I'm not sure how much of an emergency this is or isn't.
Here's what I'm facing:
1 White Leghorn Hen
A small balding patch of skin on her breast
Slight wheezing sounds when she breathes but nothing too bad
I noticed that the balding patch has some manure stuck to it which I first thought was some nasty scab. I can also tell that her whole underside is dirty because she sat outside in a muddy area during a recent rain. I'm not sure if that's what is sticking and clumping to her breast or not, but I'm thinking that's what it is.
My main concern is the balding. Is this simply a sign that she's broody?
She's around 6 months old, just laid her first egg this morning (February 2, 2013) and fairly active, although she is very large.
I have also noticed that she has a slight limp which I'm guessing might be from jumping out of the coop and landing too hard.
Is there anything I should be doing that I'm not doing?
I love this chicken and can't wait for more eggs (they're huge) from her.
Here's what I'm facing:
1 White Leghorn Hen
A small balding patch of skin on her breast
Slight wheezing sounds when she breathes but nothing too bad
I noticed that the balding patch has some manure stuck to it which I first thought was some nasty scab. I can also tell that her whole underside is dirty because she sat outside in a muddy area during a recent rain. I'm not sure if that's what is sticking and clumping to her breast or not, but I'm thinking that's what it is.
My main concern is the balding. Is this simply a sign that she's broody?
She's around 6 months old, just laid her first egg this morning (February 2, 2013) and fairly active, although she is very large.
I have also noticed that she has a slight limp which I'm guessing might be from jumping out of the coop and landing too hard.
Is there anything I should be doing that I'm not doing?
I love this chicken and can't wait for more eggs (they're huge) from her.
