- Dec 12, 2012
- 2
- 0
- 7
hi i just created my account because i really would like some advice on my ex battery hen, this is my first time keeping chickens.
We adopted 2 ex battery hens from happychicks.com in August and everything was going well apart from the bigger hen not laying but that never bothered me as i was just glad she was happy and in a better home. As winter came we noticed the hen who didn't lay was eating less and less and just huddled in a corner in the garden, then sadly on saturday afternoon she passed away at 1:00 pm.
Our other chicken recently startted to pull out her feathers in ther night, I've looked at her body and there aren't any signs of injury and shes already growing her feathers back (pin featherrs). Could this be a sign shes missing her friend, even if theres no blood or sores? we're trying hard to get another chicken but we're struggling to find anyone in the wigan area who is currently selling ex battery hens (if you know any adresses please PM me!!!)
Anoither problem we've noticed was yesterday when we let her out of her new chicken coop we bought for them both (before one sadly died) she was stumbling and falling onto one side when walking, shes still eating and drinking as normal but when she walks more than 3 steps she falls onto her side or over balances. We think this may be the way she is sleeping, as she is pearching right at the edge of the nesting box in a 'crouching' postion. Can chickens get a muscle cramp through sleeping like this? As the day progress she does walk ebtter but she was falling over again this mornign and we've put some wood down which seperated the nest box over the area she pearchs to try and encorge her to uses the pearchs in the hutch or to just lie down in the now bigger nest box area.
if someone could help explain these behaviours to me I'd be really glad!! thanks
We adopted 2 ex battery hens from happychicks.com in August and everything was going well apart from the bigger hen not laying but that never bothered me as i was just glad she was happy and in a better home. As winter came we noticed the hen who didn't lay was eating less and less and just huddled in a corner in the garden, then sadly on saturday afternoon she passed away at 1:00 pm.
Our other chicken recently startted to pull out her feathers in ther night, I've looked at her body and there aren't any signs of injury and shes already growing her feathers back (pin featherrs). Could this be a sign shes missing her friend, even if theres no blood or sores? we're trying hard to get another chicken but we're struggling to find anyone in the wigan area who is currently selling ex battery hens (if you know any adresses please PM me!!!)
Anoither problem we've noticed was yesterday when we let her out of her new chicken coop we bought for them both (before one sadly died) she was stumbling and falling onto one side when walking, shes still eating and drinking as normal but when she walks more than 3 steps she falls onto her side or over balances. We think this may be the way she is sleeping, as she is pearching right at the edge of the nesting box in a 'crouching' postion. Can chickens get a muscle cramp through sleeping like this? As the day progress she does walk ebtter but she was falling over again this mornign and we've put some wood down which seperated the nest box over the area she pearchs to try and encorge her to uses the pearchs in the hutch or to just lie down in the now bigger nest box area.
if someone could help explain these behaviours to me I'd be really glad!! thanks
