Dogs Cows Chicken
Chirping
- Aug 8, 2024
- 89
- 147
- 86
I checked Lucy for mites when I treated her Bumblefoot a couple of weeks ago and found none other than scaly leg mites. Those were treated along with the Bumblefoot.
Over the past day or two, the feathers around her face and neck have gone a dirty-looking tan color versus bright white and appear much less dense than normal. The skin on her face, neck and ears looks dry and pale. Her comb is also intermittently pale, and yesterday She was still on her roost when I went to check on her at 6:30am... LATE!
Her behavior has been a little "off" as well for a day or two, with no obvious explaination. I would describe it as anxious to agitated to just short of panic. She's not a very talkative hen, but she's been muttering to herself the past week or so and occasionally tries to strike up a conversation with me, which is rare. I should also mention that 5 days this week she has greeted the day by CROWING for about 5 minutes right at sunrise. She's never done that before.
I checked her for mites or lice again last night and again found none. I treated her again for slm with solid coconut oil and petroleum jelly. I treated her to a giant nightcrawler as an apology for snatching her off her roost while she was sleeping.
Her behavior and appearance may be stress related. Her coop and run have been under construction with an addition being added onto for a week or so and she's been exposed to the 5 chicks who are currently brooding to move in.... Then yesterday I was looking at pics I had taken of her and noticed her tail feathers and some wing feathers look odd... like some on has cut the tips or stripped some of the shafts. The best pics I have are attached.
About Lucy: She was about 9 months old when I got her last October, so she's about 19 months old now. She's a Leghorn and she's been a "flock of one" since we lost her BFF, Ethel, to (probably) a coyote in April.
We live in West Texas. Temps have been up to 106° and down to mid 70s. Hasn't rained to speak of, lately . Her dust bath is wood ash I burn specifically for her in a clean fire pit and is +/- 95% pine. The coop and run are dirt floor.
She's on layer pellets (20%) from local feed shop, but recently switching gradually to Scratch and Peck Layer mash. I regularly offer her (in moderation) Romaine, watermelon, dried grubs, eggshell, cabbage. She has oyster shell and layer grit from Scratch and Peck at her discretion. The water in her dispenser has been spiked with Purina electrolytes. In the past week she's had a treat of about 1/4 cup of cold white tuna salad (touch of mayo, sweet pickles, onion and egg) and a frozen 3" corn on the cob.
I join her on safari every evening and she hunts mostly grasshoppers (It is cotton season here and farmer are treating for grasshoppers, but we are surrounded by ranch pasture I know isn't using chemicals near us because I am a manager on the ranch.) When she's on safari no bug is safe, except for doodle bugs/pill bugs/rolley poleys... we have millions in her yard, but she's not interested. She also enjoys stopping by her personal garden where she sprouts scratch grains in fertilizer she makes herself. I recently offered her Scratch and Peck sprouting peas, but she didn't care for them unsprouted. Inside her run she has a footbath I add frozen water bottles to, to combat the heat. The water gets pretty funky in the course of the day, but she stands on bricks to keep her feet out of the funk. I'm pretty sure she drinks at least as much funk water as she does fresh despite the fresh being 3 feet away.
Lucy has canine siblings, but they don't have direct contact with her, but the pitbull frequently marks his territory around her yard I which I encourage as a deterrent to predators. Feral cats come and go on our property. Recently, I've observed two unfamiliar cats, but nowhere near her yard. I have a foster calf I care for on site and occasionally go from calf to coop in the mornings, but the calf is healthy and my boots are scrubbed by grass going between.
On Thursday (today is Sunday), I noticed she hardly pooped at all during the night and pooped less than normal during the day (I scoop her poop daily). That has been the trend ever since. Consistency has always varied, but has gone more toward loose past few days. I think she ate some of her poop in the coop yesterday... I noticed and potographed the poop in the morning; it was gone when I went to clean at noon. Friday, I cleaned poop near her nesting box that was so loose it dried like paper mache.
Lucy has gifted me with 297 in the 302 days we've been together and hasn't missed a day in almost a month.
Finally, about 1.5-2 months ago I noticed and disposed of a recently dead mockingbird in the chicken yard away from her coop and run. The month before, I disposed of a dead dove I discovered on the other side of the property. Last Sunday, Monday or Tuesday I found a bird on the ground about 6-8' from her run that looked to have been there for a day or two. I've never seen dead wild birds on my property, ever. This summer, I've disposed of three.
I can't think of anything else to include as far as her behavior and environment. I may be over reacting like a helicopter mom, but I just want everyone healthy and happy when I start integrating the 5 chicks next week... and Lucy is such a special hen to me.
What do you think might be wrong with her skin and feathers? And infrequent-but-loose poops? And high-strung behavior?
