- Aug 8, 2014
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I have this hen that has had issues for about 6 months...I am not sure what is wrong with her. Obviously she is not imminently dying, but things sure do not add up, and I would love to help this girl.
She was about 15 weeks old when I got her. I got her off CL, and she was spry and at the top of the pecking order-She was the same size as the two barred rocks that she came with. From her looks, she is a columbian wyandotte. But...after several months...here is what happened...
All the hens have outpaced her growth. She is on the small/thin side. My red stars and barred rocks are larger than she is. She moved to the bottom of the pecking order.
When she started laying, her eggs have always been ugly. Her shell quality is off-she gets body checked eggs often, or ridges, or uneven shaped. The yolk, from day one, has been almost cream-def lighter than a store bought egg. She is on purina layena, and she forages well. The rest of the girls have deep dark orange yolks, but hers are a shade above cream. I have never seen such pale yolks. I have done EVERYTHING to darken them, to no avail. I have de-wormed her with safeguard and with wazine. She does not have mice or lice.
She lays about 5x a week.
She seems weak and tired. Today, while she was laying in the nest box, she kept falling asleep. Yesterday, when I placed her down on the ground, she sorta stumbled, like her legs were too weak to hold her body up for a second.
Recently, part of her ear lobes turned chalky white.
What gives? I just do not understand why she seems to be struggling. Any help is appreciated! Thanks!
ETA-she is the girl in my profile pic...
She was about 15 weeks old when I got her. I got her off CL, and she was spry and at the top of the pecking order-She was the same size as the two barred rocks that she came with. From her looks, she is a columbian wyandotte. But...after several months...here is what happened...
All the hens have outpaced her growth. She is on the small/thin side. My red stars and barred rocks are larger than she is. She moved to the bottom of the pecking order.
When she started laying, her eggs have always been ugly. Her shell quality is off-she gets body checked eggs often, or ridges, or uneven shaped. The yolk, from day one, has been almost cream-def lighter than a store bought egg. She is on purina layena, and she forages well. The rest of the girls have deep dark orange yolks, but hers are a shade above cream. I have never seen such pale yolks. I have done EVERYTHING to darken them, to no avail. I have de-wormed her with safeguard and with wazine. She does not have mice or lice.
She lays about 5x a week.
She seems weak and tired. Today, while she was laying in the nest box, she kept falling asleep. Yesterday, when I placed her down on the ground, she sorta stumbled, like her legs were too weak to hold her body up for a second.
Recently, part of her ear lobes turned chalky white.
What gives? I just do not understand why she seems to be struggling. Any help is appreciated! Thanks!
ETA-she is the girl in my profile pic...
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