Worried about unusual behavior! Might it be the bear or What?!

[goodeggsforyou]

Hi All. After 3 years of a healthy flock I think something's wrong but really have no idea what and am worried for them. I place this in the predator area too because we do have bears around here and recently noticed come claw marks, etc. on the coop that are new, though no victims thankfully. Wondering if their behavior could be a reaction (?)Just had to put our beloved dog to sleep. Don't want them to not be ok too!! About 2 weeks ago I noticed they were eating little feed and attributed it to them being out all day and eating grasshoppers (which we have a HUGE amount of this year.) Then noticed Very small, green bugs on the feeder. When I moved the feeder to change out the food and clean/bleach it, the bugs were no longer there after I moved it, and one of the chickens came and ate from the feeder. I felt we were ok and moved it back into the coop. Later, my husband said he saw the small green bugs on himself and that they were flying. They were so small I thought they might be mites but after what he said and the fact that the chickens haven't been scratching themselves at all and look "good", again, I figured we were ok and put the feeder back.
One of the chickens has been slow to follow to the coop at night for routine scratch and treats; she's usually a bit slower though. Have had to coax her in. Tonight, one of the others was not following either (and she always is aggressively at the head of the flock.) As I then followed them to get them to the coop, the one who is our most timid and hates to be touched let me touch her twice and still moved slow. This is UNHEARD of for her! I'm Seriously worried! They are hardly interested in their scratch! Only one is. Last, I may as well mention the odd behavior a couple times of this past week and 1/2 of them standing in a corner in the coop facing out instead of eating their treats. Any ideas or help...please...would be so greatly appreciated. I'll post elsewhere too. Thanks again for any ideas. I love these goofy birds.

 

[Lillith37]

What do you feed them as their main food and how much scratch/treats do you feed them? Chickens need to eat mostly their regular feed to stay healthy, and maximum 10% treats.

I’m not sure about the green bugs. It might be helpful to post a picture and someone might be able to identify them.

I would do a thorough check over of all your chickens. Check their vents. Check the feathers around their vents, under their wings and on the back of their necks for evidence of lice and mites. Have a look at their faces and their legs, the scales on their legs and the bottoms of their feet. It can be easier to do this after dark. You can use a flashlight to check them in the coop or bring them inside one by one and look them over.

Check each of your chickens’ crops in the morning to make sure they are empty.

Are their droppings normal? Do any lay eggs?

 

[goodeggsforyou]

What do you feed them as their main food and how much scratch/treats do you feed them? Chickens need to eat mostly their regular feed to stay healthy, and maximum 10% treats.

I’m not sure about the green bugs. It might be helpful to post a picture and someone might be able to identify them.

I would do a thorough check over of all your chickens. Check their vents. Check the feathers around their vents, under their wings and on the back of their necks for evidence of lice and mites. Have a look at their faces and their legs, the scales on their legs and the bottoms of their feet. It can be easier to do this after dark. You can use a flashlight to check them in the coop or bring them inside one by one and look them over.

Check each of your chickens’ crops in the morning to make sure they are empty.

Are their droppings normal? Do any lay eggs?

Thank you so much for taking the time to respond. I greatly appreciate it!
Giving them a thorough looking over is a great idea; thanks for the good suggestions on how to do so.
They are being fed layer feed pellets which they've always eaten up until now. Maybe it's the brand (?) We do likely over feed them goodies. Each evening they get about a tbsp. of scratch and a bit less of mealworms for each chicken. Also they are getting a few garden scraps. As said, however, they are free ranging for hours everyday and there have been Maaany grasshoppers around which I see them eating so I guess they do have some appetite.
Only one of the 3 chickens has been laying for about 3 months now, yet she's recently stopped too (she appears to be molting.)
Their droppings seem to contain more white than usual.
I'll see about getting a photo of the little buggies.
It's mainly their listlessness that concerns me.
Thanks for all of your help!

 

[Lillith37]

How old are your chickens? And you have a total of three hens?

You’re in America aren’t you and it’s the autumn there isn’t it? That’s the season when chickens go into moult. Has it been especially hot, cold or wet recently?

When they go through moult they can act a little off and keep to themselves. It’s also a process that requires a lot of protein.

I would stop the scratch, treats and table scraps for now. Especially if they are free ranging and gorging on grasshoppers. All of that is taking away/impacting their base level nutrition which comes from their layer feed.

What percentage protein is your layer feed? Usually it’s 16% but that’s the bare minimum for a laying hen and sometimes finding a feed with a higher protein is better for their health.

At most you could give them some high protein treats like cooked egg or tuna.

Do check them over but try not to handle them any more than necessary while they are in moult.

Do they have access to fresh water and grit all the time?