Chicken Online Checkup (Warning, Long Post)

[Kaiser Fertilizer]

Hello, I'm listing all my chicken's behaviors and conditions and seeing if anyone notices signs of something wrong. Or that something is wrong. I thought in stead of making a million posts about small things that may not be a problem at all, I'd list several things in one post.

-Chickens have lost back and wing feathers because of rooster, although it seems I there are other random places where I can see their contour or down feathers through (what I assume should be) their solid coat. They're road island reds, so I just see the yellowish patches where there are some down feathers exposed. They're almost exactly one year old, could it be that they are molting along with the rooster overmating? Or is it just inevitable that they have slight imperfections in their coat?

-My chickens have been sleeping outside a lot lately, on top of the roof. Sometimes I put them inside, and sometimes I don't have the energy to. The roof of the coop is still inside the run, so it seems fine, although we did have a racoon attack (and I fixed all problems with the run afterwards). It's very small, so It does get pretty hot in their, especially because of the excessive heat hazard this summer. But I can only recall one time they went in their for sleeping this summer, and that was just a slightly cooler night. I was wondering if this could be a sign of anything else. I've cleaned it well for poultry ticks and any other infestations, soap and water, with no sign of anything. their is typically one hen that goes in there to lay/sit on eggs, but that's it. Are they just to hot to go inside? or could it be something else?

-My chickens laid about 3 or 4 of what could have been shelless eggs a few days ago. Since they were on the roof still (first time they had laid anything on the roof) they rolled down to the ground and I had to clean up the mess in the morning. I even heard one go "plop" when it hit the ground at night. One or two of these eggs were normal and didn't crack, but the others looked like a busted bag rather than a cracked shell. And again, this was the only time this every happened, both laying "jelly eggs" and laying outside of the coop at all. And it hasn't happened since those two days that it did, not a single problem with them laying outside or having jelly eggs since. What could this mean?

-My chickens have been pooping the normal color of poop, brown with a white cap. But very often (every 7-10 poops) I'll find a yellowish diarrhea poop. Based on my research, they look and act exactly as "Cecal poop", which is normal. But it seems like nobody is used to them, and always see them as a health warning. I see them pretty often. Does everyone else get them that often? (every 7-10 poops) I just want to make sure. Also, more importantly, I saw a few blackish poops a few days ago. I free range them, so they have had access to blackberries, is that likely it? I haven't seen any since.

-They are almost exactly a year old, and I've noticed that my chickens legs aren't as saturated a yellow as they used to be. Based on pictures I have from when they were 4-6 months old (this past winter) they had impressively saturated yellow legs. Now they have very dulled-out colored legs, pretty pale or tan. Is this normal? Will they go back to that fully yellow saturation? Is that a sign of something or do they just loose that color once they become full adults? By the way, they are road island reds.

-Back to the rooster's over mating, how long does it take for a hen to grow back it's feathers? Some of my hens (before I put hen aprons on) had really bad pinkish backs. Is their any permanent damage a rooster can do? they don't seem to have any disrupting cuts, except one big one that I'm worried isn't from the rooster (but that was addressed in another post).

-my rooster has a single spot on his comb. it's very faint. Take a look at the picture below. It doesn't look like what I've seen when people warn about diseases with white spots on a chicken's comb. As far as I can tell, none of my hens have this, and the rooster is acting normal.

-my chickens have been sneezing? possibly? I haven't found any other signs of sickness other than what I've listed here.

-In terms of eggs, they lay eggs in varying color, brown of course but it ranges to a very pale brown. Also, I'll get a grape sized egg about once every few weeks, usally a very dark shade of reddish brown. One time I got a nearly white egg, but that was only once. Also, what do the spots mean on eggs? Why do some have more and some have none? I have a picture of my most recent batch.

-Every since this past June and July my chickens have been breathing with their mouths open. Sometimes it's partially open and sometimes it's very wide. They don't always do it, but I have seen it a lot. I don't see them do this at night. Is it most likely the heat? It's not one specific chicken either.

Thanks so much for reading! I know that was a lot. If you just want to answer a specific question from this that'd be great! I just want to make sure my chickens are safe, happy, and healthy. This is all I can think of in terms of abnormalities and possible health problems. Thanks!

