chickens - need help already

[Rosendula]

I only got them on Saturday and I need help with the poor little things already.
The black on was a bit less forthcoming than the others, but I just thought that was personality. Then on Monday she seemed even more quiet and didn't come out of her house very much. Yesterday (Tuesday) I noticed that the white one had her beak open a little bit and her nostrils looked bunged up, so I thought perhaps they both had colds. The black one looked a bit perkier. None of the chickens hardly set foot outside the house, but I thought perhaps that's because the white one seems to be the leader. This morning the white one doesn't look any different, and the black one has taken a step backwards - she's keeping one eye closed and I'm not sure if that side of her face is a little swollen. The red one has so far not shown any symptoms. They're not eating very much, and to get them to drink I have to put their water in their house for a while. I've added a little bit of cider vinegar to the water - 2.5ml in 500ml of water.

I've been trying to keep them happy. The coop was on the lawn, but as it's been cold over the last few days I put some straw down in the run as well as the thick layer in the house. We thought the door to the house looked a bit draughty, so the first couple of nights we put tarpaulin over the house to keep the cold out, then yesterday we put some draught-proofing stuff around the door and around the edge of the lid to the nesting box. We also decided it might be better to bring the coop up onto the patio for a while, where the house and the shed offers some protection from breezes. We put down a very thick layer of wood shavings and straw, but other than the red one popping down for a quick nosey late yesterday, they haven't even seen it yet.

Is there anything I can do to help them?

Am I doing something wrong or is this normal for chickens that have a change in their environments (they'd previously been kept in a barn)?

Vets fees would be more that the cost of new chickens, so should we just eat them and get new ones? I wasn't planning on doing that quite so soon.

[bonniethomas06]

Hi

That is bad luck in the first week! I agree, it is possibly something to do with the shavings or straw. I would take out all of it and sweep out the coop. As said above, the dust can cause their little nostrils to get all bunged up. My book says you should only buy straw which has been specially treated, but I dunno

And don't worry about the cold - seriously, mine were fine through all that snow - remember they are birds, just like the ones that roost in the trees - who don't have a coop to sleep in.

Hope they recover. The last time I took mine to the vets (we thought she might be eggbound) it cost £15, including a shot, so not as bad as a dog or cat.

[red]

Rosie - it might be nothing - just settling in etc. and hcickens can just get colds etc.

but the worry i guess is mycoplasma.

Personally - I wouldn't tkae them to the vets - I did this with one of my hens when we first started.. it was at the same time as a local outbreak of bird flu -so they were checking everything. vet announced 'a virus' and give antibiotics. Silly waste of time. and if it was a virus antibots wouldn't touch it!

We have got a lot of help from our vets by phoning them, getting past the receptionist and having a chat with the vet. When we did have mycoplasma - one hen died, and the rest of the flock developed crusty eyes coughs and sneezes etc, the vet listed to our description, and then prescribred the drug tylan - which didn't cost a lot. This was added to the water and we had to throw eggs for a while. but they recovered quickly.
of course yours might not have mycoplasma

Don't worry about the cold. they cope fine, its wet that makes them miserable. if their house is dry and ventilated. that should be fine. maybe move away from dusty bedding materials (I only put straw in their nest boxes.. i use newspaper sheets under their perches.

find a local vet with poultry knowledge - the vets that do large animals such as cows etc usually have this experience. check your girls for symptoms.. rattlly breathing? snot? crusty eyes? then phone vet and ask for advice.

I personally would never eat an animal that was sick.. so if the vet is a no go, best alternative is to see how things pan out.

[Rosendula]

Thanks for your help. The tarp has gone now that we've draught-proofed the door, and there are ventilation holes at the top. We've only draught-proofed the really big gaps, not absolutely everything.

I read that hay is a no-no, but that straw is OK The packet says it has had the dust extracted from it, so I thought it would be alright. Still, it's worth a try because since I started the thread I have 'encouraged' the ladies to go down into their run and the white one has perked up almost immediately and had a lovely dust bath in the wood shavings. The first time I've seen it The red one has sneezed a couple of times, so I'm wondering if she's getting it now.

