[Oliveview]

One of my new hens isn´t very well, she is very underweight and has a cold and one of her eyes is closed.
I have her in a large plastic box (with holes) in the garage and have given her some antibiotics in her water.  I´ve lined the box with paper and straw and hope she will be ok.  She weighs very light compard to the other hens I bought that day (2 more)
Any suggestions as to how I can get her to gain weight? She is a Rhode Island Red
Pamela

[Vember]

Hi Pamela,

Have you wormed them recently? What are her Poops like?
Do you know if she has laid recently?
Could just be the stress of being in the new environment?

You could try catfood to give her some extra protein, what is she eating at the moment ?


Sarah

[Oliveview]

Hi Sarah,
I cleaned out the hen house this morning- all seemed well.  She hasn´t poo´d yet in the box.  She isn´t laying yet, her comb is still tiny.  They get layers feed and a mixed grain chicken feed (they spit lots of that out)  They free range and get what ever they can find too. I give them scraps, peelings etc, but mostly the older hens get that, I have tried to spread it about but the greedy bigger ones manage to get most :x
She has been here now for about 4 weeks.
What sort of cat food is best?  Kitten food? That is if the shops have it here. She´s drunk some of the water and had her beak in the food, cos it is stuck to it! I´ve put some spinach in with her, she looked at it as if to say ´what is that´  
Pamela

[Vember]

Kitten food will have a higher protein level than normal cat food, but either will do as long as it's not chicken flavour
Dry cat food also has a high level, so you could try that soaked in warm water to rehydrate it.


Another thing that can be given to hens for stress is Probiotics, the book I have here suggests Protexin, I have to admit i haven't heard of this so unsure if you'll be able to get it :?
It recommends 1 teaspoon to half a gallon of water obviously for this it would have to be water soluble

Hope that's some help :?

Sarah

[Vember]

Just found this link in regard to the Protexin

http://www.protexin.com/animal/products.php?id=1

Sarah

[Oliveview]

Poorly hens poo is ok, she has eaten some of the spinach and drunk some of the water.  I´ll keep her apart from the other hens for a few days or until she is better.  Will get the kitten food tomorrow,
Pamela