Stressed, egg bound or sick chick

[BuddiesOutBack]

Recently added six pullets to my adult laying flock of five. The young ones were kept separate for 3 months. Now one of my older hens is egg- bound a lot and seems stressed, so I separated her out. Her beak is pale, so I am not sure if she is sick. Any thoughts?

 

[I Love Layers]

Have you started treating her for being egg bound? That is one of the first things you need to do

 

[BuddiesOutBack]

Yes, I gave her a warm bath, and lubricated her vent with Vaseline. She laid her egg.

 

[Kiki]

Make sure she is drinking.

 

[BuddiesOutBack]

Make sure she is drinking.

She is drinking. Pale beak may mean calcium deficiency. I haven't tried to give her a supplement yet though.

 

[Kiki]

You could break up a tums and offer it to her in some water.

 

[BuddiesOutBack]

Okay I will do that.

 

[aart]

Recently added six pullets to my adult laying flock of five. The young ones were kept separate for 3 months. Now one of my older hens is egg- bound a lot and seems stressed, so I separated her out. Her beak is pale, so I am not sure if she is sick. Any thoughts?

Welcome to BYC....sorry you're having troubles.
Stress is a big possibility here.
Are the old and new living in the same space now and for how long?
How big is the coop and run they are all living in?
What and how exactly are you feeding?
How old are the 'older' hens?

 

[BuddiesOutBack]

Thanks for your reply. My older chickens are four years old and laying. We added the new flock after a quarantine period, and they were introduced gradually.The coop is 10' by 9',with a ladder perch, nesting boxes and plenty of room.I have two feeders and waterers and veggie snacks daily. I give them free range time twice a day, and that helps. They all seem okay except for one which I separated for now. She is eating and drinking, but she got eggbound a few times, so I was concerned that she was stressed. I think that she will be ready to re- join the flock in a week or so.

 

[Mrs. K]

I am not a big believer in separating birds from the flock. I think there will be problems when you try and place her back. It may be that she is ready to go on.