please feel free to ask any questions you may have. We are here to help in any way we can. Good luck with your flock.
 
It's only been one day since she lost her voice. She was drooling or runny nose the day before and making funny noises I hadn't heard before but otherwise acted normal. She was drinking too. Not sure about eating. She didn't eat when the others did yesterday. Will see how she is today but I may separate her before I leave for work if she hasn't improved .

I did post in that thread but it went to moderators because I posted external links to youtube in it so it has to be approved. Not sure how long that takes.
 
Last edited:

New posts New threads Active threads

Back
Top Bottom