A Newbie Chicken Owner in Hot Water

[ThreeFeathers]

They receive treats around 2-3 times a week (not including apple cider vinegar, which they receive every day in their water) Treats include:
brussel sprouts
broccoli
acorn squash
(rarely) corn on the cob
cilantro
parsley
kale
strawberries
mealworms
cabbage
scratch (from MyPetChicken)
lettuce ends
pepper tops
garlic
clover
dandelions
(rarely) plain popcorn
(on hot days) watermelon
(on hot days) frozen blueberries in ice water
every now on then, on particularly hot days, we will also give a bowl of cold water mixed with electrolyte powder
other odds and ends

 

[rosemarythyme]

First, I'd cut out the treats. The link to the feed provides no nutritional information at all, so post a photo of the nutrition tag if you can (click the image icon in the posting window, towards the top right when you're responding, to attach images). Or at least provide us with the protein %.

Second, is there any way you can provide them more run space when you're NOT at home? A reinforced and covered dog kennel, for example. The run space is very minimal for the number of birds and a couple hours out here and there aren't going to make up for the fact that they're probably bored and turning on each other because of it.

 

[ThreeFeathers]

We are working on a way to cover the large area so that they can be out there all the time, but we haven't been able to execute it yet. We do try to give things to do to counteract the boredom (treats that involve a lot of pecking etc. We are also thinking about getting a small shatterproof mirror) I don't have a feed bag at the moment (we keep it in a different container), but I did check it once, and I believe it said 17% for protein. Thank you so much for the advice on space and directions for adding photos. I will post a few of the runs and coops, as soon as I can.

 

[Willowspirit]

I have three normal sized Orpingtons and they seem to be easily intimidated. Even my little crippled runt Wyandotte can chase them away from food so I’m not totally surprised yours is being bullied. Increasing your run size to allow them all more freedom and some protected places for food might help.

I also agree about stopping or decreasing treats. They should be no more than 10% of their intake. I mostly give treats that are protein based with very occasional fruits and veggies.

What I also think is that it seems easier to have flock made up of at least two chickens of the same breed so that they each have a buddy. My Orpingtons travel together and my Wyandottes hang out in a separate group. They all roost together and use the same nesting boxes, but outside they split up.

And since you have two waterers please fill one with plain water. ACV isn’t really health promoting and it’s not as palatable as plain water. Not having palatable water can cause them to be dehydrated.

 

[SurferchickinSB]

Hi! I'm new to this site and joined because I really, really need help. I don't even know how to describe my problem, because it's not really one problem so much as a bunch of interrelated ones. We received four baby chicks last July with the intent of totally spoiling them (they receive lots of hugs and attention, as well as exercise, healthy treats, and organic feed) and having amazing little fluffy pets. We had done our research and gotten personable breeds that we hoped would get along. One was a barred rock named Dottie, another an olive egger named Jojo, the third a buff orpington named Sunshine, and the last an ausralorp named Raven. The Orpington, Sunshine, was smaller than the others, missing two of her toenails on each foot (they just never developed) and did not mature as quickly. She also didn't spend as much time with the others, seeming to prefer being off on her own. As they got older, they began to chase her and peck her aggressively. She became skittish and withdrew from us as well, always running away in terror whenever we came close. The barred rock, Dottie, appeared to be at the top of the pecking order and was the only one to resist handling (the others all loved to be held and petted as they had been sine they were babies). She was very close with the australorp, Raven. Jojo, the olive egger, tended to follow along behind them. In the meantime, we had noticed that Raven had been eating Dottie's feathers. (Dottie seemed perfectly fine with this). So, we checked them for pests (none found), gave their coop an extra thorough scrubbing with vinegar, let it dry, and began giving them more mealworms (in case it was a protein deficiency) and, when that didn't stop it, bought plastic 'glasses' that we put on Raven. (This seemed to work and Dottie's feathers began to grow back, however, every time we removed the glasses, she would just eat them again). One day I went in the run to check on them and found Sunshine in the coop with a huge gash in her neck. We took her to the vet, where she received stitches and kept her in a small pen in the garage while she healed. We slowly integrated her back into the flock, allowing her to walk around the outside of their pen, holding her while they roamed around, supervised time together etc., but she was ten times as skittish as before and none of us felt comfortable with the situation. Then, something else happened (while she was still living inside). The fence around their pen (which they were allowed in only while we were home) was low enough that Raven and Dottie liked to fly over it and escape into our and our neighbor's yards. One time, a fox (which we usually never see around here) happened to be nearby. I ran at him, but he took off with Raven (who was still wearing glasses). I chased him off before he could grab Dottie as well. I found Raven's body in our neighbor's front yard the next day. Only the head was missing. We tried clipping one of Dottie's wings, and, when that didn't work, we put up taller bamboo fencing around our fence so that they could no longer fly out. We continued Sunshine's integration, but it didn't seem to be working out. Finally, we bought a smaller used coop and put it in the run with the larger one. The smaller one was Sunshine's and was where she would sleep at night and spend her days while we weren't home. She could see and hear the others and would have time with them while we were there to supervise. Yet more issues arose. Jojo, previously meek and the only one who didn't pick on Sunshine, now seemed to have found a new hatred for her. For months afterward she would run at her, peck her (breaking skin), and jump on top of her every chance she got. The problem has become slightly better, but not by much. She (Jojo) also began eating Dottie's feathers. Again, we checked for pests, increased their protein and scrubbed the coop as thoroughly as possible. This time we also bought an all-natural bug spray made specifically for poultry and sprayed them, the coop, and the run with it as well. Instead of glasses, we tried rubbing Dottie with an (all natural) 'peck no more' purple goo that I'd read about. Poor Dottie is still stained purple and it didn't do any good. When Jojo had eaten all of Dottie's neck feathers we decided, finally, and sadly, to put one of the extra pairs of glasses on her. Dottie's feathers grew back. We couldn't keep the glasses on forever though, and now Dottie has the feathers pecked away in a ring around the base of her neck. One of these days, Jojo will go too far, draw blood, keep pecking, and I'll find Dottie's body laying in the run. What should I do? Dottie and Jojo have also become even more aggressive towards Sunshine and have begun jumping on her and pecking her head. I have also found scabs on her comb. I don't know what to do. I've read lots of books and articles and yes, even some of these forums on chickens and I haven't come across anything that fits my situation. I love them all so much and I don't want them to kill each other. They're barely a year old! I've never kept chickens before, so I don't have any past experiences to relate to. Please help me!

