pullet with diarrhea

[Mrs.Carron]

Hello,

I am very new to all this chicken raising. I have probably bitten off more than I can chew. I bought 4 pullets from a farm store 6 days ago. I have two buffs, one gold sex link and one red production. The two buffs have been pecked til they bleed. I have put rooster booster on them. I have made their pen larger, and I read somewhere to put a little vinegar in their water to help with harsh pecking. Now, one buff has diarrhea and the red production has sticky poop. I have the sex link separated because she seems to be the aggressor. I had no idea it would be this much trouble. I never would have bought them had I known. They are all about 22days old I do not know if they have been vaccinated for anything. I should have done more research on them. I didn't know they needed to be vaccinated for anything. All I heard from other people was how great it was to raise chickens. I can see on the forum that it is a great thing but I am going nuts. I feel like an idiot for trying this. I am probably the last person anyone would think to raise chickens. I would appreciate any advise, help, prayers, anything! Thanks.

 

[Miss Lydia]

so sorry your going through this, and

thats how most of us started because we needed some help, but yes chickens can be brutal towards on another. I will give you the link to the poop chart so you can determine if there is need for concern on the poop issue, do you have any yogurt? plain with good probiotics. you could try mixing some up with the chick food. when mine were young I would take some yogurt and chick food and a little warm water and mix it up and my chicks loved it. Feed it in a bowl that way they have regular feed still available. I would also advise you get some blue-kote and use it on any wounds. it not only heals but will also cover the wound and make it less inviting to peck at. Now you have removed the aggressor,how long has it been separated? you might be able to try putting it back in since that should have knocked it's pecking order statis down a notch. If it's been away from the flock for more than a few days. You could also try shuffleing them around for a few days so that when you put them back together there is no pecking order at all. then they have to start from scratch. I would diff. get some blue-kote though or them buffs haven't a chance of healing. unless they are separated till they heal. but then you risk another problem with trying to intergrate them back into the flock. Chickens are a joy to own and I hope you can experience this soon, you just need to work out the kinks. please let us know how they are doing and if we can help futher.. http://www.chat.allotment.org.uk/index.php?topic=17568.0 all the best.

 

[elmo]

Mrs.Carron :

Hello,

I am very new to all this chicken raising. I have probably bitten off more than I can chew. I bought 4 pullets from a farm store 6 days ago. I have two buffs, one gold sex link and one red production. The two buffs have been pecked til they bleed. I have put rooster booster on them. I have made their pen larger, and I read somewhere to put a little vinegar in their water to help with harsh pecking. Now, one buff has diarrhea and the red production has sticky poop. I have the sex link separated because she seems to be the aggressor. I had no idea it would be this much trouble. I never would have bought them had I known. They are all about 22days old I do not know if they have been vaccinated for anything. I should have done more research on them. I didn't know they needed to be vaccinated for anything. All I heard from other people was how great it was to raise chickens. I can see on the forum that it is a great thing but I am going nuts. I feel like an idiot for trying this. I am probably the last person anyone would think to raise chickens. I would appreciate any advise, help, prayers, anything! Thanks.

Ok, welcome to the forum.

Couple of things to begin with. A "pullet" is a young but mature hen, usually at the point of laying or already started to lay. Usually that means the bird is around 4-5 months old. A 22 day old is a chick, already beginning to feather out but still in need of the warmth provided by an artificial brooder. So what do you have, pullets or chicks? With the pecking issues you're dealing with, I'm suspecting that it's pullets.

Chickens have a quite complicated social structure known as a pecking order. You can't just take birds who aren't acquainted with each other and force them to live together (particularly in a small space) and expect them to get along immediately. I suspect the birds you selected were not kept together before you got them. Is that right?

Usually, when you introduce new birds to each other it's recommended that you keep them separated, but let them see each other, in side by side pens, for a couple of weeks before letting them mix. And when you do integrate, adequate space is important. You should probably not try to house chickens in less than 4 square feet per bird for the coop (the indoor part) plus 10 square feet per bird for the run (the outdoor part). More room is certainly better, but this gives you an idea of what space requirements you should probably not try to go below.

