Before Breakfast

Before breakfast, I take care of the chickens. Feed, water, move if they are in a portable pen. Went out the other morning and had a dead pullet. I hate stuff like this. I have gotten better about not getting attached to the chickens.

In the beginning I made the mistake of naming some...and they did not make it.

Back to my tale...

'Twas the night before...had gone out to the baby pens and found a dead pullet. I had noticed when I added feed and filled the water containers that several of the pullets in the 1st pen were missing tail feathers and looking a little ragged.

This is not unusual when you have a cockerel (a young rooster) in the mix. He may have been plucking out tail feathers, or the others may out of boredom or overcrowding been 'picking' at one another.

Now I am down 2 pullets - future laying hens - and have 5-6 of them with missing tail feathers and plucked backs.

Was not sure what I was dealing with, had already tried putting DE in the water. That did not seem to help.

After the 2ND pullet's death...decided I needed to be more proactive and quick. Brought over a portable pen my son had just fixed (it had been attacked, more on that in another post). Moved 3 of the girls who looked the worst, out. One by one...after crawling into the baby pen and snatching them up by a leg...listening to them 'hollar' because "HELP! I've been kidnapped!"

Took some VET RX and put that in a water bottle, along with some sweetener, then put a drop on each pullet's beck, rubbing it in. Dusted them with DE. Put a lamp on them to help them stay warm. Made them oatmeal, adding in VET RX and crushed egg shells.

They are all looking a tad better...I am still not sure if it was over crowding which caused the feather problem or a parasite. I am still adding the VET RX to the water (drops into the other pens), feeding oatmeal with VET RX and egg shell (good source of calcium).

I have these chickens in what is affectionately called 'Fort Poultry' and thought I had all my bases covered. NOTHING was going to get them. They thought the Titanic wouldn't sink either.

It has been an encouragement, though we had some losses, to not be too confident in what I am doing and to be more cognizant and aware of how the flock looks and acts.