hi all i have a down chicken is this normal the comb is up and red think its about 23 week old . last 3 days the hen has just been a loner sat in shed on floor and today sat outside not doing much while others are going nuts for cabbage , it doesnt look like the other hens are picking on it and looks healthy is this normal or is there anything to check , there is lots of fresh water and food
down chicken
- Thread starter dye29
- Start date
rick
Active member
Hi dye29,
It's not normal. Most likely to be egg related but there are other possibilities (like worms that can have become enough of a burden to drag one down.)
Is she eating and drinking? Is her tail held low and bobbing up and down (trying to expel a stuck egg)? Large squishy crop?
The default thing to do every time is to bring her in or separate her from the rest of the flock until you know what's happening. Apart from keeping the others safe from the unknown cause, also keep the poorly hen safe from pecking and allows you to see clearly if she lays a soft shelled egg/no eggs, what droppings are like, whether she is eating and drinking etc.
It's not normal. Most likely to be egg related but there are other possibilities (like worms that can have become enough of a burden to drag one down.)
Is she eating and drinking? Is her tail held low and bobbing up and down (trying to expel a stuck egg)? Large squishy crop?
The default thing to do every time is to bring her in or separate her from the rest of the flock until you know what's happening. Apart from keeping the others safe from the unknown cause, also keep the poorly hen safe from pecking and allows you to see clearly if she lays a soft shelled egg/no eggs, what droppings are like, whether she is eating and drinking etc.
Hi, if you could check the following, it will give us somewhere to start:
Have you seen her eat or drink at all?
Is her bottom clean or are there signs of diarrhoea?
Does she lay yet and if so has she suddenly stopped?
Compared to the others, does she feel much skinnier? Hens are generally skinny so do compare with your other birds.
Compared to the others, does her crop feel empty / hard / squashy?
Have your birds been wormed recently?
Are her eyes and nostrils clear?
Are there any yellow deposits inside her mouth?
When she walks, does she walk well without limping?
If she's shy, it may be easiest to examine her when she's gone to roost later tonight and just pick her off her perch.
Have you seen her eat or drink at all?
Is her bottom clean or are there signs of diarrhoea?
Does she lay yet and if so has she suddenly stopped?
Compared to the others, does she feel much skinnier? Hens are generally skinny so do compare with your other birds.
Compared to the others, does her crop feel empty / hard / squashy?
Have your birds been wormed recently?
Are her eyes and nostrils clear?
Are there any yellow deposits inside her mouth?
When she walks, does she walk well without limping?
If she's shy, it may be easiest to examine her when she's gone to roost later tonight and just pick her off her perch.
no diareha , ive been giving them cider viniger in water does that do the worming , she looks healthy like rest , i cant say if ive seen her eat or drink as i have 15 hens they all look same , ill check her nostrils tomorow and crop , could she be egg bound if so what do i do
rick
Active member
Cider vinegar is acidic (lowering the chance of alkaline crop/gut conditions, bacterial) as well as being a source of nutrients and various beneficial yeasts. Good general health as an occasional supplement. Too much wouldn't be good and may, I think, effect available calcium for egg shells and bones.
Cider vinegar will have no effect on worms whatsoever. The best (only) proper (licenced) wormer for poultry in the UK is Flubenvet.
If she is egg bound, and it has been going on for 3 days, then she will be in serious trouble and I suspect that she would be looking a lot more 'ill' by now (I will be happy to be corrected - I don't think I have ever had a full on case of egg binding - at least nothing that hasn't resolved itself in 24 hours)
If she really does seem to be healthy (i.e. no sign of discharge from beak, nostrils, vent, not 'fluffed up', no external parasites, red comb etc.) then just keeping an eye on her should be sufficient...
but if they have never been wormed - its an absolute must unless you operate a short 'all in, all out' routine. (which I'm guessing, like most here, you don't.)
Cider vinegar will have no effect on worms whatsoever. The best (only) proper (licenced) wormer for poultry in the UK is Flubenvet.
If she is egg bound, and it has been going on for 3 days, then she will be in serious trouble and I suspect that she would be looking a lot more 'ill' by now (I will be happy to be corrected - I don't think I have ever had a full on case of egg binding - at least nothing that hasn't resolved itself in 24 hours)
If she really does seem to be healthy (i.e. no sign of discharge from beak, nostrils, vent, not 'fluffed up', no external parasites, red comb etc.) then just keeping an eye on her should be sufficient...
but if they have never been wormed - its an absolute must unless you operate a short 'all in, all out' routine. (which I'm guessing, like most here, you don't.)
rick
Active member
Just noticed you said 23 weeks old - I read it first as 23 months old!
Its a good idea to worm them soon after point-of-lay and then at least every 6 months so do pick up a supply of Flubenvet. You can buy it pre-mixed with layers pellets or buy a pot that you mix with your regular feed yourself.
Whenever a hen is acting oddly (you get pretty tuned to what is normal for individuals) then it's invariably something to watch more closely. With 15, all looking the same, I would be very tempted to get them leg rings to help identify them a bit better.
They'll be some 'fun' ahead! Do let us know how its going.
Oh, and try to locate a good vet nearby that knows chickens for when you need them. Not for a while I hope but good to know in an emergency. If you let us know roughly where you are maybe there will be someone nearby to suggest a contact.
Its a good idea to worm them soon after point-of-lay and then at least every 6 months so do pick up a supply of Flubenvet. You can buy it pre-mixed with layers pellets or buy a pot that you mix with your regular feed yourself.
Whenever a hen is acting oddly (you get pretty tuned to what is normal for individuals) then it's invariably something to watch more closely. With 15, all looking the same, I would be very tempted to get them leg rings to help identify them a bit better.
They'll be some 'fun' ahead! Do let us know how its going.
Oh, and try to locate a good vet nearby that knows chickens for when you need them. Not for a while I hope but good to know in an emergency. If you let us know roughly where you are maybe there will be someone nearby to suggest a contact.
great i will try that , one other thing i have a small ish coop in run and a 6x6 shed as a coop but when buying the last 5 hens i coudnt leave them locked in for 24hrs as the weather was 24 degress but no chickens are using smaller coop would it work if i locked them 5 in now for a day or 2 with food and water
rick
Active member
I'm not sure why you would want to lock them in - I have heard of people locking them in the coop when they free range as far as they like without fences as it encourages them to return and not wander off over the horizon. Is that the reason you're thinking of?
Keeping new hens in a separate run, with a makeshift coop if necessary, for at least a week (better 2) is for the reasons of quarantine but also so that they can get used to each other through the wire and make the pecking order squabbles smoother when they are mixed with the existing flock.
What is the size of your run? For 15 hens you should be aiming for 30 square metres (that's about 5.5 metres (18 feet) per side) though you might get away with a little less as that's a relatively large area for them to spread out into.
Keeping new hens in a separate run, with a makeshift coop if necessary, for at least a week (better 2) is for the reasons of quarantine but also so that they can get used to each other through the wire and make the pecking order squabbles smoother when they are mixed with the existing flock.
What is the size of your run? For 15 hens you should be aiming for 30 square metres (that's about 5.5 metres (18 feet) per side) though you might get away with a little less as that's a relatively large area for them to spread out into.
rick
Active member
dye29 said:
Well that may work but if they are in a run anyway then once it gets dark (if they are not roosting where they should) then you can just put them where they should be and they wont move till the morning, wake up there and quickly get the idea for next time.
It's quite funny really - mine roost without squabbles in a certain order on the perch. Once it is dark enough you can rearrange them!
