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Hey.... Lets keep Chickens..!
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If you can, it's really good for the chickens to have perches in the run. They are naturally woodland birds and getting up off the ground makes them feel safer. After a good feed they like to get up on the perches and relax and groom themselves. Perches also provide more space for them to move around. Perches give birds lower down the pecking order more ways of getting away from the bossy ones.0
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I am just concerned that it may be something that might effect the others.So far they are all fine so we hope its one of those things, after all pets do have a habit of dying before we do
Just very sad
ali x"Overthinking every little thing
Acknowledge the bell you cant unring"0 -
Sorry to here about your girl ALIBOBSY. Chickens are very good at hiding illness.0
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Been out to let the girls out and am very relieved to say the 3 that are left seem fine and all came straight out this morning.
There was a bit of looking around yesterday for the poor chickie who had died,they kept popping in the house to check.
i am just concerned we have missed something we should have seen. but she seemed fine the day before as i said just a bit quiet at night and no sickness symtoms.
whatever happened she was found upright on the perches with the others and her eyes were shut so i'd like to think whatever it was she fell asleep and slipped away quietly.
going to leave it a couple of weeks whilst things settle then we might increase our little group again, i have heard its better to introduce new hens in groups rather than ones so think we might go for 2 or 3. We bought a coop originally big enough for 10 to 12 and only put 4 in thinking they would have plenty of room, but they all bunch up in the corner together at night anyway lol.
Sad as well as it was my little girls who is only 3, the older ones would have been upset but able to understand more. It was her "kangeroo chicken" and we all called her that she was the calmest and quietest of the 4 and the kids loved her, oh poo now i am going to cry over a chicken lol.
r.i.p Kangeroo chicken
ali x"Overthinking every little thing
Acknowledge the bell you cant unring"0 -
Right guys. Haven't been on her for a long time but have a few hen issues.
1) broody hen
I have a broody hen who has been sitting on 3 practice eggs and then I added 6 fertile eggs.
She has now been sitting for 3 weeks but the eggs keep disappearing. I am now down to 2!!!!
Is she eating the chicks?
2) sick hens
This is even more disturbing
4 days ago, one of our hens had to be killed. She had a very messy back end and appeared to have hurt her leg by the way she had been walking. She had laboured breathing and got to the stage where she couldn't stand. She appeared bloated.
When we killed her, we expected there to be lots of blood but not a thing (her heart was so weak it wasn't pumping!)
When she was being plucked we noticed that her abdomen was like a water balloon. It released a LOT of yellow fluid. She was so just skin and bone despite having looked plump when feathered, poor thing. We didn't eat her!
Now yesterday I was in the garden with them all day as I was putting a PVC roof on their enclosure so had the chance to observe them as I worked.
I noticed that another of the ex batts was behaving oddly. Her back end was moving in and out constantly like she was straining and it was very messy again. She kept looking like she was going asleep and going still. Toward teatime she was VERY still and hardly moving. She looked like she couldn't stay awake but was in a standing position.
I was upset as we had let the other chicken go on too long really. I asked hubby to kill her and stop her suffering.
When I went into the enclosure the White one (I don't know the breed name but she is my favourite and lays green eggs!) was beginning to act strange too.
I looked at her back end which was now messy (she is usually very clean) and she was closing her eyes and going still. Oh no!!
I am about to go out and check on them all but am dreading it.
Anybody have a clue.
At first I thought that the first hen had ascita due to the abdominal fluid. I didn't check the body of the second one. I was too upset.
I have researched online but come up with zilch.
I now only have 5 hens as 2 have now gone.
Yesterday morning I was considering introducing day old to the broody (who is isolated from the others) but now I daren't as I can't introduce healthy chicks to an illness if that is what it is?
Help!:A Every moment is a gift. That's why we call it the present.!:A
Grocery Spend Weekly Challenge (Sat-Fri):£30.50/£400 -
could it be some form of enteritis ?"if the state cannot find within itself a place for those who peacefully refuse to worship at its temples, then it’s the state that’s become extreme".Revd Dr Giles Fraser on Radio 4 20170
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To update, my favourite White hen is really perky today which makes me feel awful. (Perhaps the ex battery we culled last night could have recovered?!)
I was still recalling the ex batt's condition that seemed to have ascita. I didn't want the poor thing to die a prolonged painful death like her. It had made me very nervous.
What on earth happened last night then? I do give them kitchen scraps so maybe something gave them an upset:A Every moment is a gift. That's why we call it the present.!:A
Grocery Spend Weekly Challenge (Sat-Fri):£30.50/£400 -
I am sorry about your loss and glad that things seem to be sorting themselves out.If you did jump the gun, then at least it is a learning curve and you will know now to wait next time. - But Who knows?You thought you were acting for the best and worried about contamination. You will just have to let it go ,knowing you gave an ex bat a new lease of life and somewhere to spread her wings. However i would certainly be still keeping an eye out for anything else amiss .
Best Wishes lj"if the state cannot find within itself a place for those who peacefully refuse to worship at its temples, then it’s the state that’s become extreme".Revd Dr Giles Fraser on Radio 4 20170 -
Hi I'm sorry if there is already advice on here somewhere about this problem. I have 3 chickens who this time last year were providing us with loads of eggs. I've recently discovered that one of them is eating all he eggs laid by the others before I can collect them ( dried yolk on beak - dead give away!) I've tried putting golf balls in the nesting box, which worked for a short time. Does any one have any suggestions to break this habit or do I have to face the inevitable and get rid of her. As I'm vegetarian I'm a bit squeamish about killing an otherwise healthy chicken.0
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"if the state cannot find within itself a place for those who peacefully refuse to worship at its temples, then it’s the state that’s become extreme".Revd Dr Giles Fraser on Radio 4 20170
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