Hello,
I have a 1 yo Blue Slate hen (Elvira), who is a hilarious part of our farm. She prefers hanging out with the chickens and the ducks versus spending time with our male Turkey (Jarvis). Elvira is usually my shadow and loves food, however, I noticed 2 days ago that she was not excited at feeding time. She isn't puffed up, her eyes are not squinty, I don't notice any discharge from anywhere and she is not showing any neurological symptoms of any sort. Tonight she didn't want to go into the coop which is also strange for her. I ended up picking her up and putting her in the barn.
Wondering if anyone has any insight or suggestions of things I should try for her. I'd like to do my best to be proactive with whatever might be going on with her!
Here's a photo of her with a package that she really loved last week.
by Resident_Outcome5642
2 Comments
She’s ready to mate
If she is actively sitting down a lot with her wings slightly out to the sides, it’s likely she’s ready to mate. (This is the cognate behavior to how chickens squat.) Our two girls like to sit in the *worst* places, often blocking our tom from getting out of the coop.
If she starts to be lethargic or looking tired or letting her head hang down, I’d worry about blackhead.