Sick chicken?

[newbiekat]

I have had a couple of silkie bantams for a few months now still not completely sure of the genders but i think one is a girl and the others a boy because one lays eggs and has shorter feathers around the back of its neck and the other doesn't lay eggs and has longer feathers at the back of its neck. The one i think is a girl has been acting really tired lately and has been just sitting in her hutch all the time and has also stopped laying she also has less feathers at the top of her head than the other one. Today i got her out of her hutch and put her outside for a run around she was walking around pretty normally but scraped her head from side to side on the ground a lot. Does anyone know what might be up with her is she ill and how do i treat it? (I don't know much about chickens)

 

[healtyfeathers]

I'm not sure about the feather loss. . . . She was probably just cleaning her beak. You said that she stopped laying, and wants to hang around in her hutch all day, so that makes me thing that she might be "broody" (wanting to hatch a batch of eggs). Put about 10 eggs in her nest and see if she starts sitting on them. If she does, then good chance that she's not sick, just broody. Hope all is well!

 

[newbiekat]

Ok i'll try this thanks.

 

[healtyfeathers]

Let me know how it works out. The first time I had a broody, I thought she was sick. Hope it's the same for you!

 

[newbiekat]

Yeah I've tried the egg thing and she sat on them so I think she is just broody thanks for the help I'm glad she isn't sick.

 

[healtyfeathers]

Yay! A happy ending! I'm so glad she isn't sick. Sick chickens are just no fun. Good luck, hope you get some little chickies!