Sooo much pooping

[Blossom247]

We lost our beautiful RI Red, Cookie, to an undetected case of sour crop last night. She was fine on Saturday, quiet on Sunday morning then when I picked her up she was sick a little but I thought she had maybe drunk some stagnant water as there's a lot about after all the rain. She was drinking clean water in the run and I thought she would be ok but when I went to check on her later she was violently sick, had a fit and died. It looked like she may have eaten a piece of rubber but I don't know where she would have got that from! They are free range though - so they have the run of the garden but it's not something we recognise. We are shocked that she went downhill so fast and are very upset. I am sorry I didn't spot it sooner.

 

Now we have our 3 year old White Star, Blossom, all on her own. She's eating but spending the rest of the time in her nesting box (neither have laid for ages). I am worried she is pining but it is still early days so she may perk up later.

 

My question for the Forum is - do we leave her on her own or do we try to reintroduce another chicken (one or two?). Cookie was the boss and Blossom followed her everywhere. There was no mischief caused by Blossom on her own. I know they aren't supposed to be kept on their own but I don't want to stress her out with a new room mate. What should we do and when? Please.

[Daphne]

Sorry to hear of your loss Don't beat yourself up about it, its quite easy to miss things the first time you encounter them, the key thing is to recognise the symptoms next time. Just as a precaution, make sure your hens don't have access to long grass which can cause an impaction and then sour crop, and personally I don't like them ranging on lots of grass cuttings either for the same reason. However, sour crop is often a secondary infection, meaning there is an underlying problem which may or may not have been detectable.

 

Anyway, I would get 2 younger hens sooner rather than later, so that if/when something happens to Blossom in the future they will still have each other. Chickens are flock creatures and prefer to be in a gang. There are plenty of hints and tips about introductions on here; they don't always go smoothly but they do work out in the end if there are any problems! Hopefully Blossom will accept them quite easily as she is older and docile In my view the most important aspect have some quarantine facilities to keep the new stock separate, ideally for 10-14 days, to check the newbies aren't bringing anything with them and also that they adapt to the change of environment successfully.

[Olly]

Sorry to hear about Cookie, and I agree - don't feel too bad about it, because it may well not have been anything treatable. If she was looking well until just before she died, then there was nothing to alert you to it and I would guess it's more likely to be an underlying condition than stagnant water or something she ate.

 

It may seem stressful initially, but in the long run Blossom will be happier with some friends. Follow the guidance on introductions and it shouldn't be too traumatic.

[Ain't Nobody Here]

Welcome to the forum . I'm sorry to hear about Cookie, but I agree, don't feel too bad, they are good at hiding illness till it's too late.

 

I think getting 2 new girls soon would be a good idea - if Blossom is a gentle soul, introductions may well go smoothly and she'll certainly be happier with company (and you can have some eggs again!).

[Blossom247]

Thanks for all your kind replies.

 

I phoned the Animal Farm we got them from to ask for advice. They recommended getting a slightly older bird (rather than sell me a POL - which I though was admirable) and to look on Preloved.com. First search turned up a chicken in the next village that is 18m and left behind by two lost to foxes. Owner has since hatched 5 silkies so wanted to rehome the chicken. He has no idea what breed it is (looks like black rock but lays bluesy white eggs). We've managed to divide the run and give the new one a cat basket to use as a roost for now. They can see each other but not peck. Blossom has perked up already and even came out of the roost to check out the newcomer and ate some mash which is a great start. She doesn't seem keen about the new chicken eating!! Will keep them separate as long as practical and then think about a 3rd one. New one, which we've named Ruby due to her bright red comb, has never been free range so looking forward to letting her out for a run!!

 

Thanks again for taking the time to reply.

[shemybelle]

Great news

[MaryKate]

You have my sympathy Blossom 247 - we lost Clodagh (one of our 2 girls) just over a week ago to peritonitis. She hadn't laid in over a year but seemed happy just to be Marlene's friend - they just followed each other round the garden. About 3 weeks ago she started to become really ill so we had to have her put down - but it was not an easy decision! Marlene didn't do too much pining to be honest and like you, I wondered whether to leave her on her own or find a couple of new friends for her.

 

After much persuasion from OH, we got two POL black rocks - Roxy and Bella. This was 4 days ago. Roxy is very shy - she has just started laying, whilst Bella is a bit smaller and very nervy round everyone - especially Marlene who has turned out to be a bully. I set Bella and Roxy up in a spare run next to Marlene's WIR and they all eyed each other up for the first 2 days. Since then I have allowed them to mingle under supervision, but Marlene quite clearly resents them being round. Poor little things are trying really hard to let her know they are happy for her to be the boss, but she just seems to get all huffy with them and pecks whenever she can. I made up two nest boxes for Roxy and Bella in the spare run (so they had a choice) and they both clambered into the smallest one (an old cat carrier), whilst Marlene retired to her spacious Eglu all on her own. So tonight I have switched them round and made Marlene go into cat basket - I don't think she is very happy. When I peeked into the Eglu - both Bella and Roxy had squeezed in together in the Eglu nest bowl - perhaps they thought they had better leave lots of space just in case Marlene appeared!

 

I am sort of hoping that if Marlene has restricted access to her WIR for a couple of days, she might be a little less aggressive when all three get together again. I read somewhere that this approach sometimes works. I would be really interested to hear how you get on with your introductions.

 

MaryKate

[counturchickens]

Sounds like a happy ending blossom

[Ain't Nobody Here]

I'm glad you managed to get a friend for Blossom - sounds like an ideal solution .

 

MaryKate, you seem to be doing all the right things - my only advice would be to take your time. There's no rush to put them together if your separation arrangement is convenient for you - the longer it takes the less chance there will be of any bloodshed! A water pistol can work wonders on a bully though .

[MaryKate]

I agree Ain't "Ooops, word censored!"ody Here - I know it will take time. They are all FR at the moment and the newbies are watchful and keeping their distance from Marlene, but less so than yesterday. She is doing the odd bit of charging at them but no pecking today. I think another night in the cat house for Marlene won't do any harm. Both Marlene and Roxy laid today so I figure things can't be that stressful for them - obviously I am the stressed one here!! Given that they have food provided, nice shelter etc., etc., you would think they would just sort themselves out and chill - but then you look at the size of their brains and ..... no, that would be asking just a little too much!!

 

Mary Kate

[sandyhas3chucks]

I'm glad you managed to get a friend for Blossom - sounds like an ideal solution .

 

MaryKate, you seem to be doing all the right things - my only advice would be to take your time. There's no rush to put them together if your separation arrangement is convenient for you - the longer it takes the less chance there will be of any bloodshed! A water pistol can work wonders on a bully though .

totally agree 150%

[Blossom247]

Poor Blossom died two weeks after Cookie leaving Ruby on her own again! Got two POL - one Speckled and one Light Sussex. Reading the post about Marlene is interesting because Ruby has taken against Suki (Speckled). I started another thread and got lots of good advice but it's been two and a half weeks ago and it's still going on. Suki is very tolerant and crouches down or gets out of her way. There's been no bloodshed just a bit of tugging of feathers rather than actual pecking! I've made sure there's plenty of food around so Suki can't get backed into the corner. We've also ordered a WIR so they'll have more space and hopefully some toys to distract them.

 

I did read that pecking is more prevalent if you mix types because chickens get used to similar looking chickens so I wonder if Ruby thinks Polly (Light Sussex) is actually Blossom (White Star) who had established herself as boss.

 

A water pistol sounds like a good idea - they take some catching as today's flea powder session proved! But I should be able to reach her with a shot of water!

 

Thanks for the condolences and advice.