sick hen

[gpduxbak]

Hello I'm new to the forum and new to chicken ownership. I recently purchased two speckled sussexx and five red sex link hens all between 15 and 18 weeks old. The speckled's were in the run for about two days before I added the sex links. The Speckeld's have been rough on the reds for the last couple of days but I don't think it is anything out of the ordinary for a new flock. Anyway I have noticed one of my sex links is staying in the coop alot and even up on the roost until late in the morning. She seems to have a loose bowel compared to the other hens. What should I do? Could this be part of adjusting to the new flock? She seems to be eating and drinking fine and this morning around 11:00 she had come out of the coop and was taking a dust bath. Any advice would be appreciated.

 

[scratch'n'peck]

The process of hens figuring out the pecking order sounds fairly typical, but make sure the bullies don't draw any blood which could spiral into a serious pecking problem. I'm glad the hen in question is eating and drinking and getting out in the run some. It is hard to tell if her loose bowel is stress or drinking more than the others of something more serious. Keep a close eye one the situation.