4m x 3m Omlet pen, cube, new auto door still boxed and coop light

[Chickaboo]

I put the following on the 'chicken clinic' page a few days ago; lots of people read it but as yet no reply Thought I might get more response on here:

I put a post on a couple of weeks ago about Phoebe , who is currently going through the moult as I was concerned that her eyelids, ears etc were yellow! She has been eating a lot of corn and butternut squash, so I believe that could be the cause. But I noticed the other day that the corners of the insides of her eyes appear a deep red/purple colour. This is only really noticeable when she moves them and then if you look very hard (they may have always been like that, and I'm getting a bit paranoid ); theres no inflammation, discharge or general soreness and she seems well if a little quiet (which I am putting down to the moult). Could there be anything I am missing? Are there any conditions that could cause this? My first concern with the yellow was obviously jaundice.

_________________

Phoebe

Daphne

 

holiday home!

RIP Ruby

RIP Lola

[Egluntyne]

It sounds as if you have been overdoing the corn.

 

Why not cut back on it and see if it makes a difference.

 

If she was jaundiced, she would be unwell too. If it persists, however, I would seek the opinion of a vet to be on the safe side.

[Chickaboo]

If it is due to the corn, is it harmful in any way? She is fine eating well, alert and pottering about, but she just doesn't seem quite herself. But she has been going through the moult

[Egluntyne]

Overfeeding of grains can lead to the hens becoming fat.....and a fat hen isn't likely to be a good layer.

 

A diet high in grains won't provide her with the necessary protein to refeather quickly, either, after a moult

 

Why not put her mainly on layers pellets and see what happens?

[Chickaboo]

She is actually off layers pellets, to slow down her laying (on vets advice) because she was having problems with soft eggs getting stuck. She hasn't laid now for approx 4wks, which is what we want. Her diet is a mix of corn, wheat, barley, bokashi bran, oats, seeds, fruit and veg etc etc. She has actually lost weight since she came off the pellets (nothing significant) so she doesn't seem to be getting fat. So its all a bit complicated Daphne is on the same diet and seems to really being thriving on it, super glossy feathers and fabulous eggs . Phoebe has had a lot of tuna whilst on the moult, and she seems to be growing back well, but I would say its been going on for 5wks or more. I'm just a bit anxious now she is on this diet that it could be causing other problems.

[Egluntyne]

Why not take her back to the vet for a look see to put your mind at rest.

[helenmb]

You could also try feeding her on growers ration (pellets or meal/mash) instead as this has less calcium and more protein and would help with her moult and also be less inclined to make her lay eggs too.

 

I hope things work out very soon for you both, and I'd agree with Egluntine pop her to a vet and one with poultry experience (my normal cat/dog vets are rubbish with chicken stuff, I have to tell them what I think is the problem as they don't have a clue )