3.6m Omlet Chicken Run for sale, Brand New in Boxes, Milton Keynes (MK19)

[DotiD]

Hi Everyone, I am new to the forum but bought my two darling hens from Omlet three years ago. On Thusday morning, just gone, Lulu didn't come out of her Eglu and was just "not right". She was always the naughty one, scratting around and going where she new she shouldn't. She rarely sat down, just spent her days running about and eating everything. When I got home from work she was still in the same place so I sat and cuddled her and she just closed her eyes and nestled down in my lap. She would often do this but would always be alert - not on Thursday. When I went to let them out on Friday morning, it looked like she was in exactly the same position as when I put her to bed but there was quite a lot of liquid in the tray beneath her that was not normal and her comb started to flop. I can't say that there was anything else obviously wrong up until then. I sat and cuddled he again before going to work and when my partner left for work after me, he checked she was comfortable in her bed and put some water right next to her, but when he got home, she had died. It all happened so quickly and now Suzie is wandering around the garden looking for her. She used to follow Lulu around and now she just seems to spend most of her time in her bed and doesn't seem particularly interested in food. She will eat the odd treat from my hand but not much else.

So although there is a feeling of complete sadness in our garden and a quietness without naughty Lulu around I would like to ask advice on what I should do for Suzie. Should I take her to the vet in case it was catching? Apart from what I have said, she appears well to look at and is still laying. Should I get her some new friends or would she be best left on her own as she must be getting on for 3 and a half and maybe couldn't cope with being introduced to new point of lays? Please help because I want her to be happy again and her being sad makes the loss of Lulu even more difficult to bare.

 

Thank you, Doti.

[Egluntyne]

I'd get her some new friends. She might be a bit stroppy with them to begin with, but she will need the company.

 

Sorry to hear about Lulu.

[staceychristie]

Sorry for your loss, but I'm sure you gave her a fab life.

You MUST!!!!! Get some new friends for her ASAP. Hens are flock creatures, and a lonely hen will rapidly become depressed and may stop eating. POL girls may be a it young for her - have you thought about rescuing ExBatts?

It's never easy to lose a favorite girl but I hope that you'll be ok.

 

Stacey

[WitchHazel]

Sorry to hear abaout Lulu. It sounds like it was just her time to go, so I doubt that it is anything infectious.

 

Suzie will get lonely on her own. As others have said, hens are flock animals and need company. You could introduce one new hen to her, but then it's likely you'll be in exactly the same position again at some point (and most reputable breeders won't sell one hen on her own).

 

It might be a good idea to get two new hens, maybe at point of lay. Suzie may well be a bit put out about it to start with, but she will be glad of the company and it will all settle down after a bit of arguing.

 

There is some excellent advice on the forum about introducing new hens. You'll need to read it and adapt it, bearing in mind that generally it's written from the point of voiew of introducing new girls to an existing flock rather than to just one hen.

 

Good luck, please let us know how you get on.

[sophiemccoy]

Awww, so sorry for your loss. Have you considered rehoming some ex-batts?

[chickanne]

Looking forward to coming round and viewing the new girlies. I'm sure Suzie will love them when she gets to know them. Thelma and Louise send their love.

[clueless chick]

Sorry to hear your news.

 

 

I know how you feel Dusty was a favourite of mine and it seems so much quieter without the inquisitive and playful one. Let me know how you get on if you do get more girls. I am thinking of getting a few more as the cube is awfully big as is the garden without her.

 

Sorry again its awful isnt it I am sure new girls would help W

[DotiD]

Update.....

 

We picked up three new point of lays last night and brought them home to meet Suzie.

 

The good news is that Suzie made more noise and was more alert in the hour after we brought Aggy, Cally and Jazz home than she had been since Lulu died last Friday. The bad news is that as expected she is bullying all of them, particularly Jazz, I guess because she is the biggest.

 

We feel awful that we thought we were going to give our three new girls a lovely home and now it feels like we have brought them into a war zone! They did all sleep together with no problems last night but no such luck during the day. I guess we just have to let nature take its course. After a bit of pecking last night when we got home, she is more intimidating now, chasing them etc.

 

Aggy is a brown hen just like Suzie and Lulu, Cally is a white hen and Jazz is a blue. They are sooo lovely and their characters are showing through already! I just hope that Suzie will start behaving nicely towards them so they can all run around happily together.

 

Just on a different subject, does anyone know why I can't get the little coloured hen pictures for the white and blue hens to work on my signature - I promise I am doing what it says!

 

Thanks to all who have replied, I think I will be using this more often for advice now I have a doubled the trouble with my little darlings.

 

Dotid

[clueless chick]

How did you new girls get on. Yesterday Rusty died and Pearl is alone.

Have been offered 2 pol girls but not sure how to go about it.

Should i seperate or intruduce as you have ?

[DotiD]

Hi clueless Chick,

 

Although Suzie perked up considerably when the three new girls arrived, after a couple of days of hen pecking the others, particularly Jazz, she got really ill and went downhill very fast. I checked on the website and whilst Lulu seemed to die with no symptoms of any illness, poor Suzie seemed to get what I think may have been "sour crop" - I took her to the vet who reckoned that it was the end of a nasty virus that she was unlikely to recover from that was probably contracted from wild birds, of which we had hundreds in our garden. I decided to have her put to sleep.

So 10 days after Lulu died, and 5 days after the new girls arrived, Suzie was gone too. It was so sad. My daughter (18) was brilliant, she came to the vet with me and helped me clean the eglu out whilst I just cried the whole time.

 

Anyway, the only update I can offer you on how the old and new chickens got on for their short time together was that Suzie did peck them, alot. She seemed to pick on Jazz who was the largest. They would all be happily eating and then Suzie would come along and go for the back of the neck of one of the new chooks. They would all run away and then she would walk away from the food - she didn't want it herself, she just wanted to stop them from having it! However, when it was time for bed, the new chools would wait for her to go into the eglu and then they would follow her in. After a day or two they were less wary and went in when they wanted to. Once in the eglu, there was no pecking at all.

 

We have now moved house with our three new girls and live in Devon. They have their own paddock to play in and seem very happy. So my only advice is, get the new pol's, the pecking does apparently stop after a week or so. Your hen will not be happy on her own anyway and although for a couple of days after Suzie died, I thought that I had made a mistake getting three new chooks, now, I wouldn't be without them - three new characters! The only down side is that I have left myself open to the saddness of losing three more little lives at some point in the future!

[clueless chick]

Thank you for getting back to me. We are away for a week at the end of this week. So I think it would be best to wait until I am around most of the time. Pearl was following my hubby and myself around all day Sunday while we clearing out the veggie patches but still went into the pen on her own a few times and even in the nesting box for a short while. Usually she has to be tempted into the pen and is the last one to go.

I hope she doesnt get too lonely while we are away ( the timing is rubbish) and as soon as we get back I will get some new girls and hope for the best.

 

Thank you again

Wendy

[chickanne]

Hi DotiD!

Thelma and Louise will be v jealous of the new set up the Devon Cousins have got. Now that the nights are drawing in they are getting less "free time " and I have to pop them in the chicken run for a bit before letting them out for a quick scamper before going off to work.

Do you think they would mind if I nicked a few of their feathers to make a hat for The Big Wedding??

[DotiD]

Hi, I'm sure Louise won't mind, I eggspect that is why the chicken gods sent her to you!

 

See you on Thursday

 

Love Dotid x