Thank you for taking the time to read and respond. Please forgive me if I sound neurotic.
Kati
Over the past day or two, the feathers around her face and neck have gone a dirty-looking tan color versus bright white and appear much less dense than normal. The skin on her face, neck and ears looks dry and pale. Her comb is also intermittently pale, and yesterday She was still on her roost when I went to check on her at 6:30am... LATE!
Her behavior has been a little "off" as well for a day or two, with no obvious explaination. I would describe it as anxious to agitated to just short of panic. She's not a very talkative hen, but she's been muttering to herself the past week or so and occasionally tries to strike up a conversation with me, which is rare. I should also mention that 5 days this week she has greeted the day by CROWING for about 5 minutes right at sunrise. She's never done that before.
I checked her for mites or lice again last night and again found none. I treated her again for slm with solid coconut oil and petroleum jelly. I treated her to a giant nightcrawler as an apology for snatching her off her roost while she was sleeping.
Her behavior and appearance may be stress related. Her coop and run have been under construction with an addition being added onto for a week or so and she's been exposed to the 5 chicks who are currently brooding to move in.... Then yesterday I was looking at pics I had taken of her and noticed her tail feathers and some wing feathers look odd... like some on has cut the tips or stripped some of the shafts. The best pics I have are attached.
About Lucy: She was about 9 months old when I got her last October, so she's about 19 months old now. She's a Leghorn and she's been a "flock of one" since we lost her BFF, Ethel, to (probably) a coyote in April.
We live in West Texas. Temps have been up to 106° and down to mid 70s. Hasn't rained to speak of, lately . Her dust bath is wood ash I burn specifically for her in a clean fire pit and is +/- 95% pine. The coop and run are dirt floor.
She's on layer pellets (20%) from local feed shop, but recently switching gradually to Scratch and Peck Layer mash. I regularly offer her (in moderation) Romaine, watermelon, dried grubs, eggshell, cabbage. She has oyster shell and layer grit from Scratch and Peck at her discretion. The water in her dispenser has been spiked with Purina electrolytes. In the past week she's had a treat of about 1/4 cup of cold white tuna salad (touch of mayo, sweet pickles, onion and egg) and a frozen 3" corn on the cob.
I join her on safari every evening and she hunts mostly grasshoppers (It is cotton season here and farmer are treating for grasshoppers, but we are surrounded by ranch pasture I know isn't using chemicals near us because I am a manager on the ranch.) When she's on safari no bug is safe, except for doodle bugs/pill bugs/rolley poleys... we have millions in her yard, but she's not interested. She also enjoys stopping by her personal garden where she sprouts scratch grains in fertilizer she makes herself. I recently offered her Scratch and Peck sprouting peas, but she didn't care for them unsprouted. Inside her run she has a footbath I add frozen water bottles to, to combat the heat. The water gets pretty funky in the course of the day, but she stands on bricks to keep her feet out of the funk. I'm pretty sure she drinks at least as much funk water as she does fresh despite the fresh being 3 feet away.
Lucy has canine siblings, but they don't have direct contact with her, but the pitbull frequently marks his territory around her yard I which I encourage as a deterrent to predators. Feral cats come and go on our property. Recently, I've observed two unfamiliar cats, but nowhere near her yard. I have a foster calf I care for on site and occasionally go from calf to coop in the mornings, but the calf is healthy and my boots are scrubbed by grass going between.
On Thursday (today is Sunday), I noticed she hardly pooped at all during the night and pooped less than normal during the day (I scoop her poop daily). That has been the trend ever since. Consistency has always varied, but has gone more toward loose past few days. I think she ate some of her poop in the coop yesterday... I noticed and potographed the poop in the morning; it was gone when I went to clean at noon. Friday, I cleaned poop near her nesting box that was so loose it dried like paper mache.
Lucy has gifted me with 297 in the 302 days we've been together and hasn't missed a day in almost a month.
Finally, about 1.5-2 months ago I noticed and disposed of a recently dead mockingbird in the chicken yard away from her coop and run. The month before, I disposed of a dead dove I discovered on the other side of the property. Last Sunday, Monday or Tuesday I found a bird on the ground about 6-8' from her run that looked to have been there for a day or two. I've never seen dead wild birds on my property, ever. This summer, I've disposed of three.
I can't think of anything else to include as far as her behavior and environment. I may be over reacting like a helicopter mom, but I just want everyone healthy and happy when I start integrating the 5 chicks next week... and Lucy is such a special hen to me.
What do you think might be wrong with her skin and feathers? And infrequent-but-loose poops? And high-strung behavior?
Thank you for taking the time to read and respond. Please forgive me if I sound neurotic.
Kati