I personally have never heard of adding vinegar to water in order to stop pecking order problems, and I wouldn't do it if I were you. You might add too much vinegar and make the birds refuse to drink to the point of dehydration, and that could kill them.

About the diarrhea...if it is diarrhea, it can be caused by stress. But chickens also have something called a cecal dropping that's very wet and smelly but perfectly normal. It's one out of every ten or so droppings. Here are some pictures so you can judge for yourself:

http://www.chat.allotment.org.uk/index.php?topic=17568.0


You're right that it would have been better to learn about chickens first and then gotten the birds, but you can still salvage the situation. There's a lot of information to absorb, but this website has everything on it that you need to know, and people here are happy to answer questions and help out as much as possible.

Good luck, and post again with any other specific questions.​

 

[Mrs.Carron]

Thanks for your help. I called them pullets because that is what the tag at the store said. They are chicks, they are female and no they were not together. The lady at the store was very helpful and knows quite a bit about them. She has had chickens all her life. Any info from the begining came from her. She suggested to mix the breeds, otherwise I would just have gotten all the same. She didn't mention pecking order, which I was familiar with but didn't know they would bleed from it. I have just taken them out to play on a sheet. The manure is not quite so runny. I only put a 1/2 tsp. of vinegar to a 2 quart pitcher and put some of that water in their waterer. They have been drinking it. I have given them reg. water since I notice the runny manure. Now, I have the aggressor with the others to see what happens. She was in her own clear plastic container inside the larger container with the others. They have been able to see each other and sort of lay near each other. I have kept her separate for only one day. The container they are in is 41in x 22in. They seem to have enough room to run and get away from the heat. I just moved them to that container yesterday. I also have a 150 wat bulb in the heating lamp. I just wanted to give you a little more info about them. I am doing my absolute best with this and I do not want to give up. Thank you so much for your time and advise.

 

[Mrs.Carron]

Thank you Trish,

I will try the yogurt. The Rooster Booster I put on their wounds should help heal them. It contains Aloe Ver Gel, Calendula, Coal Tar Distilate and Tea Tree Oil. They are no longer bleeding but the dark color still makes the others look there and peck a little. It apparently is bad smelling or tasting because they do not like it. The manure seems to be thickening up a bit. Thank you for the chart and spending your time to help me. These little girls have my heart and I want them to be healthy.

 

[Miss Lydia]

yep they grow on ya for sure. I hope you can get these issues worked out so you can start to enjoy them. I haven't used rooster booster just blue-kote so I am not familiar with it, if it's red not a good idea because red is an attractant. something you don't want. I use ACV in all my waterers, since day 1, 1 tab. to 1 gallon of water. It will also help deter crop problems. Which thank goodness I have never had to deal with. So all the best and hopefully these girls will settle down and start to become a family.

 

[elmo]

Mrs.Carron :

Thanks for your help. I called them pullets because that is what the tag at the store said. They are chicks, they are female and no they were not together. The lady at the store was very helpful and knows quite a bit about them. She has had chickens all her life. Any info from the begining came from her. She suggested to mix the breeds, otherwise I would just have gotten all the same. She didn't mention pecking order, which I was familiar with but didn't know they would bleed from it. I have just taken them out to play on a sheet. The manure is not quite so runny. I only put a 1/2 tsp. of vinegar to a 2 quart pitcher and put some of that water in their waterer. They have been drinking it. I have given them reg. water since I notice the runny manure. Now, I have the aggressor with the others to see what happens. She was in her own clear plastic container inside the larger container with the others. They have been able to see each other and sort of lay near each other. I have kept her separate for only one day. The container they are in is 41in x 22in. They seem to have enough room to run and get away from the heat. I just moved them to that container yesterday. I also have a 150 wat bulb in the heating lamp. I just wanted to give you a little more info about them. I am doing my absolute best with this and I do not want to give up. Thank you so much for your time and advise.

OK, so you have chicks. Have you read this page:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/LC-first60days.html

and then in more detail, there's the Raising Chicks section of this forum. It's really not that hard to raise chicks once you take care of some simple, basic requirements. Good luck!​