Newbie needing a little help

Posted by Cushla Bower on October 20, 2010 at 3:34am
I've had my chooks for a week and half - 2 silkie pullets, a pekin hen & a 3 month old frizzle. The pekin has had a sore foot & limping from the day we got her. The owner said she wasn't limping & was fine before we collected her & I trust her. She is still eating & drinking, scratching & getting around ok though. She may have somehow injured it having a bit of a brawl & settling into the company of the bossy silkies I'm not sure - I have picked her up & checked the foot & leg & there is no injury I can see or feel. Also I'm pretty sure the frizzle has diarroea - maybe the food is too rich for her?

They have a brand new house & we have built a long run for them, feeding them organic layer pellets, clean water with a bit of cider vinegar & plenty of greens from my garden. I keep their coop & box etc very clean with fresh straw etc. 

We have only been getting only 1 egg a day (2 days we had 2) & apparently 3 of them were laying before i got them (not the young frizzle obviously). I'm not sure if I am doing something wrong - should I be treating them for lice & mites yet? They really don't like me yet & are very freaked out at being handled. I just want happy healthy chooks & could use a bit of advice.

Sorry for the waffle.....

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Replies

  • Derek & Julie Craig October 20, 2010 at 7:06am
    Hi Cushla,
    Firstly - if you feel that the chicken has a sore foot - get it looked at. there is a homeopathic vet that I can get you the number of if you wish. She is in blockhouse bay.
    Next - you're probably giving too much of a good thing to the chooks. too many greens - particularly cabbage and lettuce (which we don't give our chickens) can give them the runs. Give them wandering jew and plenty of grit (dried egg shells or crushed sea shells sifted from the beach and well washed) and lots of protein - any leftovers that have meet or full proteins is fine.
    We manage to keep any nasty bugs away by putting fresh rosemary (off the stalk) and pine needles in their laying boxes. Also, ensure that there is an area of dry dirt - they love to have dirt baths - this minimises any ticks etc
    Lastly - I agree with Kirsten - chickens are quite sensitive and it can take them a little while to get settled in - just get the other stuff sorted and it will all work out well. Keep them in a penned area for a while to make them feel a little more secure and protected. Can I suggest that you check out other people locally that have chooks - something may register from looking at another property that you haven't thought to mention.
    You're welcome to check out ours - we're in mt albert
    good luck
    • Cushla Bower > Derek & Julie Craig October 21, 2010 at 3:38am
      You are so lovely - thank you so much for your lovely reply. I'll take everything that you said on board, give it a try as well as Kristens advice & see how it goes. Cheers xxx
  • Kristen Morse October 20, 2010 at 6:33am
    Hi there, lots of worries for a new owner! First the foot - how high are your perches? Is she roosting on those or in the nest boxes. Is there a soft landing under the perch when they jump off as she may have hurt herself that way. Pekin's have pretty short legs. Several cms. of shavings on the floor where they land might help. If you don't think the perch is too high have another look at the leg, any heat in the joints, check the underside of the foot carefully - Bumblefoot is a possibility, it will show up as a dark callused area or an enlarged pad that might be a bit soft to touch. It is an injury where the skin has healed over an infected sore and is in effect a cold ulcer. There are several treatments, including vets and antibiotics, so Google it and have a look at some pics. I have had 1 large bird with it before and it was hard to shift - worse when conditions were wet and cold and no soft landing under the perch. But if she wasn't lame when you got her it is unlikely to be that as it takes a while to develop. The bird may have been hurt being caught before you collected her as well. Transferred from the old owners cage to your cage on pick up and neither of you would know possibly.

    Non Egg laying and Diarrhea imply stress and parasites as possibilities. moving to a new home could put them off for a couple of weeks. Check vent area for mites and lice and if you dust for lice etc do the nesting areas as well. garlic in the water will help boost them and the mites don't like garlic flavored chicken much so that will help. Coccidia is another parasite that may cause Diarrhea. The birds will be immune to what was in the soil where they grew up but may not be to what is in your soil. Stress sometimes triggers this problem. Silkies and Pekins and notorious for going broody so the other possibility is that someone is hiding their eggs somewhere out of the way. If you dont know who is laying, cage each one for a day or so, with food and water, to sort out who is.

    Best of luck.
    • Cushla Bower > Kristen Morse October 21, 2010 at 3:36am
      Thank you so much - I'm so grateful for your reply - just so lovely of you! I'll take this on board & try out your suggestions as well as Derek & Julies wonderful help. I'm sure I'll be in line for happy chooks soon. I think stress is a lot of the problem & I'm feeling pretty sure that the foot is just an injury from being re-housed. I went to see a vet as well for a chat & he said to not check them or dust them as it might just cause them too much stress after their big move - just let them be for another 2 weeks & then check them. In the mean time I'm onto the garlic the oyster grit & a dust bath area! We'll just see how it goes over these next weeks. Thank you.
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