Amy
New member
Hi peeps...having a nightmare with my hens at the mo! This is just the first of a couple of posts!
Ok...I rescued a hen and her 4 chicks that had been dumped. All seemed healthy. Typically out of the 4 chicks, 3 are boys! They are housed in my winter pen (more protection and shelter) but the little scamps keep flying onto the hut roof then flying to the fence and leaping off into the paddock! However, one day I noticed one of them limping and every now and again stumbling face first into the grass. I initially put this down to leaping off a fence but over the last couple of days (no leaping currently) when I would expect to see an improvement, I think he is getting worse. He pretty much stays inside the hut now in a corner, tail pointing down and doesnt seem to be eating much. My presence seems to freak him out so I tend to observe from a distance. At night he stays in the corner on the straw and will not get on the perch with his mum and siblings (it is only approx. 10cm from the floor as they are bantams). Over the summer, I had 2x hatchings from my silkies (same father) and all my 8 chicks died within days of each other....one hatch was 17(ish) weeks old, the other 10 weeks old. They were healthy one minute then the little ones where dead over night splayed out on the floor where as the older ones took longer to die...some were stumbling all over the place (although didnt go lame) then died, when the others went quite, wouldnt move etc and died in the night. My friend who breeds hens for a living was concerned about Mareks Disease and if either silky or the father was a carrier it could be passed on to the chicks through feathers etc.
My rescued hens have been living with my silkies and the father and I am concerned this is what the little chap has and the others are going to get it? One of the silkies has recently had 2x chicks which I have vaccinated with first 24 hours against Mareks but I am worrying they are all going to die again? Can I do anything? Does this sound familiar? The cockerel has no swollen joints (that I can tell) or swollen feet etc.
Please can someone advise?? Thanks x
Ok...I rescued a hen and her 4 chicks that had been dumped. All seemed healthy. Typically out of the 4 chicks, 3 are boys! They are housed in my winter pen (more protection and shelter) but the little scamps keep flying onto the hut roof then flying to the fence and leaping off into the paddock! However, one day I noticed one of them limping and every now and again stumbling face first into the grass. I initially put this down to leaping off a fence but over the last couple of days (no leaping currently) when I would expect to see an improvement, I think he is getting worse. He pretty much stays inside the hut now in a corner, tail pointing down and doesnt seem to be eating much. My presence seems to freak him out so I tend to observe from a distance. At night he stays in the corner on the straw and will not get on the perch with his mum and siblings (it is only approx. 10cm from the floor as they are bantams). Over the summer, I had 2x hatchings from my silkies (same father) and all my 8 chicks died within days of each other....one hatch was 17(ish) weeks old, the other 10 weeks old. They were healthy one minute then the little ones where dead over night splayed out on the floor where as the older ones took longer to die...some were stumbling all over the place (although didnt go lame) then died, when the others went quite, wouldnt move etc and died in the night. My friend who breeds hens for a living was concerned about Mareks Disease and if either silky or the father was a carrier it could be passed on to the chicks through feathers etc.
My rescued hens have been living with my silkies and the father and I am concerned this is what the little chap has and the others are going to get it? One of the silkies has recently had 2x chicks which I have vaccinated with first 24 hours against Mareks but I am worrying they are all going to die again? Can I do anything? Does this sound familiar? The cockerel has no swollen joints (that I can tell) or swollen feet etc.
Please can someone advise?? Thanks x