(Pictures Below)

 

[DobieLover]

They are coming into molt. You didn't post pictures of the areas of missing feathers. The rooster doesn't help matters but they usually stop mating hens in molt.

It sounds like your coop is a prefab and way too small and under-ventilated for the birds. Please post pictures of the setup. I would not force them to sleep in it during temperature extremes. You likely need to expand.

The shell-less eggs could be due to a calcium deficiency. What are you feeding the flock? Do they have free access to oyster shell?

The cecal poop frequency is very normal as are dark poops after eating dark berries.

The leg, comb and wattle color all fade during molt or when the hen takes a break from laying. The colors come back with the hormone increase.

The rooster damage has to be molted out. You should also grab him at night while wearing a headlamp and give him a pedicure. I use heavy dry dog nail, pliers style cutters on the spur tips and his nails then round off edges with a heavy duty file.

Rub a little coconut oil into his comb while you have him down for his pedicure and see if that helps the comb. It doesn't look disconcerting to me.

The sneezing could be due to dust or ammonia build up.

Egg color varies from day to day with the same hen. Sometimes they lay slightly speckled or heavily speckled eggs. It's part of the normal variation of some hens.

Open mouth breathing with the wings held slightly away from the body are classic signs that the bird is hot and trying to cool down. I think it's the main reason why they refuse to enter their coop. Forcing them to do so could kill them.

 

[Mrs. K]

^^^^ all of that. DobieLover covers it all. They will look worse as they go into molt, but pretty soon, they have brand new feathers.

 

[Sussex19]

Back to the rooster's over mating, how long does it take for a hen to grow back it's feathers? Some of my hens (before I put hen aprons on) had really bad pinkish backs. Is their any permanent damage a rooster can do? they don't seem to have any disrupting cuts, except one big one that I'm worried isn't from the rooster (but that was addressed in another post

You have to wait for the molt; they will grow back with the other feathers.

My chickens laid about 3 or 4 of what could have been shelless eggs a few days ago. Since they were on the roof still (first time they had laid anything on the roof) they rolled down to the ground and I had to clean up the mess in the morning. I even heard one go "plop" when it hit the ground at night. One or two of these eggs were normal and didn't crack, but the others looked like a busted bag rather than a cracked shell. And again, this was the only time this every happened, both laying "jelly eggs" and laying outside of the coop at all. And it hasn't happened since those two days that it did, not a single problem with them laying outside or having jelly eggs since. What could this mean?

If the hens are beginning to molt, this could be the cause of it.
I found a few soft shelled eggs when mine were molting.
Or as mentioned above, they might not have got enough calcium.

 

[3KillerBs]

Welcome to BYC. Where, in general, are you? Climate matters, especially when it comes to housing.

Dobie covered it well, but I'll expand on a couple points,

It's very small, so It does get pretty hot in their, especially because of the excessive heat hazard this summer.

Here is some basic information about chicken housing,

The Usual Guidelines

For each adult, standard-sized hen you need:

• 4 square feet in the coop (.37 square meters)
• 10 square feet in the run (.93 square meters),
• 1 linear foot of roost (.3 meters),
• 1/4 of a nest box,
• And 1 square foot (.09 square meters) of permanent, 24/7/365 ventilation, preferably located over the birds' heads when they're sitting on the roost.

And coop ventilation: https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/repecka-illustrates-coop-ventilation.77659/

They are almost exactly a year old, and I've noticed that my chickens legs aren't as saturated a yellow as they used to be. Based on pictures I have from when they were 4-6 months old (this past winter) they had impressively saturated yellow legs. Now they have very dulled-out colored legs, pretty pale or tan. Is this normal?

Yellow skinned hens loose pigment from their skin as they lay. One of the signs of a good layer in a yellow-skinned breed is that when she's approaching molt her legs will be pale and "bleached" whereas a poor layer wouldn't be so bleached.

This is one way people can decide who to keep, who to cull, and who to breed without having to use trap nests to keep daily laying records. You'd keep/breed the ones with the palest skin because they laid the most eggs.

 

[3KillerBs]

About the oyster shells, I don't have any but sometimes I wash the eggshells after I eat the eggs, microwave them, crush them down into feed size and mix it in with their food.

If they are getting layer feed that has calcium added but it might not be enough protein to support their molt. A lot of us here at BYS prefer to feed an 18-20% "all-flock" type feed and offer oystershell on the side for the hens to eat what they want when they want it.

