Ok, so this morning I was out feeding the clan. The usual is to let them out of the coop in the morning and they follow me to the pig barn where most of the other critters feed is. I keep some scratch in there to toss out as I come out with buckets full for the rest of the ranch. The last couple of morning I have noticed our one and only Welsummer is kind of pale (but only slightly) in her comb. I mean, she is still reddish, but not as bright as she use to be. I purchased this hen from a lady selling out over two months ago. She has laid eggs for us and I am guessing from what the lady told me that she is around a year old maybe a few months beyond that. She has always been docile and is my 6 year old son's hen he carries around. So this morning she came with the rest and just sat there not eating. Once I got the other animals in that area fed I headed back to the barn to sit and watch the chickens. She sat there and didn't really try to get scratch. When they others walked off to other areas they like to peck around at she came and sat in front of me. I spoke to her and she just looked back at me. So I picked her up. I was pretty shocked at how thin she had gotten so quickly. I held her last weekend and she was pretty plump. I couldn't find anything wrong with her and no sounds of respiratory or visually. My first gut instinct is she is wormy. I was told they were wormed right before we picked them up. I am headed to the feed store here shortly and will pick up some wormer.
Please tell me what you all think.
Oh, before I left I handed her a small handful of chick starter (she usually eats layena like the rest.) She went to town on that. She is the head roos favorite hen so I know she is getting food and water no problem.
Please tell me what you all think.
Oh, before I left I handed her a small handful of chick starter (she usually eats layena like the rest.) She went to town on that. She is the head roos favorite hen so I know she is getting food and water no problem.
