- Apr 30, 2012
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I finally found a couple five/six week White-Faced Black Spanish pullets today. This has been a breed I've drooled over, but have had trouble locating locally. The major hatcheries either don't carry often or have way too high a minimum for my little flock.
One looks great. Shiny, nicely-feathered, bright-eyed. The other one looks like the sheared sheep from the Pixar short Boundin'. Really pretty pathetic. Nice eyes, seems healthy--except for the fact that her back and neck feathers are essentially gone. I would have chosen another, but these two were in the cage together already and I'm keeping them segregated from my other chickens. I felt sorry for the little thing. They're sort of a weedy-looking breed anyway at this age, but this is like the Charlie Brown Christmas Tree of chickens. She looks like a malnourished crow.
The cages there were a bit crowded for my tastes. I don't see any visible parasites--could it just be that she was in with an aggressive rooster? I see little indentations like perhaps she's been pecked quite a bit. It's 74 degrees right now outside and when I turned a brooder lamp on a whim (the brooder is almost five feet long, so it seems safe even at warm outside temps), she raced over, rested underneath it, and put her little head on the side of the feeder. It was like she was so relieved she couldn't bear it.
Yet she's panting quite a bit. WFBS are generally heat-tolerant. It's been a stressful day for them with the two hour drive, the move, potentially the first time pecking around a run, etc. Is it likely stress?
I'm hoping with good feed, a warm bed, and some TLC she'll feather right up. I'm hoping it's nothing more serious than her being bullied in a confined space. I put them in a brooder for the next few days as I want to make sure this isn't disease or parasite, and I think she could use the extra care. I know I'm probably coddling. The lamp is only for the nights until I know what's wrong with her.
One looks great. Shiny, nicely-feathered, bright-eyed. The other one looks like the sheared sheep from the Pixar short Boundin'. Really pretty pathetic. Nice eyes, seems healthy--except for the fact that her back and neck feathers are essentially gone. I would have chosen another, but these two were in the cage together already and I'm keeping them segregated from my other chickens. I felt sorry for the little thing. They're sort of a weedy-looking breed anyway at this age, but this is like the Charlie Brown Christmas Tree of chickens. She looks like a malnourished crow.
The cages there were a bit crowded for my tastes. I don't see any visible parasites--could it just be that she was in with an aggressive rooster? I see little indentations like perhaps she's been pecked quite a bit. It's 74 degrees right now outside and when I turned a brooder lamp on a whim (the brooder is almost five feet long, so it seems safe even at warm outside temps), she raced over, rested underneath it, and put her little head on the side of the feeder. It was like she was so relieved she couldn't bear it.
Yet she's panting quite a bit. WFBS are generally heat-tolerant. It's been a stressful day for them with the two hour drive, the move, potentially the first time pecking around a run, etc. Is it likely stress?
I'm hoping with good feed, a warm bed, and some TLC she'll feather right up. I'm hoping it's nothing more serious than her being bullied in a confined space. I put them in a brooder for the next few days as I want to make sure this isn't disease or parasite, and I think she could use the extra care. I know I'm probably coddling. The lamp is only for the nights until I know what's wrong with her.
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