Kaiser Fertilizer
In the Brooder
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)
-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)
