1) We moved 8 weeks ago. Our chickens used to enjoy an old horse paddock, 100x100 run surrounded by wide open fields. Now since the move they are 100% free range with access to anywhere their bird legs can go on completely wooded acreage in the National Forest here. (Locked in a safe coop at night) I wasn't sure what they'd think of thick wooded land but apparently, grubbing around in leaves provides all sorts of fun. They LOOK better, they've gained weight, (they were kind of thin and often dealing with some missing butt feather ailment), butts are now clean and full fluffy feathered, they're REALLY happy and I was getting 4-5 eggs a day from 6 chickens. Then of a sudden last week they stopped laying well??? I thought they were laying out of the coop and locked them up for a day much to their dismay but didn't see much difference. They have been laying 1 egg a day now and twice in the past week someone has lost a squishy half formed egg up on the roosts. Could they be eating something in the woods to cause this? What would you suspect? They used to eat over a quart of layer mix, now with all of the free ranging they eat more like 1/2 to 3/4 quart daily. But with only 6 birds that doesn't seem like to little to be getting what they need. Any thoughts? Now is not the time for them to take a break lol...
2) With free ranging I've had to teach a puppy chickens are friends not food. She has never met them without a fence between them. She got ahold of one young hen, maybe 3 weeks ago. I got the hen away from her, she was missing clumps of feathers but I couldn't see any open wounds. She had a slight limp, more of a waddle. For a few days I wasn't sure if she would make it, she hung back in the coop and couldn't get on the roost for a day or two. But she pulled through and has gone all over the place with the other five girls over the weeks. She maintained a slight limp but was doing alright and progressing to the point of barely noticing any limp at all. Saturday I sprained my ankle and have been stuck in the house so my husband has taken over chores - so I'm not sure when she started to get worse but yesterday I noticed that hen, though she seems happy enough was limping very bad! This morning I hobbled out to the coop and she was eating laying down and limping even worse.
Now I do not know what I (or rather, he) can do for her, the flock isn't picking on her and she has shortage of food and water to get to, but I'm afraid with the sudden turn that she isn't going to make it. I guess I'm not even sure what my question is, other than wondering if there is anything I should suspect or do? The dog could not have gotten to her again. She eats cheerfully, just cannot bare weight on that leg and lays herself down now?
2) With free ranging I've had to teach a puppy chickens are friends not food. She has never met them without a fence between them. She got ahold of one young hen, maybe 3 weeks ago. I got the hen away from her, she was missing clumps of feathers but I couldn't see any open wounds. She had a slight limp, more of a waddle. For a few days I wasn't sure if she would make it, she hung back in the coop and couldn't get on the roost for a day or two. But she pulled through and has gone all over the place with the other five girls over the weeks. She maintained a slight limp but was doing alright and progressing to the point of barely noticing any limp at all. Saturday I sprained my ankle and have been stuck in the house so my husband has taken over chores - so I'm not sure when she started to get worse but yesterday I noticed that hen, though she seems happy enough was limping very bad! This morning I hobbled out to the coop and she was eating laying down and limping even worse.
Now I do not know what I (or rather, he) can do for her, the flock isn't picking on her and she has shortage of food and water to get to, but I'm afraid with the sudden turn that she isn't going to make it. I guess I'm not even sure what my question is, other than wondering if there is anything I should suspect or do? The dog could not have gotten to her again. She eats cheerfully, just cannot bare weight on that leg and lays herself down now?
