Pro - Does anyone else's nest boxes get soaked in rain?

[feefeelalabelle]

hi all, im in need of some friendly advise, a few weeks ago mr fox paid us a visit and took all of my babies apart from 1, she was left all by herself so i went and got her a friend as she looked very miserable, but was still free ranging, 3 days after she stopped laying? then i had some work done on the garden last week which meant they couldnt come out to FR , now they can come out and i open up at about 8.30 but only pop their heads out for an hour a day at about 12 ish ????? have i made them unhappy ???? dont really know whats gone wrong, lots of feathers in a nest in the hut aswell xxxx

[Chicken Shirl]

Hello, you do sound sad. Sorry about the fox. Does your original hen get along ok with the new girl as far as you know? They may be starting to moult if there are lots of feathers in the coop. That can make them a bit fed up. Or they could be getting the pecking order sorted. Or they are just plain cross with you for keeping them in the run for a few days. See if you can tempt them out with a couple of treats, maybe spend a little time talking and cuddling them. Hope they improve soon.

[feefeelalabelle]

yes i am very sad,lol . im terribly worried about my two ladies. just been into town to get some hay and sawdust to give them a good clean out, already got some mite powder but they look infestation free. my original girl lucky has accepted the new one perfectly fine, no pecking at all and think shes glad for the company but she used to be very friendly with road island cockeral who got took and am woundering if shes heart broken and missing the rest of the crew????? do chickens pine? ive just been in to check on them as they havnt been out for more than an hour and have noticed that they now sleep on the upper level, lucky on the perch and the new chuck underneath her ???? when she was with the old crew they all slept on the floor???........arggh im sure she must be traumatised??

ive noticed that all of the feathers are on the floor in a nest where she used to lay??? im a bad mommy arnt i, please advise, plus they are taking only small amounts of food?? how do i check their crops? xxxx

[Chicken Shirl]

You are not a bad chicken mummy. If you were, you would not be on here worrying yourself to death, as we all do when things are not going well with our chooks. I notice your last post was after 4pm so your hens will have gone to bed now. It's unlikely that they both would have an impacted crop I think. How old are they? could they be broody? they stay in the coop for ages when they are going broody, and they don't eat much.

 

Someone with much more experience than me will be along soon and I'm sure they will be able to shed a bit more light on what the problem could be.

[Chicken Shirl]

Hello, sorry "Ooops, word censored!"ody has come along to help. I am just making this post so that it may bring your plight to someones attention.

[sandyhas3chucks]

ok, stop worrying tonight.

lots of feathers.... prob a moult.

moult can make them pretty miserable.

next in the morning check their crops they should be empty.

eggs often stop during a moult.

Mine are playing musical beds. 6 girls 3 eglus,

Some seem to miss their pals others don't seem to bother.

hope this helps a bit tonight

[Egluntyne]

The upheaval of losing her companion and getting a new friend, plus the shortening days will probably put her off lay, and possibly have triggered a bit of a moult.

 

I wouldn't worry too much. I think a bit more time to get used to each other is what is needed. Encourage them to share treats, and maybe a bit of extra protein, such as mealworms wouldn't go amis.

[Chicken Shirl]

How are your chooks today?

[feefeelalabelle]

unfortunatly i have seen them much today as ive been at court all day but my dad has said they was out for about an hour??? do yours still stay out all day? was doing some late night reading last night as i was still worried i didnt know a chicks crop was so low down, when i pick mine up the other day they both felt very bony around that area ???? arrrggg i think im gonna have to make a trip to the vets tomorrow with them , nut i do appreciate you guys for being concerned

[Chicken Shirl]

Apart from going to lay they should be out of their coop and in the run most of the day. The weather has been bad in the UK though, so unless you have a covered run they may be the kind of hens that don't like to be wet. I noticed that they are on Hay in their coop, this is not a good thing for them as they can eat it and get impacted crop. Maybe one of the others on here can advise you what to use. Mine live outside all the time so don't need bedding. (That is because of where I live, we don't have foxes in Tenerife)

 

Sending {{Hugs}} Let us know how you get on with them at the vets.

[Reikiranf]

Did you take them to the vets or do they seem to be a bit happier? I had a fox after my girlies the other week & two were fine but one didn't come out of the Eglu for a couple of days other than grab a bite to eat and go back in Mind you she is the baby of the bunch and always the first in bed