I'd like to keep the coop on the patio a while longer to allow my grass to recover. Before we got the chickens I had to do a big clear-up job on the garden, and since we got them the ground is quite bare and mushy - not where the chickens were, but around the outside of the coop where we spent a lot of time standing looking at the chickens.

Thanks again for your reassurances. I'll let you know how we get on.

[Rosendula]

Thanks Susie. Don't worry, I haven't forgotten the grit. I bought a 2kg bag for £1 from the same place I got the chickens and when we got home that was the first thing they all dived for. They ate loads.

I'm pleased to say that they spent all day outside in the run. They've eaten a lot more today, and had plenty to drink. But they're all a bit sneezy, and like I say, the black one has a swollen cheek and closed eye.

I've moved all of the straw out of the house, and vacuumed the dust up. I've lined the droppings tray with card and put some shredded bank statements in there (I found my old file with them all in. The last one I put away was December 2006!). OH is getting on well making the run extension, so hopefully it will be done tomorrow and they'll have a bit more space. Then the next job is making the garden more secure so we can let them free-range while we're at home. There's always something else to do

[Millymollymandy]

Good luck Rosie, I don't know anything about chickens with colds but they will take some time to settle in.

[JulieSherris]

Rosie, our original 3 hens were a little older than some of the others we've had.... but 'Edna' looked out of sorts for several weeks compared to the other 2.
She was sneezing a fair bit, head pulled in, tail drooping - I made her a brew of sage & honey a couple of times a week - and when ginger & paprika is added, they LOVE it!! She eventually pulled out of it & is one of our healthiest looking birds in the garden now!

Nowadays, when new birds get put in, I leave them alone pretty much - the 3 sussex hens that we've had for nearly a fortnight have just started to venture out of the house to explore - it won't take them long & they too, will be fighting for the dog food!

I use straw for the nest boxes & for the ducks 'barrel' & shavings for the floors. Give them a bit of time - they will settle.

[HennyPenny]

Sounds like Mycoplasma to me. My chickens must have already had this when I got them and the stress of moving to new home brought out the symptoms... sneezing, crusty nose and swollen face. Its is something that needs vet treatment and if the hens "look" ill then they must be feeling quite rough as they tend to conceal signs of illness for as long as possible. My girls needed antibiotics and were right as rain after treatment. It doesn't cure the Myco, they will always have it but it does sort the sypmtoms.
Mycoplasma is rife in chickens and as I say most have no symptoms but times of stress can bring it out. Hope your girls get better soon.
x

[Rosendula]

Thanks for the replies. I love this site.

Yesterday, the black one looked a little bit better and was starting to open her eye just a slit. She was scratching her head quite a bit like it was irritating, but on the whole she looked better. This morning, she looks almost normal again. In fact, they all look perkier and happier. We feel better too, now that Richard has finished the run extension giving them twice as much run space. I'm looking forward to letting them out to free-range in the spring when I'm feeling more confident with them, and they trust me more, but for now I'm feeling much more positive .

[bonniethomas06]

Phew, glad to hear they have perked up Rosey.

[Green Aura]

I've been having a look around, mainly because I don't know much about mycoplasma, and hennypenny's post made me think about the other post on recurrent infections (in humans).

Anyway, it would appear, from what I've read, that mycoplasma organisms, of which there are many strains, are everywhere. Most people, hens etc will be infected with them, but most will be unaffected. Those that do become ill seem to suffer fro similar symptoms to those above and recurrent upper respiratory tract infections in humans.

I found this on eHow. I have no idea if it's any use but there might be bits you can pinch to incorporate in the hens diet. And yours!

