Chickens aren’t eating chicken feed

[tlcmurphy]

Just wanted to say you’re doing a great job taking care of your relatives birds! I hope you do decide to dive back in and get your own

 

[Stephine]

Thank you @NatJ. I completely forgot about the color part of sexlinkage. I am learning so much here.

I'll go with what you said. Is the coop size ok if the chickens only go in there to sleep and roam free outside land all day?

Sorry, that coop is too small no matter what. Even if the two can squeeze in there (a red rooster will get quite large and a Orpington hen is one of the largest breeds), there is not enough air circulation to keep them comfortable in heat or cold. You need to have good ventilation (1sqft per bird of opening in the walls above their heads when roosting (covered with hardware cloth) per bird) There needs to be room for them to spread their wings to release heat, to get away from each other… There is no way at all this “coop” could work. For now they’d be better off locked in a 4’x4’ xpen in the garage or cellar, laundry room, etc overnight. I am sorry - I am sure this is all a bit overwhelming for you. I blame your uncle. He should be old enough to know that you can’t just buy your kids live animals and not inform yourself or them about appropriate care…

 

[Baruch]

Sorry, that coop is too small no matter what. Even if the two can squeeze in there (a red rooster will get quite large and a Orpington hen is one of the largest breeds), there is not enough air circulation to keep them comfortable in heat or cold. You need to have good ventilation (1sqft per bird of opening in the walls above their heads when roosting (covered with hardware cloth) per bird) There needs to be room for them to spread their wings to release heat, to get away from each other… There is no way at all this “coop” could work. For now they’d be better off locked in a 4’x4’ xpen in the garage or cellar, laundry room, etc overnight. I am sorry - I am sure this is all a bit overwhelming for you. I blame your uncle. He should be old enough to know that you can’t just buy your kids live animals and not inform yourself or them about appropriate care…

You are 100% correct. The coop is extremely tiny for these chickens.

They bought them as tiny chicks, and probably didn’t anticipate them growing this fast or big. They impulsively purchased the chicks at a carnival of some sort. They know absolutely nothing about chickens.

I made a ton of changes to their diet (chick feed) and I am letting them out many times a day. When they get back from their trip, I will tell them that this coop is way too small. I see it with my own eyes how tiny it is, and they are growing FAST.

 

[SwampPrincessChick]

You are 100% correct. The coop is extremely tiny for these chickens.

They bought them as tiny chicks, and probably didn’t anticipate them growing this fast or big. They impulsively purchased the chicks at a carnival of some sort. They know absolutely nothing about chickens.

I made a ton of changes to their diet (chick feed) and I am letting them out many times a day. When they get back from their trip, I will tell them that this coop is way too small. I see it with my own eyes how tiny it is, and they are growing FAST.

You are doing a great job of making them have a happier life. It disgusts me when people buy animals without doing research, chickens are a complicated species that needs a lot of work put into them to keep them happy. It only gets worse when you have people who sell coops and runs on websites and lie about how big the space is, because people who are not educated in chickens usually believe them. I bought a pen that supposedly has enough room for ten large fowl chickens. I calculated the size before buying it of course, but there is no way that thing holds ten large fowl chickens, unless you want them killing each other over sheer boredom and stress from overcrowding. I have thirteen bantam chicks in there right now and I am going to expand that pen way out.

But enough of my experiences, your uncle also needs to know how to properly feed chickens. If you can tell him that they need chick feed and, at around five months, they need a VERY SLOW transition to adult layer feed, then that would be great. Best of luck with those chickens!

 

[Baruch]

You are doing a great job of making them have a happier life. It disgusts me when people buy animals without doing research, chickens are a complicated species that needs a lot of work put into them to keep them happy. It only gets worse when you have people who sell coops and runs on websites and lie about how big the space is, because people who are not educated in chickens usually believe them. I bought a pen that supposedly has enough room for ten large fowl chickens. I calculated the size before buying it of course, but there is no way that thing holds ten large fowl chickens, unless you want them killing each other over sheer boredom and stress from overcrowding. I have thirteen bantam chicks in there right now and I am going to expand that pen way out.

But enough of my experiences, your uncle also needs to know how to properly feed chickens. If you can tell him that they need chick feed and, at around five months, they need a VERY SLOW transition to adult layer feed, then that would be great. Best of luck with those chickens!

Thank you.

I learned a ton just from this forum. The male can be on chick feed indefinitely, but the hen will need to be on layer feed once she starts laying.

The uncle will give them the proper diet once they come back from their trip. The chicks are currently getting a good diet.

I’m still contemplating if I will decide to get a few hens of my own. I love chickens so much, but I want to make sure I’m fully committed before I decide. Chickens are a lot of work and need the best care. They are like toddlers.

 

[NatJ]

The male can be on chick feed indefinitely, but the hen will need to be on layer feed once she starts laying.

Or the female can also eat chick feed, as long as she has access to a dish of oyster shell or eggshells for calcium. That is usually the easiest way to deal with layers and non-layers (males or chicks) living in the same pen. Males and chicks are pretty good at ignoring the calcium source, and layers are usually good at eating the right amount of it.

The uncle will give them the proper diet once they come back from their trip. The chicks are currently getting a good diet.

That's great news!

 

[GodLovesU]

They might be lonely,chickens should be kept in groups of 3 or more.

 

[GodLovesU]

They might be lonely,chickens should be kept in groups of 3 or more

 

[Baruch]

Or the female can also eat chick feed, as long as she has access to a dish of oyster shell or eggshells for calcium. That is usually the easiest way to deal with layers and non-layers

This is the best idea. Thank you!

 

[Sylvester017]

Thank you.

I learned a ton just from this forum. The male can be on chick feed indefinitely, but the hen will need to be on layer feed once she starts laying.

The uncle will give them the proper diet once they come back from their trip. The chicks are currently getting a good diet.

I’m still contemplating if I will decide to get a few hens of my own. I love chickens so much, but I want to make sure I’m fully committed before I decide. Chickens are a lot of work and need the best care. They are like toddlers.

ALL PETS are like toddlers. Another consideration is who will care for your birds in an emergency if you are called away for a family funeral, or are hospitalized for days, etc.? One lady had a friend take care of her birds for a week and when she returned home found her prize show Silkie dead from thirst cuz the friend hung the water bucket too high and the little bird couldn't reach.

We thought our first coop was big enough for two little Silkies. It was custom-built by a feed store customer and we bought it right away cuz it was much larger than DIY little coop packages on the internet. However big our custom-built coop was it still was not big enough for two little chickens and the rain poured in and the sun beat down in summer in spite of tarps.

When we remodeled the yard we thought to get a sturdier barn coop and dog kennel wire run but we had the same issues of leaking rain and hot summer sun on the barn coop so we built a patio slab floor and patio roof over the barn coop/run to protect from weather or night-time predators like raccoons, opossums, stray dogs, feral cats, coyotes that jump into the yard, even a Coopers hawk knocked himself out trying to fly at our chickens that were inside the dog kennel wire run!

Kennel run attached and extended.

With a remodeled backyard with block wall fencing, 3 popup canopies, planted citrus trees, dog houses, benches, all added for shade or hiding from day/aerial predators, we have not lost one free-ranging backyard bird to predators yet. However, the smell of chickens does eventually bring predators around so we need to be adequately prepared as much as possible.

Lots of things to think about in owning pets. We lined up a veterinarian in advance that sees poultry before we got our first two birds. We've had backyard chickens over 13 years and still are learning. BYC is the best place for kind consultations and recommendations.