Please help !

[EggSighted4Life]

That is normal behaviour! She just wants to make sure the friend knows she is the top chick! It will settle. Though bantam size chickens are usually a little more persistent to go on in this type of behaviour a bit longer than standard size chickens. So just be prepared for that. Bantams are strong and high spirited. They will very often even challenge my full size chickens.

Also did you get her some dirt or much better than dirt is a low Rubbermaid container of sand! She need help digesting her food so she does not have those low days or droopy days. If she works to hard digesting her food she won't be putting as much into her eggs.

She will eat the sand plus sand bath in it! She will love love love it. You will make her one very very happy chicken! Happiness equals better eggs and better digestion!

Hi, welcome to BYC!

My chickens do eat the sand but they will not bath in it at all.

Yes, things actually usually get the worst right at roost time. They fight for the safest place to sleep, even in nature. So, many people put the new chicken on roost after dark after they've seen each other through a fence for weeks. Not eating at the same time is normal. So it will be important to make sure whoever is eating last is still getting their share of the combined nutrients. It is normal for the top chicken to run others off the food. The lowers will run around and eat anyways. The pecking is normal. It should calm down within a few days. As long as there is no blood shed, they are good. If you do separate them make sure they can see each other, otherwise the whole process starts over again. It is important that you be persistent and let this play out. Chicky will be happier forever with a friend. Chickens are flock animals and need friends. Tight quarters will make this possibly more difficult.... but you are working with what you have right now!

Hang in there. If you provide extra treats, not too many but make them high protein.

Do you know the age, gender, and breed of your new chicken? I thought Chicky is a Golden Campine. Is she bantam and I never noticed? Or your new chicken?

Keep that chicken!

 

[Hayamz]

Hi, welcome to BYC!

My chickens do eat the sand but they will not bath in it at all.

Yes, things actually usually get the worst right at roost time. They fight for the safest place to sleep, even in nature. So, many people put the new chicken on roost after dark after they've seen each other through a fence for weeks. Not eating at the same time is normal. So it will be important to make sure whoever is eating last is still getting their share of the combined nutrients. It is normal for the top chicken to run others off the food. The lowers will run around and eat anyways. The pecking is normal. It should calm down within a few days. As long as there is no blood shed, they are good. If you do separate them make sure they can see each other, otherwise the whole process starts over again. It is important that you be persistent and let this play out. Chicky will be happier forever with a friend. Chickens are flock animals and need friends. Tight quarters will make this possibly more difficult.... but you are working with what you have right now!

Hang in there. If you provide extra treats, not too many but make them high protein.

Do you know the age, gender, and breed of your new chicken? I thought Chicky is a Golden Campine. Is she bantam and I never noticed? Or your new chicken?

Keep that chicken!

yes the place is tight and small , not that small but there's no place for the new chicken to escape from Chicky's pecks , and I really can't put her away I don't have a place for that , I mean I can only put the new one in a box but they won't be able to see each other , that's why I put her in the coop immediately ,
it's a hen and I don't know how old is she but her comb is small and yellow it's not red yet , and I'm no expert of the breeds so I don't know she's light brown .

 

[EggSighted4Life]

yes the place is tight and small , not that small but there's no place for the new chicken to escape from Chicky's pecks , and I really can't put her away I don't have a place for that , I mean I can only put the new one in a box but they won't be able to see each other , that's why I put her in the coop immediately ,
it's a hen and I don't know how old is she but her comb is small and yellow it's not red yet , and I'm no expert of the breeds so I don't know she's light brown .

She sounds perfect! Hopefully they will work it out pretty soon. Like I said, you have to work with what you have.

Post a pic when you can.

It is possible that Chicky won't lay eggs while they adjust to each other. SO be aware of that. And hopefully that girl can be settled in nicely by the time she is ready to start.

 

[Hayamz]

She sounds perfect! Hopefully they will work it out pretty soon. Like I said, you have to work with what you have.

Post a pic when you can.

It is possible that Chicky won't lay eggs while they adjust to each other. SO be aware of that. And hopefully that girl can be settled in nicely by the time she is ready to start.

so when they adjust , will she be able to lay eggs while the other one is around ?? she likes to lay next to the feeder and the water

she likes to entertain herself while laying

and I guess the other one will also be around the food so she will be close to her, is that okay ? Chicky keeps pulling her feathers even while they're sleeping , I'm afraid if I left them in the morning alone I will get back and find the other one without any feathers left

also she's very aggressive by the time of laying , before laying I mean , so if she's pecking the other one in the normal time , what's she going to do to her when she's close to lay ?

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Hard call...

