Southfields Posted September 5, 2014 Report Share Posted September 5, 2014 A lot of our exlayers are looking sick and we have lost quite a lot . our water supply is via a bucket from the pond near the pen would this be a contributing factor to them becoming sick & dying? I understand that a pm is needed to find out the real cause but its not that simple when working full time etc... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul223 Posted September 5, 2014 Report Share Posted September 5, 2014 What are the droppings looking like Are the birds thin, is the breast bone prominent Have you spent half hour quietly sitting and watching, do the bird snick / sneeze Have they been wormed Does the water source have blooms of algae in it Is there any run off getting into the water source Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr pigeon Posted September 6, 2014 Report Share Posted September 6, 2014 Hi mate, we pump one of our pens water supply from a lake as its easier by a mile, no access for heavy machinery. The lake is spring fed and we've done it for fours seasons now with no side effect. Not sure myself if its a good idea but is ok so far. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AmateX Posted September 6, 2014 Report Share Posted September 6, 2014 Untreated water can harbour any number of bacteria and viruses, although it may not be the cause it is a significant risk. If it's not good enough for you to drink then it shouldn't be in the pen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scolopax Posted September 6, 2014 Report Share Posted September 6, 2014 should ex layers really still be in a pen? they should have been out ages ago. most probably a straight forward disease issue, stale ground, crowding, stress.............. let them out Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr pigeon Posted September 6, 2014 Report Share Posted September 6, 2014 (edited) I'm only a novice but our pens still have ex layers in. They fly in and out as they please. Should I be pushing them out or something? We have maybe 100 or so still in out of 450. Edited September 6, 2014 by Mr pigeon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scolopax Posted September 6, 2014 Report Share Posted September 6, 2014 If they are free to come and go then not a problem unless the pen is very tired. As always with a post we all have a mental image of the situation, and mine for some reason was a pen which was netted over. Ex layers from my observations do have a habit of rolling over and dying. They are kept as egg laying machines and are often heavily medicated, this puts a lot of strain on the hen so once medication ceases they can be vulnerable to illness, especially after the additional stress of catching up and moving. what are the symtoms ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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