What makes a chicken coop easy to live with?

[CottonCockerel]

We have only had our first little clutch of chickens for a few days and three are very bright, one a little too knowing - but the 4th little cuckoo marran looks very under the weather. They have not starting laying yet as only 17 - 19 weeks old.

 

I know it is early days and they are still settling in but she keeps laying down closing her eyelids and after observing her for much of the day I haven't seen her drinking.

 

She seems to freeze if you go near her, and if you pick her up she almost goes into shock (stress) and makes a croaky sound not the cooing noise the others do.

 

As I say I am a total novice and could it be she is just taking longer to settle ? or could it be more.

 

Thank you for any advice you can give, and for your patience x

[-sarahjayne]

Has she got a bit of a runny nose or generally feeling under the weather?

My chooks all seemed to get a cold after they arrived, the stress of travelling makes them more susceptible to these things. I'd watch her and maybe put some vitamin supplements into their drink. She should drink soon and if she doesn't you will need to syringe water into her beak. You may have to cause her a little stress to do this but it is vital that she drinks. But for now I suggest just keeping an eye on her and she will find the water when she wants some, and if not follow the instructions above.

[CottonCockerel]

Thank you I will watch her and if she hasn't had a drink before bed then will try the syringe, at the moment they have all settled around her and she has tucked her head under her wings and her body is rising and falling with quite heavy breaths, the other little light sussex who is like her best bud, keeps poking her with her foot... I hope she's alright.

 

Thanks again X

[-sarahjayne]

No problem. Keep us updated

I was so worried at first too.

If she has heavy breathing it could be a minor respiratory problem; my chook rhonda had something like this aswell as a cold, we didnt take her to the vets as she was normal in herself, gave her some citricidal which is like vitamins ( I think ?! ) and all her health problems have dissapeared. You can order it off omlet, It's 2 drops per litre of water, for some people it really doesn't work but for me it worked a treat.

[Olly]

It does sound as if she's not quite right, I'd ring the breeder that you got her from and tell them the symptoms, as they haven't been with you long it sounds as if she was not well when you got her.

 

I hope she improves.

[Hen Watch]

They can take a while to settle in when they first arrive, but that said, if she is closing eyes a lot and not drinking then you are wise to keep an eye on her.

 

As Olly says, let the supplier you got her from know. Can you get her to eat/drink? You could try cucumber (as it's got lots of water content), grapes. I don't like to give my chooks bread but when they are poorly I have given them a tiny bit of bread soaked in loads of water until it turns into watery mush.

 

If she goes downhill it may be worth ringing a vet.

[CottonCockerel]

Thanks again for the replies.

 

I gave her a drink with the syringe before settling them down and she is feisty enough when trying to corner her, she stood and let me give her a little and then went to the feeder and had some mush, she seems to prefer that over treats.

 

I tried grapes earlier in the day but they are not too interested in them yet, but the cucumber sounds a great idea and hopefully tomorrow she will have picked up a little.

 

The supplier I collected them from was recommended by an omlet supplier and she has had her vaccs, the others are so perky, this may be why I notice her being so different.

 

As I say she is very close to the Light sussex but one of the other hens a Lohmann is much bigger, very healthy and forward, she is about to start laying as the lady checked her and said it wouldn't be long. However she is really aggresive to the others, first she was leaving the poorly one alone but tonight when they went to bed in the cube she cornered her and grabbed hold of her neck

 

She had been sitting in the doorway waiting for the others to come to bed as if to make sure she could have a go as they came in...

 

I have popped her in the nesting box (in the cube) tonight with some shavings and put a piece of card just high enough for her to see over but not get through to the others. I checked just now and she was asleep the others were all huddled together, much happier.

 

Tomorrow I thought I would pop to the petshop and get some antipecking spray to try.

 

She obviously considers herself to be the 'daddy' and is really tame and loves to be stroked and fussed but is evil to the other chickens.

[CottonCockerel]

Thank you to everyone for their help.

 

She is like a new chicken now, far more perkier and much happier.

 

Whatever it was seems to have passed now x

[Olly]

Glad to hear that!