Will hoey

[Lara and Frey]

My girls all seem happy in themselves, are eating and drinking well and look in good condition from the look of the feathers, eyes etc. but one of them keeps looks like she's yawning. I got them yesterday and she's done it maybe 5 or 6 times that I've seen since then. She doesn't make a noise when she does it and doesn't seem in any distress she has also wiped her beak a few times on the ground (don't know if that's head shaking or something different, new to all this). AllI find when I google hens yawning is Gape Worm. Does this sound right to you or does it sound like/could it be something else? Please any advice would be much appreciated. I love my girls already and don't regret getting them but so far they've brought red mites home with them and now this and I only got them lunchtime yesterday. They all have clean bottoms if that makes any difference and one is doing slightly wet ginger coloured poos (not sure which) is that normal? The only plus of all this I guess is at this rate once I have got my girls back into tip top health I'll not be a total novice anymore. If anyone knows what it could be please let me know. I've ordered some of the Flubenvet medicated pellets to give them as having just got them and them having red mites makes me wonder what else the poor things might have. Like I said to a novice they look healthy, no feather lose, clean fluffy bottoms, bright eyes, good appetite, into everything just don't want them to get sick and as that I know of chickens don't just yawn because they're tired and it's only the one doing it I wanted to ask the experts on here.

[PoachedPlease]

dont panic Mr Mannering... the birds gape like that when they are 'adjusting' their crop - that is they have eaten a lot and are just getting comfortable. My light sussex does it a lot, I thought the worse too, until I realised she was perfectly healthy but just a greedy bird!

 

xx

[gavclojak]

Hi, one of my ex batts does it occasionally, but when she does it she makes a fog horn type noise, have had a look and the bet churches her over so u just assume that's just one of those things, the poo sounds perfectly normal, I am by no means an expert but I have learnt they do poos of all shapes colours and sizes! Try not to do what I did and over analysed everything they did, it changes daily and the only constant is the inconsistencys:) x

[chuckmum6]

Worming them is a good thing, it might be gape worm, if so this will sort that out.

[Lara and Frey]

Thanks everyone. That makes me feel alot better and would make sense as she does seem to eat alot. She also seems to have ended up bottom of the pecking order (early days I know but she won't fight back and thankfully top girl seems not tobe too much of a bully just the occasional peck to remind her who gets first dibs on treats, food etc.) so she may make up for lost time when she has the feeder to herself and gorge a bit. Thanks about the poo tip off too. I'd heard that alot counts as normal in that department so good to know that it sounds normal even if it wasn't could just be stress from moving to a new home etc. lol I'm calming down a bit now. Would probably have been fine if it hadn't been for the shock of finding red mites yesterday. Lol overprotective paranoid hen mummy lol. Wanted to worm them anyway so I'll just do the standard dose and obviously if she develops any other symptoms then I'll get her checked out. Pleased I know about the crop adjustment thing now so that on it's own in an otherwise happy healthy hen is normal so I won't start worrying if they all do it from time to time. Thanks everyone. I'll be able to sleep tonight now.