Any clue on these girls?

[Chickenkeepr]

Hmm..I do know she got all of them as day old chicks at a local feed store. Could they have clipped it at the hatchery or could it be from an injury? Egg production was a little below par today (my girls have been slacking all winter. All of my older girls bolted and even a couple of this past springs chicks molted!). I usually average 5 eggs/day out of 11 birds and got 3 today. I figured production would be sub par for the next week or so. One of the Delawares squatted for me today. I think they spent most of the day inside, our of the weather on the roost. They had access to a barn before but I currently have an 8x8 insulated co-op with attached 8x8 covered run with an 8x24 run attached to that. When weather permits everyone gets to free range in the afternoon.

 

[donrae]

Most feed stores source their chicks from hatcheries. I'm thinking she's just a light colored black sex link. I'll bet she'll churn out the brown eggs for you once she hits her stride.

 

[drumstick diva]

x 2

 

[Chickenkeepr]

Just a quick update. Egg production is up to 7/day as of yesterday. I've been letting my original 11 girls out for a few hours each afternoon and keeping the new girls in. They seem to stay in the coop mostly, and I did find them all roosting together. One of the Delaware girls has some pretty serious frostbite on her comb. I cleaned it up the best I could the other day, and have been applying neosporin daily. It does not look infected at all. I noticed the frostbite when I got them, and she must have gotten in a scuffle the day before yesterday because there was a good bit of blood splattered in the coop (I presume from her shaking her head). Is there anything else I could be doing for her? They seem to love being able to be in the coop with all the layer feed they can stuff in their faces. They were free range and only getting scratch grains before I picked them up.

 

[Rhodebar Lover]

Thanks for the update! I would add more ventilation to your coop to stop frostbite before it starts.

 

[Chickenkeepr]

I've got 2 windows with just shutters covering (lots of breathing lol) and the door to the run is always open. She was badly frostbitten when I got her here. I did notice one of my Orpington is quite pale on the tips of her comb but she's constantly outside in all weather.

 

[junebuggena]

I've got 2 windows with just shutters covering (lots of breathing lol) and the door to the run is always open. She was badly frostbitten when I got her here. I did notice one of my Orpington is quite pale on the tips of her comb but she's constantly outside in all weather.

Windows and a pop door aren't adequate for ventilation. You need air flow above roosting height.

 

[Chickenkeepr]

The way we built it, the soffet on the roof is open for ventilation, but rain cannot get in through it. The windows are just above the roost as well. What else could I add for more? It does not seem wet in the co-op at all, and their water is located outside in the run.

 

[junebuggena]

Soffetts bring in air, but that air needs to exhaust somewhere, either through gable vents or roof vents.
Are the windows a good foot above roosting height? If not, they are causing drafts, not providing ventilation.

 

[Chickenkeepr]

No, they are not but I can lower the roosts so they are. This is their first winter in this coop and even when it's well below freezing it feels quite warm in there. The only ones that have issues are the ones I just got that came with some frostbite and one that insists on standing outside when it's snowing.