Not sure what is going on with my leghorn pullet

[mcleveland]

Hi everyone! I'm new here and this is my 1st post (aside from the introduction post). I had mentioned in my introduction post that I thought maybe one of my white leghorns could be egg bound. This is my first ever flock and this is all pretty much new to me. Yesterday I noticed this particular LH was acting a little "off". She was wanting to be by herself, not really eating or drinking, wants to sleep most of the day - I just wormed the first flock on Sunday for preventative measures. And her poo was runny white. Now today she is acting more "normal". She is eating, drinking, going out of the coop with the others and pecking around. I even got some oyster shell today and she (and only a couple other pullets) ate some of it. Her crop feels fine. I have not seen her poop today yet. She's been a little more sociable today (she's a bit more shy than most of the others). Haven't heard a peep out of her though - she's not a very vocal gal (non of my leghorns are - is that typical for LH's?).

So do you think anything could be wrong with her? Or was she just having "one of those days"?

She is 17 weeks old, btw.

Here's the gal in question:

 

[terryg]

She could easily have had a reaction to the wormer. Those are potent drugs (what did you use?) and not scaled for poultry. Honestly, I think that people worm way too much. Especially if your coop is on "chicken-virgin" ground, it's unlikely that a 17 wk old pullet would have a severe case of worms. If you worm with the same thing over and over, you'll eventually have worms that are drug resistant. Rely on good management (I've written about his on my blog.)
But, good for you, as a new hen keeper, to recognize when a hen is "off." A truly sick hen often goes downhill rapidly. Read this FAQ to give you an idea of how to think it through next time. http://www.hencam.com/henblog/diagnosing-a-sick-chicken/

 

[chicmom]

When you say she wanted to be by herself, did she sit in a nest box, or was she just on a roost?

Could she just be low on the pecking order? Have you seen the others picking on her much?

I've had hens that layed at 17 weeks before, so it might be that she's getting ready to begin laying.....They do act a little bit strange....They go into the coop alot by themselves and fuss about....

I wouldn't worry so much if she's acting fine now. But just keep an eye on her.....She looks pretty, love you pic,
Sharon

 

[mcleveland]

Thank you for replying terryg. And thanks for the link! I've only wormed once and I used wazine 17 in their water. I decided to worm them all because we've had more than usual rain and damp weather, and I let my chickens free range a good bit. Rain brings earthworms to the surface and well, you know how chickens love to eat them. From what I understand sometimes earthworms can carry parasitic worms. I've also read (can't remember where now) that using garlic powder in their food on a regular basis will help to keep parasites under control. And that makes sense, since humans can eat garlic for preventing some stomach problems as well. One of my husbands friends says he uses hot pepper powder for his chickens for the same reason and claims it works.

I don't plan on giving them the wazine 17 no more than necessary, I would like to be able to eat the eggs once they start to lay

Besides, it will probably go bad or be expired before I would have to use it again. At least I hope!!

 

[mcleveland]

When you say she wanted to be by herself, did she sit in a nest box, or was she just on a roost?

Could she just be low on the pecking order? Have you seen the others picking on her much?

I've had hens that layed at 17 weeks before, so it might be that she's getting ready to begin laying.....They do act a little bit strange....They go into the coop alot by themselves and fuss about....

I wouldn't worry so much if she's acting fine now. But just keep an eye on her.....She looks pretty, love you pic,
Sharon

Hi chicmom,

No she didn't sit in the nest box, she sat under them in a corner. I did see her roost once yesterday. I do suspect that she is low in the pecking order, although I have not seen her being picked on. She doesn't seem to have lost any feathers (some of my chickens have had a few tail feathers pecked out by others). I also suspect she is getting ready to lay. Her comb and wattles are larger than the other three leghorns (they are the same age) and her's are red, the others look more pale pink still. My avatar pic was taken yesterday as well and you can see another leghorn behind the NHR and hers are still pink.

Will definitely keep an eye on her. Thanks!!