[Eleababe]

Hi, wondered if anyone could help, have collected four ex batts two days ago, three are fine and loving their new found freedom, we have had five eggs already.
One is unfortunately looking off colour, she won't come out of the coop to join the others in the run, is sitting with her head down and eyes closed, not eating and drinking very little, is very skittish when handled and had not layed since collection.  Being new to all this I am abit worried, do you think it could be due to settling in issues or something more serious?

any advice would be gratefully recieved.

[poultrygeist]

Hi eleababe. Welcome in 

I've never had ex-batts but can ask a few questions for those who have.

Is her crop swollen and soft ?
Is there a bad smell coming from her mouth ?
Is there any discharge from nostrils ?
Can you tell if she's pooing, and if so, what are they like ?
Are there any mites on her at all (under wings, around vent area?)
Does she look like she may have an egg (whole or broken) inside her at all ?
Does she feel warm under her wings compared to the others ?
Any other symptoms or differences that may help.

Hopefully someone can think of other things that may help narrow it down.
Or it may just be settling in stress.

ROb

[karlooben]

hi there welcome to the site . i was new to keeping hens until last august when i picked up 14 ex batts .i have had more then my fare share of probs since.

if she hasnt got any off the syptoms that rob has suggested then it may be that she is just weak an exhausted from the stress, i had one go like yours not that long ago an she didnt last more then a few hours { sorry to upset u with that } but thing is most chickens will just simply die an you may not ever know what they died of .

please let us know if she has any of the syptoms

[Foxy]

Agree with Looby, it is very stressful for ex-bats, the whole process of release and travelling till they finally arrive at their new home. Would advise not to handle yet and just make sure she has access to feed and water, as well as somewhere quiet and safe to rest.

[karlooben]

if i get my other 6 this month i am going to worry like hell driving home  as the journey will be longer  if the weather is hot although i will have all the windows open i will worry about them getting to hot but i am also keeping in my mind that 1 or  more may die within a week though the stress , they are very delicate birds as i am learning fast but i find them very rewarding so please dont be put of by  anything that goes wrong , it sounds cruel but u really do have to just get on with the others if u lose one an say to yourself well at least she had a good taste of freedom .

[nnbreeder]

Another thing that causes a lot of stress it seems is an abrupt change of feed. Confinement animals it seems are fed a different ration from farm to farm and usually it is just enogh to sustain life and production.

 You might try offering the girl a warm wet mash made from layers pellets to entice her to eat. Then if she eats that the first day the second you stir in 1/2 an egg yolk to her daily rations and keep it like that for about four days and after that add a full yolk but as I said just one a day. If she eats this for two weeks she will be healthy and should have gained some weight.

[Aunt Sally]

Great advice nnb

[Eleababe]

Thanks all for your great advice,
Seems like it was just settling in stress as she is now regularly joining the others in the run.  Has only laid once but thats enough to know that she is ok so far.
Apart from a little bit of pecking going on they all seem to have settled in better than I had hoped.  Fingers crossed. 

[raeburg]

Great news.

[Kate and her Ducks]

So glad to here they are al settling in well.

Great to hear happy endings.

[Roll Roll]

Looks like things are on the up.
  When we had our 4 ex bats one of ours was like that, but showed no sign of getting better, and unfortunatly we lost her after 2 days, so if yours is showing signs of improvment, leave her be to get settled and i'm sure she'll be fine.

Well done on getting them, you'll be suprised how quick they pick up.