Traditional Treatments for Mycoplasma
1. Mycoplasma infections can go away on their own, but they are most commonly treated with antibiotics such as erythromycin, clarithromycin or azithromycin. Subsequent infections tend to be less severe and easier to treat.
Alternative Herb Treatments for Mycoplasma
2. When used to treat infections, many herbs have been found very effective. These herbs can be ground, mixed and placed into capsules; brewed in teas; ground into powders and mixed into health drinks; or consumed whole. Beneficial herbs include the following:

Flaxseed oil can help build healthy cell membranes and stimulate immune activity.
IP6 (rice bran extract) has nutrients believed to improve immunity and overall health.
Astralagus boosts the production of interferon, an immune factor that inhibits viral growth.
Thyme helps reduce infection.
Ginseng affects the immune control centers of the central nervous system through the adrenal hormones.
Echinacea is effective against a wide variety of microbes, including viruses, bacteria and fungi.
Garlic has antibiotic properties.
Finally, olive leaf extract can boost the immune system.

[red]

Rosie - if the one with the closed eye is sort of crusty - you can bathe it carefully to remove the irritating bits.. and stop her scratching at it .

[Rosendula]

Rosie - if the one with the closed eye is sort of crusty - you can bathe it carefully to remove the irritating bits.. and stop her scratching at it .

Thanks Red. We had wondered about that. It didn't go crusty, and by this evening it was almost back to normal, so I'm breathing a sigh of relief. But it's good to know for future reference. If I needed to bathe it, would I just use plain water?

I'm now worrying about all this rain we've had. As I mentioned, we moved the coop up onto the patio for a while, and a good job we did too. The end of the garden where they had been is now under water! The garden is on two levels and the bottom half sometimes gets mushy in winter, but it's never been that bad, except the summer when we had the floods. We had thought that if the lower end gets mushy we could bring them up onto the higher ground. Unfortunately, we never thought about the run-off from the patio (which we put in about 6 months ago) and it's causing a puddle on the top bit too. So as soon as the weather permits, we're going to embark on a drainage project.

But for now, as I say they're on the patio. They're still on the wood shavings but despite the run having a roof, the shavings have become damp. Yet the chickens didn't want to spend the day in their nice dry house. I'm guessing this could cause problems and I'm wondering how to tackle it. Any suggestions please, anyone?

[Millymollymandy]

Everybody's chickens are out on damp ground through winter and mine love being out in the rain and getting all bedraggled and the few occasions that it rains so much they get puddles in the run they just play in it! I wouldn't worry about damp wood shavings as it's no different from damp ground. If it's possible to put a perch in the run they might use that to get off the damp bedding but as long as they have a dry house and perch for night time and that they are only on damp not sopping wet stuff I can't see it being a problem.

[red]

Rosie - if the one with the closed eye is sort of crusty - you can bathe it carefully to remove the irritating bits.. and stop her scratching at it .

Thanks Red. We had wondered about that. It didn't go crusty, and by this evening it was almost back to normal, so I'm breathing a sigh of relief. But it's good to know for future reference. If I needed to bathe it, would I just use plain water?

yes - a bit of loo paper and plain water. and be sure to throw stuff away - not leave it about for the other chickens!

I'm now worrying about all this rain we've had. As I mentioned, we moved the coop up onto the patio for a while, and a good job we did too. The end of the garden where they had been is now under water! The garden is on two levels and the bottom half sometimes gets mushy in winter, but it's never been that bad, except the summer when we had the floods. We had thought that if the lower end gets mushy we could bring them up onto the higher ground. Unfortunately, we never thought about the run-off from the patio (which we put in about 6 months ago) and it's causing a puddle on the top bit too. So as soon as the weather permits, we're going to embark on a drainage project.

But for now, as I say they're on the patio. They're still on the wood shavings but despite the run having a roof, the shavings have become damp. Yet the chickens didn't want to spend the day in their nice dry house. I'm guessing this could cause problems and I'm wondering how to tackle it. Any suggestions please, anyone?

it is a worry as wet chickens drinking puddles etc are more likely to get myco than dry summer chickens - but everyones are outside.. paddling in the mud in the case of my chickens.. they survive it. I have an outdoor shelter for them.. as they dont like staying in the house, i have a bit of old pig ark, and they all huddle under that when it rained.. and grump about it all.