Chicken Keeping Secrets

“I had a chicken last weekend who when I went to put them to bed, couldn’t walk/ jump/ fly and was rolling her head, I picked her off of the bottom of the floor level coop (not her coop) and brought her inside, alarm bells obviously raised thinking it was Marek’s or Newcastle disease with the head/neck twisting! I had to wait until Monday before I could see my lovely chicken vet!

I took video of the chickens behaviour on my phone all through the weekend so he’d have an idea what we were dealing with. She gradually improved though day by day. On seeing the vet and him seeing the video, which he said was invaluable, and noting how she was otherwise fine in herself, eating drinking and now walking, he concluded she had hit her head or more likely been bullied by one of the other hens, cornered and repeatedly bashed on the head. Basically she had sustained a head injury which caused swelling / bleeding. He gave her covering antibiotics.

My problem is she’s has just started attempting to jump / fly onto the sofa with varying success, her coop is 4ft high and vet said before she goes back out she needs to be able to confidently make that! Once she’s well, how do I reintroduce her? My flock consists of 6 hens and one cockerel?

• 3 Plymouth rock bantams (she’s one)
• 2 pekins (1 cock 1 hen)
• 2 rescued ex-battery hens (1 of which is a terrible bully)

I don’t want her to be bullied again. Any ideas? Kindest regards” ~ Victoria Nightingale, West Sussex, UK.

Victoria, thanks so much for the question.

Before I get on to the answer, I’d like to point out to our readers the tremendous way you handled this situation.

First of all, you were very observant. You were aware of all of her external symptoms while you started considering possible causes.

You then thought to document her behavior with the video you took on your phone. That information was invaluable for your vet. We have a very dear friend who is a retired veterinarian. He has shared, that one of the hardest parts of his job, was the fact that the animals could not tell him how they felt, what hurt or what had been happening lately with their health.

By having the video available for your veterinarian, you saved both of you a lot of time and probably money due to testing that may have been necessary.

Finally, I appreciate that you brought her inside and were aware of her improvement as well as the fact that you got her to the veterinarian as soon as you were able.

So, “Way to go Victoria!”

Okay, on to your question.

The concern is that she has lost her place in the pecking order. Someone else has shifted into her place in her absence. It is likely that she will be treated as a newbie when she returns and that means there could be a lot of pecking and intimidation going on.

Because you do not know whether it was one or more hens that attacked her, or what prompted the attack, the concern is whether she will be a target when she returns. The difference being, if a particular incidence prompted the attack and will not likely be repeated or whether there is a real “personality conflict” (for lack of a better term) amongst the hens. (more…)

“Does the rooster have to cover the hen each time a egg is formed for it to be fertile? I understand, and perhaps I misunderstand, that the sperm of the rooster is stored in the hens body until a egg passes by and then it is fertilized? So does a rooster deposit sperm that effects several eggs, or must he make a fresh deposit for each egg? Thanks” ~ Sam

Hi Sam, thanks for the question.

I’m going to take a step backward to the point of ovulation before we get to fertilization because I think it makes fertilization easier to understand.

The hen’s reproductive system is made up of an ovary and an oviduct.

A mature ovary, which looks like a cluster of grapes, may contain up to 4,000 small ova. Each of these ova can develop into a yolk.

About 7-9 days before ovulation, hormones cause an ovum to develop in sequence to a yolk.

On each yolk is a white spot called the germinal disc, this is the true ova. All eggs, whether fertile or not contain this disc. Crack an egg open and see if you can find it.

The rooster covers the hen and holds onto the feathers on the back of her head with his beak while steadying himself on top of her with his feet. She sort of stoops to present herself to him and to endure his weight.

Both the hen and rooster’s sex organ is called the cloaca. It is a dual purpose organ for the purpose of mating as well as excrement. (more…)

“I’ve heard that large egg producers will cause their hens to molt early. How do they do this and what is their reasoning? Why would they want their hens to go out of production? Aren’t they in the business of selling eggs?” ~ David Horton, Marana, Arizona

Thanks for the question David.

You can induce a molt although I’m not sure why the typical backyard farmer would have a need for it.

It is my understanding also that many large, battery farms practice molt induction.

The reason this practice would appeal to a large egg producer has everything to do with making money.

Once a pullet has gone through her first molt, she lays larger eggs than in her first season. Larger eggs bring a higher price. The earlier she starts to lay the larger eggs, her more profitable egg laying life span increases.

By inducing a molt, the egg producer can increase his profit margin. (more…)

“I have a lovely flock of 21 hens and 3 roosters. 14 are standard sized and 10 are bantam. My standard sized flock are all good / very good layers. The bantams are fair layers. Its actually been pretty cold, its definitely been at least cool since October. Not ONE has gone through a molt and I am getting a ridiculous amount of eggs particularly from my standard sized hens. I am getting between 10-12 eggs every single day.

My mother in law has many of the same breeds as I do and they are also the same age and most of hers have or are molting and her production has dropped. She only lives about 5 miles from me. I am concerned that something is wrong with my girls. I know molting time is a period of rest from egg production and I am worried about my girls not getting that needed rest. Should I be worried?” ~ Mary Lapara, Southern Louisiana

SIDE NOTE: For those of you who are new to keeping chickens, here’s a brief explanation of what a molt is; A molt is the process of shedding old feathers and replacing them with new feathers. It is also a time for the hen’s reproductive system to rest as she will either stop laying eggs all together or will lay less frequently for the duration of the molt.

Feather loss will typically start on the face and head. It will then progress to the neck, breast and body, followed by the wings and finally the tail. There can be some variances. A molt is usually brought on with the shorter days of autumn and winter. The whole process can take anywhere from 2 to 7 months, depending on the breed and the individual.)
Hi Mary, thanks for the question.

You have no idea how many people reading right now wish they were in the same situation.

Most of us are waiting for our girls to return to full production again.

Don’t worry, there’s no such thing as too many eggs!

Bantams do typically lay fewer eggs then their standard counterparts.

Some breeds as a whole lay more eggs than others.

Within a breed you will find individual hens that lay more than others within the same breed.

Typically, poor layers molt in the fall. Good layers will wait until closer to winter to start dropping feathers.

Nutrition, sanitation and environment all play a part in the health of a flock and thereby, their egg production.

You are obviously taking excellent care of your flock. (more…)