lalaland,
Thanks SO much for all the helpful information. Here's some responses:
Weight Loss
I will do further homework on wormers, and get a float from the vet. I'm not sure how this slipped my mind, as I have always had dogs, cats and horses.
Blood
The blood is not in the droppings. I do notice black dots on several combs. This morning one of my Light Brahmas had blood on her back, but it was not her own. Once again, I scoured over every chicken, head to toe. A couple of my hens have feather loss on their backs (assuming from rooster?) but no blood. The amount of blood seems to be increasing. My coop doesn't look like a horror film, and blood is only pooled in two places, both about the size of a quarter. It has the same distribution pattern that a dog with a nail cut to the quick would create. But I still can't find a source! I'm really frustrated with myself because I can't find the source.
They have two coop-length roosts; one taller, one lower. There are eight nest boxes on one side, two on the other, both the same height. They coop up just fine; the five Brahmas on the low roost, two production reds and my black star on the nest boxes and everyone else on the high roost. I always thought their roosts should be at different heights to prevent 'roosting place drama.' But roost adjustment is easy. Is there any safe way to heat perches? Or 10' 2"x4"s, as it were? I cringe just thinking about their poor, cold feet. I told my husband I was getting 18 chicken diapers so they could come in the house. I can't remember my mother giving me 'the look' that bad...
In addition to daily scratch, they get veggie, bread and fruit scraps. But I will try a giant pecking block. I easily see them getting bored, I know I would be. I'll also try some cardboard baffles, or something to break up line of sight. I'll just have to make sure none of them cause corners for anyone to get stuck in. There are 18 chickens with 80 square feet of floor space, not including roosts or nest boxes. The coop is raised, and they come out every day and hang out under there. Is that enough room? They are afraid of the snow, so they aren't utilizing their 30'x30' run.
Ventilation
The vents are on the East and West sides of the coop; 2 - 1'x2' and 2 - 2'x3'. The North run door is closed, South run door open. I'm very careful not to spill water on the coop floor. As soon as we have a thaw, I'm out there getting as much poop up as I can. I scrape it down bare whenever I can. The nest boxes have hardwood shavings in them, and I keep softwood pellets under the roosts to absorb moisture from droppings, as well as around their water supplies.
Food
They have a continuous food supply of 16% layer crumbles and pellets, as well as oyster shells and grit. Yes, the hot mash is their food and scratch mixed together. They love it! When it started to get cold here, I tried mixing with the intention of switching to 20% broiler crumbles, but it was more like a powder and they shoved it out of the way to get to their 16%, or wouldn't eat from the hoppers at all. I may be able to use that as hot mash...
Thanks again for all the help and time. Let me know if there's anything else you can think of, or have any more possible solutions. I truly appreciate it. I read books, articles, magazines and journals, but there's something about getting help from a real person that makes me feel more comfortable.
Thanks SO much for all the helpful information. Here's some responses:
Weight Loss
I will do further homework on wormers, and get a float from the vet. I'm not sure how this slipped my mind, as I have always had dogs, cats and horses.
Blood
The blood is not in the droppings. I do notice black dots on several combs. This morning one of my Light Brahmas had blood on her back, but it was not her own. Once again, I scoured over every chicken, head to toe. A couple of my hens have feather loss on their backs (assuming from rooster?) but no blood. The amount of blood seems to be increasing. My coop doesn't look like a horror film, and blood is only pooled in two places, both about the size of a quarter. It has the same distribution pattern that a dog with a nail cut to the quick would create. But I still can't find a source! I'm really frustrated with myself because I can't find the source.
They have two coop-length roosts; one taller, one lower. There are eight nest boxes on one side, two on the other, both the same height. They coop up just fine; the five Brahmas on the low roost, two production reds and my black star on the nest boxes and everyone else on the high roost. I always thought their roosts should be at different heights to prevent 'roosting place drama.' But roost adjustment is easy. Is there any safe way to heat perches? Or 10' 2"x4"s, as it were? I cringe just thinking about their poor, cold feet. I told my husband I was getting 18 chicken diapers so they could come in the house. I can't remember my mother giving me 'the look' that bad...
In addition to daily scratch, they get veggie, bread and fruit scraps. But I will try a giant pecking block. I easily see them getting bored, I know I would be. I'll also try some cardboard baffles, or something to break up line of sight. I'll just have to make sure none of them cause corners for anyone to get stuck in. There are 18 chickens with 80 square feet of floor space, not including roosts or nest boxes. The coop is raised, and they come out every day and hang out under there. Is that enough room? They are afraid of the snow, so they aren't utilizing their 30'x30' run.
Ventilation
The vents are on the East and West sides of the coop; 2 - 1'x2' and 2 - 2'x3'. The North run door is closed, South run door open. I'm very careful not to spill water on the coop floor. As soon as we have a thaw, I'm out there getting as much poop up as I can. I scrape it down bare whenever I can. The nest boxes have hardwood shavings in them, and I keep softwood pellets under the roosts to absorb moisture from droppings, as well as around their water supplies.
Food
They have a continuous food supply of 16% layer crumbles and pellets, as well as oyster shells and grit. Yes, the hot mash is their food and scratch mixed together. They love it! When it started to get cold here, I tried mixing with the intention of switching to 20% broiler crumbles, but it was more like a powder and they shoved it out of the way to get to their 16%, or wouldn't eat from the hoppers at all. I may be able to use that as hot mash...
Thanks again for all the help and time. Let me know if there's anything else you can think of, or have any more possible solutions. I truly appreciate it. I read books, articles, magazines and journals, but there's something about getting help from a real person that makes me feel more comfortable.
