- Dec 18, 2013
- 11
- 0
- 22
Hello! I'm new here but have been a chicken keeper since June. All was going so well until recently . Can anyone offer any advice?
First one chicken of three died. She's been sad for a few days then just dropped down dead. No matter, it was sad but the other two seemed fine so we stuck with them. Then I started pushing it with the free ranging. I let them out on Tuesday, went to work and the fox came at 11am. One down and one on its last legs. Well she pulled through but seemed so lonely. She hasn't laid eggs since. We got two extra yesterday which were free. I now realise that they were free as one is perpetually broody. Splitting the run into two we made a makeshift house for our first chicken but she won't go in it and is sleeping outside now. She still is not herself, looks totally bedraggled and missing loads of feathers and moreover is now walking with her legs really high? The new broody one just sits on the floor of the coop puffed up to about four times it's size! I'm really unsure how our original one will cope when they are integrated. She just stands around now looking forlorn and I don't know what the kindest thing to do is? Also I'm now too nervous to let any of them out and the run is so muddy they are just going to get miserable stuck in there aren't they? Any advice appreciated. Clare x
First one chicken of three died. She's been sad for a few days then just dropped down dead. No matter, it was sad but the other two seemed fine so we stuck with them. Then I started pushing it with the free ranging. I let them out on Tuesday, went to work and the fox came at 11am. One down and one on its last legs. Well she pulled through but seemed so lonely. She hasn't laid eggs since. We got two extra yesterday which were free. I now realise that they were free as one is perpetually broody. Splitting the run into two we made a makeshift house for our first chicken but she won't go in it and is sleeping outside now. She still is not herself, looks totally bedraggled and missing loads of feathers and moreover is now walking with her legs really high? The new broody one just sits on the floor of the coop puffed up to about four times it's size! I'm really unsure how our original one will cope when they are integrated. She just stands around now looking forlorn and I don't know what the kindest thing to do is? Also I'm now too nervous to let any of them out and the run is so muddy they are just going to get miserable stuck in there aren't they? Any advice appreciated. Clare x