One to watch?

[kirsty b]

Bothered about one of my chooks. Went down this evening to give them corn and quickly clean out the small house and noticed one of the girls standing quietly, tail down. Feathers are clean, she doesn't have lice, legs are fine with no scales lifting, vent is clean and healthy looking. Her comb is pale compared to the other girls and when I offered her corn from my hand she turned her beak up at it. Did notice a couple of runny, smelly poos so going to start their worming off tomorrow (was due anyway) Not all of the girls are l;aying, so could it be that she is beginning to come into lay? Her legs still have yellow colour on them.

Am I being paranoid? After losing my Maran to mycoplasma I really don't want it to happen again. All the others were pecking about and doing their damndest to trip me up while I moved about in the run.

[Keep It Green]

Worm them and keep an extra eye on them. Do you give them anything extra? I give my birds some poultry spice in some porridge oats - Apple Cider in the water or sometimes just some garlic cloves in the water. Seems to keep them all happy (touch wood).

[kirsty b]

They have poultry spice, plenty of grit. If I have no greens I pick handfuls of grass to give them if I can't let them out.

I'll try the garlic in water as I have no cider vinegar. Is it a general tonic for them then?

[Sue]

Kirsty B
I noticed when one of mine came into lay that there was this sense of withdrawal with one of them, quieter and apart from the others, not falling over your feet to get at any treats. She started laying by producing several soft shelled eggs and as soon as they was produced she was up and about again. After the soft shells she righted herself and was fine after that.
Recently another one acted the same way and she produced one of those meaty masses (sloughed cells, I think) and as soon as that was gone, she was fine too.
It's almost as if the passage of the soft shelled egg etc is giving them a bit of pain as once it's laid they're back to normal almost right away.
Hope she's better soon
best wishes
Sue

[kirsty b]

She seemed back to normal today, going to keep an eye on her though.