 

[Hayamz]

Hey , thank goodness everything is great now between the 2 chicken, Chicky laid 2 eggs since Friday , something odd is happening today and I'm terrified, I don't know if I'm too paranoid or what , Chicky usually wakes up with her crop empty, today she woke up but when I felt her crop it was small and firm ,not stuffed as the end of every day, but still I can feel something hard not empty as usual , she was pooping well though , and she's eating well too , but then it's been a few hours since she pooped, she's drinking a lot of water , I'm afraid that she has an impacted crop , so I added a spoon of oil to her water , removed any solid food , mixed yogurt, bread ,water and oil ,she eats from that mix a little but she's drinking a lot , I check her crop and it went from hard to soft like it's filled with water , I try to massage it downwards but it's hard to hold her in one place , no strange smells coming out of her mouth ,she didn't eat anything unusual the other day ,I don't know what's going on I'm scared and crying because I can't do anything to help her ,please help me
It's 5.44 pm now so it's almost bed time , I didn't give her any food again , I added oil yo her water and she's drinking non stop , also I soaked some bread in oil and she ate it ,her crop still like a sponge , she pooped twice now and it's watery with one solid yellow piece, I took the other chicken away so I can keep track of Chicky's poop and I don't know what to do about massaging her , she won't let me , I guess I will take her out if her coop in a couple of hours inside my house and I will try to massage it , I don't know if I'm doing things right or what and the crop was firm and hard in the morning now it has a spongy feeling, is that means it's going soft ??

 

[EggSighted4Life]

I'm glad things are well between the chickens.

I would avoid the bread as it can cause sour crop. Please check this article and see if it can help you.

http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2012/04/answers-from-chicken-vet-on-impacted.html

It's OK to cry! I do the same thing when I become truly worried about one of my animals.

 

[Hayamz]

I'm glad things are well between the chickens.

I would avoid the bread as it can cause sour crop. Please check this article and see if it can help you.

http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2012/04/answers-from-chicken-vet-on-impacted.html

It's OK to cry! I do the same thing when I become truly worried about one of my animals.

yes I read that article and I'm doing what it says , but at the beginning of the article it says that the bird will drink a lot of water , and that will lead to sour crop , but in the treatment of an impacted crop , it says to give the bird water to soften up the ball , I don't get the conflict , but the hard ball is really soft now as a sponge , should I continue giving her only water and oil until the blockage is gone ? is it okay for a chicken to stay without food for several days ? and I really don't know what caused the blockage . she didn't take any strange food ,she even laid an egg yesterday and was perfectly healthy and active all day

 

[EggSighted4Life]

I understand what you are saying. Are you holding her upside down a little when you are massaging her?

I believe you that you don't know what is causing it. Does she have grit or small pebbles available?

Since the article says baking soda may help (for sour crop).... I would go ahead and give electrolytes. Recipe is 2 cups warm water, 1/2 teaspoon each salt and baking soda, and 2 tablespoons brown (or white) sugar. Mix to dissolve and serve full strength. It should help provide energy. Just like the lactated ringers fluid they use in hospital IV's.

Going without food will not kill her but not being able to pass food could.

Do you have any yogurt? The article said give soft food when you do. Chopped boiled egg is always a good soft food. So try soft foods with nutrients instead of bread. And things do take time to correct sometimes. Since it is already softer, maybe she is on her way to recovery already.... The yellow poo is likely from no food to digest, it is common in birds that haven't eaten for a little while. I don't know for sure... but with holding food until it clears might be the best.... So you have to decide what SEEMS to make the most sense to you.

Chicken keeping has been a challenge for you. In the end it is very rewarding. But when they are ill, so frustrating. You might be a little paranoid.... but better safe than sorry! By paying attention like you do, you catch things early!

The next thing you will tell me is... "she's doing great!"... I hope...

I will look around more to see if I find anything else as well.

 

[Hayamz]

I understand what you are saying. Are you holding her upside down a little when you are massaging her?

I believe you that you don't know what is causing it. Does she have grit or small pebbles available?

Since the article says baking soda may help (for sour crop).... I would go ahead and give electrolytes. Recipe is 2 cups warm water, 1/2 teaspoon each salt and baking soda, and 2 tablespoons brown (or white) sugar. Mix to dissolve and serve full strength. It should help provide energy. Just like the lactated ringers fluid they use in hospital IV's.

Going without food will not kill her but not being able to pass food could.

Do you have any yogurt? The article said give soft food when you do. Chopped boiled egg is always a good soft food. So try soft foods with nutrients instead of bread. And things do take time to correct sometimes. Since it is already softer, maybe she is on her way to recovery already.... The yellow poo is likely from no food to digest, it is common in birds that haven't eaten for a little while. I don't know for sure... but with holding food until it clears might be the best.... So you have to decide what SEEMS to make the most sense to you.

Chicken keeping has been a challenge for you. In the end it is very rewarding. But when they are ill, so frustrating. You might be a little paranoid.... but better safe than sorry! By paying attention like you do, you catch things early!   

The next thing you will tell me is... "she's doing great!"... I hope... 

I will look around more to see if I find anything else as well.

Okay the new thing is , she's sneezing , she started to sneeze this afternoon , and I'm hearing a strange sound from her nose , it's not runny and her eyes are fine , when my friend brought the new chicken she was sneezing as well , non stop , I told her I don't want her near Chicky she said it's okay it's something she's doing it's not sneezing , now Chicky is doing the same thing !! Along with her blocked crop , I didn't give her solid food today , only soft as scrambled eggs and tomatoes, without the peel of course , she eats a little and then stands in the corner and closes her eyes , she tries to scratch but it's like she has no effort to do that , and oh she laid an egg too , it was a beautiful one , the other chicken still sneezes, but her health is good , she eats everything and more healthy than Chicky , Chicky's crop is getting smaller , I massage it every other time, I shouldn't have brought another chicken , she was fine on her own , now she's sick and she's going to die , I have no vet to go to ,I think I'm losing her she was a gift from someone I really cared about who passed away and now Chicky will go too .