Several weeks ago, I wrote that our young flock of Rhode Island Reds were staying inside during the recent snowstorm. At first, Elaine and I thought they were just scared of their first snow, and perhaps they were, but developments now make us thing something else was in play.
When the harsh weather was still going on, we looked into the coop one day and saw a hen whose eye was swollen shut. She was also very lethargic and continued to grow weaker. Eventually, we had to put her down.
Then our cockerel Al began to have trouble walking as did one of the hens. We eventually had to purchase an anti-inflamatory from a vet to help rejuvenate them. Both Al and the hen are doing much better now, and we hope they can rejoin the flock next week.
The next time we have a bitterly cold spell, we are going to monitor the hen house more closely.
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