problem with new hen

[paulinems]

my new hen has a problem , i think she has done somthing to her leg a she
doesnt seem to keep her balance , she keeps siting down a lot and doesnt sem to be able to stand on leg for long
the other thing was how long will it be for girls start laying i got them about october and havent had an egg from them yet,,i have sepperaited them from other girls as they didnt seem to get on,i cannot even get near them they run away when i go in there run! to of the other girls likes there nest box though as they jump over gate lay eggs and go back
Pauline

[paulinems]

[kt.]

I had a hen with a damaged leg 2 weeks ago. After segregation it took 3-4 days before she was fully recovered . If possible segregate her from the others, with her own food, water & sleeping area. It is fine in the same cree withdividing fence, chicken wire fence is fine, or in a cage. If she is lame, she will get bullied and pecked by the others which will reduce the chance of a full recovery. Hens have a tendency of cannibalism and bullying weaker members of the flock.

Newly introduced hens will fight with those you already have. It will settle after a few days. They are just showing who is the new boss or who is to remain the boss. If you are concerned, then keep the new hens separate to the others for a few days. Ensure they can all see each other, but not get to into each others quarters. Again - chicken wire is adequate. (The best way to catch them is once they are rounded up inside the cree.)

Most hens start laying around 20 weeks. With the cold weather this can be delayed up to 8 weeks. However, any upset such as adding new hens could delay laying by a week or so if they are due now. My White Leghorns started laying at 21 weeks, Blackrocks started laying at 24 weeks.

[Paulines7]

Pauline, if you take some food scraps into your new girls every time you enter their pen, you will find they will soon come running to you. 

I would put the hens in together now and let them sort out their own pecking order. It would probably be better to keep the poorly one separate though until she is fully recovered. 

[paulinems]

thank you both we have put her in the fruit cage as no fruit for her to take now and she can still see other girls
she is not very steady on her legs at all , keep wobbling and falling over,she sits on her bum with her feet sticking up looks a bit funny, she seems OK apart from her legs,we only got her in about Oct
i put them separate to find out when they started laying but all we get is intruders with 2 of the other girls that seem to have taken to nest box, the other ones are hybrids,we decided to give the pure breads ago and got one cream legbar but couldn't remember what the other  ones were . the legbar has a funny foot as her toe goes other way
not having much luck so far!.
Pauline

[paulinems]

poor suzi didnt recover she completly lost the use of he legs,it lt was sad to see her like that was just laying there , hardly eating and drinkinghuby buryed  her today,sad start to new year
Pauline :(

[Paulines7]

Sorry to hear that your hen has died.  I wonder if it had Marek's disease? 

Here is an extract from the following site: 
http://www.msstate.edu/dept/poultry/disviral.htm#mar

"The neural type of Marek's is typified by progressive paralysis of the wings, legs and neck."

We bought some young Maran's from market and most of them died from the disease before they reached the laying stage.  They became paralyzed and were unable to walk.  Since then we have bred from our own chickens that are Welsummers and Rhode Island Red cross.

[paulinems]

could posibly have been that she was perfecty healthy apart from the problen with her legs though
got her down the road at a recomended chicken farm in oct with five others cannot remember what her bread was we had a creamlegbar with a funny toe and four that were the same and her, they were in very cramped pens and he had them inside we havent even had any eggs from them yet only have 2 girls that like there nestbox they go in there shed lay eggs  eat there food then go back to join others,dont think that they go on there purches either as floor is alwas messy near door,
there is pic off them on my photo trail she is the lighter one of pic with 2

link to my pic
http://www.picturetrail.com/uid6157596
the one that says new girls
Pauline

[Paulines7]

Thanks for sharing your pictures.  I wonder if the place you bought them from were interbreeding their chickens.  It doesn't sound a very good place if the hens were kept in very cramped pens.    :(

[paulinems]

If suzi did have this Marek's disease is it catching will my other girls get it i now the first lot i had were inocolated but dont now about the new ones  we got them from same plas as suzi they all seen ok though. + there is blossom that we had  as one of our own babys last year
Pauline