Even when it got below zero a few nights, the coop seemed room temperature.

This is actually bad.

The coop should have enough ventilation that it stays the same temperature and humidity inside as it is outside. Chickens are wearing built-in down parkas so they tolerate cold better than heat -- even down to 0F or below when acclimated.

I'm only __ and this is my first time owning any pet larger than a hermit crab.

Chickens can be great pets!

How many birds do you have?

Could you post photos of your coop and run? We can help you make the best possible use of your space.

 

[Kaiser Fertilizer]

If they are getting layer feed that has calcium added but it might not be enough protein to support their molt. A lot of us here at BYS prefer to feed an 18-20% "all-flock" type feed and offer oystershell on the side for the hens to eat what they want when they want it.



This is actually bad.

The coop should have enough ventilation that it stays the same temperature and humidity inside as it is outside. Chickens are wearing built-in down parkas so they tolerate cold better than heat -- even down to 0F or below when acclimated.



Chickens can be great pets!

How many birds do you have?

Could you post photos of your coop and run? We can help you make the best possible use of your space.

Here's a picture of the run and the coop. I have 6 hens and one rooster. Most of the time I let them sleep on the roof it they want too, and if I think they have to be inside I keep the door to the wooden part open and close the door to the miniature run that's part of the coop. I also have an example of some ventilation I've installed, that's their nesting box. I also have hardware cloth which I shaped to fit directly on the wooden doors, to act as vents too.

 

[3KillerBs]

Here's a picture of the run and the coop. I have 6 hens and one rooster. Most of the time I let them sleep on the roof it they want too, and if I think they have to be inside I keep the door to the wooden part open and close the door to the miniature run that's part of the coop. I also have an example of some ventilation I've installed, that's their nesting box. I also have hardware cloth which I shaped to fit directly on the wooden doors, to act as vents too.

The vented nestbox is very well done!

What you need is venting at the roof peak -- up in the top triangle. You can cut a piece out there on each end and replace it with hardware cloth. Since it's under the cover of the run roof you won't have to worry about rain getting in.

7 birds should have this for space:

• 28 square feet in the coop,
• 70 square feet in the run,
• 7 linear feet of roost
• 2 nest boxes
• and 7 square feet of ventilation, best located over the birds's heads while they're sitting on the roost.

Here's a thread showing how some people have converted their prefab coop-and-run combos into just coops: https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/my-renovated-prefab-coop.1440258/

Do you put tarps up on the sides of the run in the winter? As long as they always have a place safe from wind and free of snow they should be perfectly happy to go outside in the cold.

 

[aart]

I have 6 hens and one rooster. Most of the time I let them sleep on the roof it they want too,

Because coop is too small for that many birds.

Do you get snow load on the run roof?

I live in Indiana

Southern or Northern?

Here's how to add your general geographical location to your profile.
It's easy to do, and then it's always there!

Souther

 

[Kaiser Fertilizer]

The vented nestbox is very well done!

What you need is venting at the roof peak -- up in the top triangle. You can cut a piece out there on each end and replace it with hardware cloth. Since it's under the cover of the run roof you won't have to worry about rain getting in.

7 birds should have this for space:

• 28 square feet in the coop,
• 70 square feet in the run,
• 7 linear feet of roost
• 2 nest boxes
• and 7 square feet of ventilation, best located over the birds's heads while they're sitting on the roost.

Here's a thread showing how some people have converted their prefab coop-and-run combos into just coops: https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/my-renovated-prefab-coop.1440258/

Do you put tarps up on the sides of the run in the winter? As long as they always have a place safe from wind and free of snow they should be perfectly happy to go outside in the cold.

Thanks for the advice! I was think of doing something like that to improve my prefab coop but I didn't know that people have done it before! This will be very helpful. The good news is that their is a tiny bit of ventilation at the top of the coop because that top piece of the roof (at the peak) has holes that allow air flow, and I could improve upon that. I plan on getting some wood tools soon anyway, so when I get those I can start work on raising my coop.

The tarp on the run of the coop isn't permanently mounted there (I take it off on cool and comfortable sunny days), so I may have to work out something to keep rain out still, in case I forget to put it back one day. My chickens never seemed bothered by the cold, and the area isn't too vulnerable to the winds in it's placement.

Again, thanks for the advice and information, it really helps!