What a bummer! How big is the coop and how big is the run space that they have? How many square feet are they kept in?

 

[SurferchickinSB]

What a bummer! How big is the coop and how big is the run space that they have? How many square feet are they kept in?

Oh, I just went back and I saw the dimensions of their area. It is just the bare minimum. I have found that for Chickens to be happy and live in peace with each other, they need a lot of room. Unfortunately unless you increase their space , you will most likely continue to have problems. It is sort of similar to when dogs are kept in the dog pound, they are kept in such a small run usually that they just go crazy. When animals don’t have enough room it causes all kinds of psychological and behavioral problems. In the commercial industry they just usually cut off their beaks and that solves the problems.

 

[ThreeFeathers]

My mother was feeding them treats that I didn't know about. She didn't know better. That at least should change. As for getting another Orpington, we did consider this (I wanted to name her Honey), but we decided to wait and see if any of them would go broody before getting another chick. It's good to know that a lot of Orpingtons are like that - at least I know she's normal. As for the ACV, I never knew it wasn't healthy for them! I'll have to change that. Sunshine's usually doesn't have it, so at least there's that. Too bad I just filled up their waterer - I could have left it out this week.

 

[Acre4Me]

Sorry that you are having so much trouble!

Add some protein, or next time buy a higher protein feed. We feed a 20% all flock pellet wit OS on the side. You can stick with the 17% layer, but add protein. Cut up meat (yes, they will eat chicken), canned tuna, canned meat, etc. even moistened dried cat food (I just dribble the dry cat food with some water). just watch the sodium content. Alternately, you can get higher protein crumble and add water to make it like oatmeal or batter. Increasing the protein may aid in them settling down. It’s not necessarily a fix by itself as they are in a habit.

Good luck.

 

[ThreeFeathers]

Thanks for the advice! I'll look into getting a different feed. They do have access to crushed oyster shells in a separate dish. Do those contain protein? I thought it was just calcium. Huh. Anyway, I'm not sure about feeding them meat. Would meal worms and unsalted sunflower seeds work as well?

 

[Acre4Me]

Thanks for the advice! I'll look into getting a different feed. They do have access to crushed oyster shells in a separate dish. Do those contain protein? I thought it was just calcium. Huh. Anyway, I'm not sure about feeding them meat. Would meal worms and unsalted sunflower seeds work as well?

OS is just calcium. My chickens have enjoyed a variety of meats, including some of their flockmates (accidental cockerels) that we’re too stringy for the humans. Chopped up, the flock devoured the meat. Meal worms are protein and fat and in too high of quantity can potentially cause problems. Not sure what the protein on SS are, but again, higher in fat.