Rescues

[Crazychicklady52]

Hi!

We just took in 10 rescue ex commercial laying hens.. they are missing some feathers but we were told they are 18 months old and just molting. There is one that her eye waters a little bit but they are all eating, drinking and moving as normal birds. We have them in a separate coop away from our original flock. They are still losing a few feathers and itching and their combs are a little pale.

Could all of this be from stress or should I be treating them? We have never taken in rescues before and were told they were healthy. Just molting. I’ve attached photos of them while we were putting together their new coop!

Any advice helps. Thank you

This was taken once we got home and were assembling their new coop

 

[townchicks]

It is likely that they are stressed, both in their current move and before. From what I've read, their current condition is pretty typical for hens just out of commercial facilities. Treat the eye with some terremycin ointment and get them on a good all flock food ( 20% protein) and they will bounce back. They may be molting or it could be from overcrowding and/or poor nutrition.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Do you know if they were vaccinated for anything? If so, what?

The reason that are available is that they have finished a laying cycle and are molting. It is expensive to feed them during the molt so you got them. When they are over the molt they should lay a lot of nice eggs.

I'd consider them like any other chickens not baby chicks from a major hatchery. I'd want to quarantine them. It is possible they have something so keep them away from your other chickens to see what may develop. Odds are really good that they will be OK but you never know. There is also a decent chance that your flock has its own flock immunities that you don't even know about. If the new ones get sick in a few days there is a chance they got it from yours.

The most likely problems will be mites or worms. Many people in your situation treat for those whether they need it or not as a safety precaution. It won't hurt them and might save you some problems. Before you treat for worms you might talk to a vet about getting a fecal count to see if they have any worms. I don't really expect you to have issues with them but with living animals you just don't know.

Good luck!