Three year old hen acting ill after first time free ranging yesterday. Coincidence?

[Yay Chicks!]

Truth be told, I've been chicken about letting my hens free range. Thus, they had never been outside their run (which is an adequate size). Yesterday was a gorgeous day, and I just decided to let them out. The four of them had a great time, eating grass and foraging under the leaf pile for bugs. They will be 3 years in April and I felt really good about finally getting over my concerns.

Today, I let them out and everything started out just like yesterday. Then a couple of them went back into the run and stayed there. And one of them is just standing there, eyes half closed, tail tucked (she looked and acted fine this morning). Not a good sign, I know.

I picked her up, looked and felt all over and there is nothing obviously wrong.

I don't use fertilizers or pesticides, so there's not a chance of that sort of poisoning. They have clean water, food and grit available as needed.

It seems almost too much of a coincidence that yesterday was their first day out and today she's seems ill.

The other three are fine. One has stayed in the run with the one that might be ill. The other two are out having a fine time.

Any ideas?

 

[Yay Chicks!]

Never mind. She fine now. She laid a soft shell egg on the poop board that night and is fine now. Go figure.

 

[Michael Apple]

I've seen that before. I'm glad your bird is alright. Chickens do run the risk of picking up diseases the more they range. I like to range mine too. Certain times of year like Winter and Spring seem to be the ripe time for enteritis (greens). I use a BMD soluble mixed half with Neomycin for it and they straighten out in a few days. Sulfadimethoxine is a good broad spectrum drug too.

 

[casportpony]

Never mind. She fine now. She laid a soft shell egg on the poop board that night and is fine now. Go figure.

When mine lay soft shelled eggs, I give them one of my calcium pills, seems to help and it won't hurt them. Oyster shell/laying pellets aren't enough for some hens, IMHO.

 

[chynasparks]

This is an older thread, I hope somebody is watching. I have 4 chickens. 17 weeks today. 3 pullets and a roo. Was supposed to be 4 pullets but you know how that goes. Anyway, I had planned on supervised free ranging when I first got started with them. But while we were building the coop this summer I noticed we had a hawk nest in our pine tree overlooking the drive way. 2 babies were being raised by mom and pop hawks. They watched and listened to us build, sawing, drilling, nail gun, all summer. The two babies looked down on us watching all summer long. I watched them fly. Mom made a kill zone out of my yard. White Igrets seemed to be plentiful. One day in July I had the peeps in the yard in a peck and play tent, a dead fell to the ground not 50 feet from us. All 3 hawks came down. I guess it was learn to hunt and eat day. They weren't afraid of us. They went about their business like we weren't there. The rest of this summer, the babies are here in my yard nearly every day. My peeps have been in the coup about a month. Lower level is a 4x8 run with ladder leading to nest house. Those 2 young hawks land and stare at the chickens in the coop. I can get surprisingly close before they fly away. I'm guessing maybe because they've seen me since birth?? So my poor chickens have never free ranged. I feel terrible that they can't get out but I don't dare. Lately I haven't seen the hawks. It could be they finally learned to be quiet. Or, they are going farther out from their territory. I'm telling all this and don't even know what my question is. Should I start supervised free range? What should I expect from the peeps on the first time? Would it better to build a movable run? I do provide foraging activities for them, hanging veggie baskets, scratch one time a day ect. Having said all this I have to tell you how awesome it was to watch those little hawks grow. They were so close I could see their glistening eyes. I'm supposed to be helping hubby and all I could do is gaze at those birds.