[onlyange]

Hello,
I am a brand new chicken owner of 4 days.
Bought our chickens from Staffordshire Chickens who gave us lots of advice.
Everything seems fine except my Flo, a warren is still sitting in the nest this morning & hasn't eaten or taken any water. She seems sleepy but clucks if I stroke her.The other two seem fine, a bit slower than usual but behaving reasonably normally, eating drinking & scratching. Should I worry? I haven't spotted any bullying going on or signs of pecking.
I seem to be worrying so much about my new hens, it's like having 3 new babies!!!!

[nic_28]

welcome! it seems your girl has gone broody! shes probably sitting on a little clutch of eggs hoping they will hatch into chicks. Theres loads of info on how to snap her out of it on here. Ive only ever had to lift mine out of the nest and shut it over every time she chooses to sit. Take eggs away as soon as theyre laid and persevere!. Other methods include having her housed in a dog cage etc with a wire bottom, and the cold air on her butt should snap her out of it after a couple days, Ive also read about dunking her butt in water, but Ive never had to do that! . must be for extreme cases only! lol anyways, Im sure you'll get loads more info from more experienced members. but theres nothing to worry about  

[helens-hens]

As you have only had them a few days and everything is new, along with a new pecking order, it may also be possible that she is a bit reluctant to come out into her new surroundings.

I don't know what others think but if I was you I would definately try and encourage her to eat and drink a little.

[darkbrowneggs]

How old are they?

[onlyange]

Thanks everyone.
She now has a closed eye & one of the other two has also got a watery eye. I'm devastated. It's only been a week. Should I contact a vet?
They have all come out this morning & are eating & drinking & scratching though.

Have rung my supplier. It seems they almost certainly have colds!! (hopefully it will sort itself out)

[jhub]

Do they have other respiratory symptoms such as sneezing, wheezing, nasal discharge?
Chickens don't get colds so this could be mycoplasma and will need antibiotics. Myco rears its head when susceptible chickens are stressed, as yours will be after their move.

[onlyange]

Hi,
They were much better yesterday afternoon, eating, drinking & scratching normally.
There is no discharge.
This morning, they both look loads better with their eyes open & not puffed up or watery. They are very active, nosy & interested & chucking away to me whenever I go by them, so hopefully things are improving.
Maybe was just the stress of moving in & hopefully nothing more serious!!

[helens-hens]

As jhub says, this could be mycoplasma. One of my hens, when I first had them, had a very similar thing and I am fairly sure it wss down to the stress of the move, adjustment to new pecking order etc.

Once a hen gets mycolplasma she will always carry it (and can pass it on tyo others) and it can flare up again in the future e.g. if they get stressed again for some reason.

It can clear up by itself and this is the path I chose as apart from a bit of nasal discharge and wheezing she appeared fine in other ways. However, in retrospect I think I would have gone to the vet and get it cleared up properly. Although mycolplasma is commonly thought of as being a respiratory problem, if it is bad case and lingers it can affect their repoductive system - the vet advised me of this when I took her in a year or so later with soft shell egg problems.

If you go to a vet try and get one that is poultry or avian friendly - some vets aren't! There is a list here which may help:
http://chat.allotment-garden.org/index.php?topic=26140.0

Hope this helps

[helens-hens]

Hi there, I think I started writing my message just before you sent yours. They sound a lot better so hopefully they will be fine now.

Still worth checking out suitable vets though - best to get some ideas now rather than be trtying to find one in an emergency.

Glad they are better

[Sassy]

If they ae carrying mycoplasma you should not breed from them under any circumstances

[onlyange]

Hi,
Thanks to everyone for their concerns.
I am not intending to breed from them so if there is a problem, it won't be passed on. They seem perfectly fine now despite the weather!!! And before you ask, they have plenty of shelter from the weather & they are loving their food. I have no worries now.
Thank you for your poultry friendly vet list. I already have one lined up just in case. I always usually try to plan ahead.
I am so grateful for all your messages and support, really helpful.
I hope I will be able to help someone in the future when I become more of a chicken expert.