Something not quite right..........

[Snadger]

When I administered to the chooks this evening one of them seemed disinterested with the corn or the greens I was feeding them. She is the biggest and is fully feathered. Anyone looking at them would say she was the healthiest looking, but..............there's just something not quite right.

I couldn't tempt her with any titbits at all and she just hopped up onto the perch in the run and kept out the way?

If she's the same tomorrow I'll have to have a look at her, but I'm not sure what to look for? Any ideas anyone?

[kirsty b]

Are her vent feathers clean and fluffed up, or are they dirty/smelly? A mucky vent is sometimes a way of telling if they are stressed.


I had one go a bit odd a while back. She went off her food and off lay and kept well out of the way of the others. When I picked her up she felt as though she had lost a bit of weight. Also one eye seemed half closed. I coddled her a bit for a few days, fed her marmite sarnies and made sure she had food with poultry spice, plenty of water to drink and over a week or so she perked up and now she's totally ok.

With luck she may just be having an 'off day' and be ok tomorrow. I hope so

[di]

One of ours was recently poorly & I was shocked at how worried I was!!All she did was lay in shade & totally off her food.A chap at the lottie that used to work with chickens came & gave her a once over (is there anyone on your site that has knowledge of what to look for?~I can tell you what he was looking for but not sorry how he didn't find it?(Excuse the wine!)But moving on..she obviously had a touch of the runs(obvious signs on rear feathers!)but a couple of days later & she was fine!(I wormed her just in case so this may have been the cause?)Hope your girl is better soon.
p.s.I guess what I'm saying is that if you can find someone to actually physically talk/feel you through what you're looking for it may be easier than someone telling you!

[MaureenHall]

Fingers crossed for your little girl Snadger. I know I've joked about "talking chook" but it really would be great if they could tell us how they're feeling wouldn't it

[Sue]

Snadger
Hope she's OK now. One of my hens has done this twice and I've found both times it was a egg, once with an extremely thin shell and once with hardly any at all. The second time I witnessed the egg delivery and as soon as that was out she perked up immediately and back to normal in a trice, so perhaps it was giving her pain.
Sue

[Snadger]

Visited the allotment today and she's a bit perkier! Still not mixing with others but was at the gate to greet me and ate some mixed corn and turnip tops.

I had nine eggs as opposed to the usual ten but one of the nests with three eggs in were covered in what looked like egg yolk? I took all the straw out of that nest and replaced it with fresh straw.

Hopefully she will be ok but I'll still keep an eye on her!

[di]

We think(hard to tell for sure)our "poorly"chook has been off the lay since she was unwell,but we're guessing that she's now back on form as we had "almost" full quota today including one huge one that's looking like it will be a double yolker!!Don't know if it's the norm having been off lay to then lay a big one?
Pleased yours seems to be a bit better!

[MaureenHall]

It does sound as if the yolk on the other eggs might have been from a "softie". My chooks seem to find it more difficult to lay a softie than a normal shelled egg. I suppose it must be that they have to push that much harder to get it out as it will keep changing shape on it's way down and not have the same resistance as a shelled one?

[Snadger]

It does sound as if the yolk on the other eggs might have been from a "softie". My chooks seem to find it more difficult to lay a softie than a normal shelled egg. I suppose it must be that they have to push that much harder to get it out as it will keep changing shape on it's way down and not have the same resistance as a shelled one?

They get layers pellets which are supposed to have everything in for shell formation. They get oystershell and pigeon grit, plus they have a sand pit.

I'ts supposed to be caused by calcium defficiency.........chalk is calcium so I wonder if I grind up some blackboard chalk and stick that in as well? If I use red chalk I may get red eggs!
Plasterboard is made from chalk also so could use some of that!

[MaureenHall]

coloured eggs?

They get layers pellets which are supposed to have everything in for shell formation. They get oystershell and pigeon grit, plus they have a sand pit.

I'ts supposed to be caused by calcium defficiency.........chalk is calcium so I wonder if I grind up some blackboard chalk and stick that in as well? If I use red chalk I may get red eggs!
Plasterboard is made from chalk also so could use some of that!

Hey, I've got a new box of coloured chalks. If I feed them a different colour each day do you think I'll get a rainbow set?

Red and yellow and pink and green
Orange and purple and blue
I can see my eggs change
See my eggs change
And so might you

[Birdie Wife]

Ooh not too sure about that. Can you get hold of some oyster grit instead? It has a double function, to help the hens grind up food in the gizzard and provide calcium at the same time.

[MaureenHall]

Yes, mine have oyster grit available all the time plus I do grind up sterilized egg shells and add it to their food as a "belt and braces" if there's been any thin or soft-shelled eggs. It's nice to have daft jokes sometimes though isn't it

[Snadger]

I'll just have to do a risk/coshh assessment!

[di]

Apparently(?)if they eat acorns it turns the yolk a harmless green~can't say I much fancy it!!

[MaureenHall]

Hmmm don't think I'll be giving them to my lot then