Hey.... Lets keep Chickens..!

bagpuss512

Hi everyone
Been reading your threads for ages and wondered if you could give me some advice as am complete newbie to forums and chickens!
Had my four ex-battery hens for about a month now. And three of them pick on the 4th one. I know its the natural pecking order. However, the 3 all hang around together but no. 4 is always on her own and if the others come near her she gets out of their way before they can have a go. There's no blood, its not vicious just continuous. She quite often hides in the house if they wander back into the pen for food (as they have the free run of the garden).
The 3 are very brave and funny and totally used to me now and join me gardening but no. 4 keeps well away from me too! Her comb has also not perked up as much as the others (still pale pink). Other than that she seems healthy enough but am just really worried thats she's unhappy (as my OH keeps thoughtlessly reminding me - I know she's only a chicken...) but nevertheless wondered if I could do something to help the dybnamics eg. another chicken??
Would appreciate your advice! Hope I've posted this right as its my first ever!!

Katharine

Unfortunatly that's the way of chickens if you replaced her as bottom in the pecking order than you would just have a different lowest chicken. It's certainly not a space issue if they have run of the garden. As far as dynamics are concerned, my advice would be to get a cockrel if you can, they seem to aid harmony with the girls, as he doesn't want any of his ladies getting hurt! There is a pecking order with my girls but you couldnt tell by looking at them who is bottom as none are outcast or missing feathers, I put it down to my cockrel smoothing things out. Also cockrels are very entertaining characters. If that's not possible and no blood is being drawn I would let them get on with it.

Katharine

My rescued chooks in their old home, the black rocks stayed , at least they have more space now.

Badger_Lady

Stella was found dead in her run yesterday afternoon There was no sign of illness or injury, she just went. The other girls are eating, drinking and laying.

Frugaldom

Sorry to ready about Stella, Badger_Lady Unfortunately, there's nothing we can do to prevent nature, ultimately, taking it's course. I hope the others are all OK and that it was just 'one of these things'.

Bagpuss, I'd second what Katharine has just said about getting another hen. If you lived near me I could give you a cockerel to find out if he would settle things for you, but there should be someone close by who can help you out if that's what you decide. As long as the 'underdog' can happily get into the coop at night along with the others and there's no viciousness in the fighting then they should be fine. I read somewhere that the cider vinegar in the water helps and that spraying them all with vinegar and water before they go in at night helps disguise a particular hen from the others, but I think that might be nore for introducing new hens to existing groups.

Katharine, your rescued hens look great. If the inflammation and redness are reducing on the sussex then it might just be scalding from sitting in a mucky hen house at previous place. You know how the ammonia can build up in no time if the birds are confined without regular cleaning. Hope they are all doing well and that you start to get eggs in the next few weeks.

Katharine

She is very large so sits alot and she had huge clods of poo on her so I think it could be irritation from that, is there something I can rub on to help, lavendar oil? I also noticed last night they had runny noses it looks clear and I can't see any crusty bits or swelling. Will have a sniff of their crops tonight when I sneak in to trim their toenails. I did get a bluey green egg today but it has lumpy calcium deposits on it.

lostinrates

Primrose wrote: »

I enjoy reading this thread (frustrated potential chicken keeper because garden is too small - it was a choice between vegetable patch and chickens) but I'm curious about what chicken owners do when one of their birds die. How do you dispose of them? Bury? Put out for the fox? Dispose in a black bin bag? I'm just curious.

depend on why they died.

We've had a depressing year of predation and the victims were ''processed'' for our dogs, with many, many tears. Boys are either given to friends, bt if not possible, the freezer beckons. . A couple of older girls have been PTS and disposed of via vets (they deserved apain free end). If/when we are faced with ill health it will be incinerated vi vets I guess: not ken on burying ill health personally.

Katharine

Your right there I was thinking of my girls dying of old age, but they may not be so lucky.

tallulah20

wow! always on this site but just found this brilliant thread - what a great idea and I need some advice!

I have 3 warrens. I got them at about 16 weeks and within a couple of weeks they were laying! getting 3 one day then 2 the next.

For the past few days we have been getting just 1 and today - none!

They are all eating fine - running around the garden and having dust baths. I work part time so am at home to collect eggs most days (someone told me not to leave eggs in too long as they can get broody - ??)

any advice would be appreciated!

They are about 22 weeks now.

Thanks

angelavdavis

Katharine wrote: »

She is very large so sits alot and she had huge clods of poo on her so I think it could be irritation from that, is there something I can rub on to help, lavendar oil? I also noticed last night they had runny noses it looks clear and I can't see any crusty bits or swelling. Will have a sniff of their crops tonight when I sneak in to trim their toenails. I did get a bluey green egg today but it has lumpy calcium deposits on it.

One of my ex-batts had a sore spot like you describe. I washed the feathers around the area which were a bit yucky with some warm salt water, dried with tissue then smothered the sore area with vaseline. I repeated this a couple of times and then she was fine.

By the way, my brood are very settled and happy once again. Amazing how one broody hen upsets the whole lot of them. They have stopped snapping at each other when they are eating, etc. Hopefully Ms Broody will start laying again soon.