Hi Karen Many thanks for your reply. Yes I hadn't thought of the moult. I've just checked and there are a couple of her feathers in the coop so maybe she's just beginning. They are due for worming. That's on my list for the beginning of next month but I may try to get it in hand this weekend in case...

My speckledy hen Flossie has just laid an egg after being on the nest for over 6 hours. I was becoming concerned and was about to bring her indoors for a warm bath when she laid. It was only a smallish egg so not as though it should have been difficult for her. About an hour prior to that I had take...

I agree Cheshire Chick, the advice I have been given on this forum is excellent and greatly appreciated. I have today started Flossie on the Flubenvet worm treatment given on a piece of grape as per Karen's suggestion. Unfortunately things aren't going so well today. I checked Flossie's crop mid aft...

Thanks for that Karen. I didn't know about Harkermectin.It may be worth getting some. It would probably be cheaper than another trip to the vet's! I was thinking of using Flubenvet, which I have, providing Flossie is eating normally within the next day or two. My only problem is that if used in the ...

Thank you all for your advice. I'm sorry I haven't responded earlier. I haven't been on the site for a few days. I'm happy to report that Flossie is much brighter now. With the weather being mild I'm letting her run in the garden with the others and she's active and keeping up. I've even seen her vi...

Thank you Gwenoakes.

Thank you for replying Kitla. When Flossie first became ill I noticed there was a mass in her crop which was mouldable like plasticine.This didn't disappear overnight but it wasn't huge - smaller than a golf ball. The vet said that would most likely go when she started drinking, and it did with the ...

I have a 9 month old speckledy hen, Flossie, who began not eating or drinking almost 2 weeks ago. I brought her inside and have been crop tubing Critical Care and hand feeding moist mash which I roll into balls and put in her beak. Fortunately she will swallow those. She has no interest in anything ...

Another hen is a possibility Ketla, though it would be just my luck for the new one to side with the bullies! Luke used to be scared of the hens when he was growing up, but eventually the urge to mate with them got the better of him. He used to run up to one of them, jump on her back then run away a...

Thank you all once again for your comments, and it does help to know that I'm not the only chicken owner continually stressed out with problems! Cheshire Chick - even my hybrids that I've had from point of lay haven't got past 3 either. Many hens have succumbed to peritonitis and others have had mys...

HI Cheshire Chick. Yes my experience of introducing new hens has always been that the new ones have stuck together against the existing one the same as you have found. I suppose there is always the exception to the rule! I'm not having much luck with chickens at the moment. I've been taking in ex ba...

Thank you all for your helpful advice. When I let Luke out of his dog crate this morning he went straight to attack Flossie who had the run of the kitchen during the night. I really dont think Flossie is ill, just traumatised from the events of the last couple of days. I left food and water near her...

I went to check on Flossie and she hadn't moved from under the bush. I decided to bring her indoors to keep an eye on her. She is certainly very subdued so there could be an underlying health issue. She just wants to sleep. She has hardly eaten in the last 24 hours and her crop felt empty. I managed...

Thank you Lancashirelass. That might be worth a try, though Luke has started to attack Flossie even without Candy's encouragement. I really thought he would want to protect both his hens. I brought Flossie indoors to try to get her to eat. She had a few wheat grains from my hand but then stood in th...

Yesterday I bought 2 young hens, a. warren (Candy) and a speckledy (Flossie), as company for my rescued bantam cockerel (Luke) who had just lost his only hen to peritonitis. The 2 new hens didn't know each other as they were from different sheds. It was obvious from the beginning that Candy was conf...