Bonnie in western WA

Anyone dealt with pitch in feathers? I kept seeing one New Hampshire Red constantly dust bathing. I thought her feather's were just full of soil that she hadn't shaken out, but while watching her preen, she kept picking at that "dirty" area. That when I realized it was pitch. When free ranging, they sit under a Doug Fir. These chickens are 17 wks old and I can't pick them up (they don't like it).

Help. My Producer's Pride chicken coop has black mold inside from the winter and I'm getting ready to put the pullets in to it. How do I remove it and then what do I then do...stain it, paint it, seal it? I can't have this happen every year because where would I put the chickens?

New chicken coops and pens are up, finally, after 3 years. The attached covered pen (10x10') has a lot of rounded glacier rock in the dirt (Mt Rainer is 40 mi away). I read that straw will mold on top of dirt. Will the chickens be okay with the rocky base?

New to all this. For bedding I'll use any of the following: shredded paper from our computer printer, Douglas Fir chips from trees we had removed, grass clippings dumped onto the fir chip pile (because I use it in our veg boxes too), and/or ripped up packaging paper from home deliveries. Basically anything I can reuse that I think might be okay. Sound okay?

The 2 chicken coops and attached pens were put up last fall. Whoop whoop, FINALLY after 3 years! Roof over one. We'll get the other up soon (had to recoop from a fall and couple broken bones, then holidays and cold weather rolled in). Is getting chicks in March too late or is February the normal month? 3, or 4-6 for my first try?