EE change in behavior (Should I be concerned?)

[PhantomSlayer]

I agree...from a biological standpoint, I don't understand why a chicken molts during cold weather, rather than before. Some start molting in early Autumn, but some are losing feathers during cold weather. I know my girls are often happily prancing around in 4-inch snow and 20-degree temps so I try not to worry about them getting cold. Cold is fine, wet is fine...Cold AND wet is a big problem.

Its hard to understand some points about chickens lol. Geese to. Our chickens yes they usually get under cover when its raining if their not free ranging but if their allowed to free range they don't seem to care all the time. During heavy rain theyll take cover but light sprinkle/rain they I often see them going down the sand driveway like its more likely to have a good food on it XD

Geese on the other hand I've opted to saying "they just dont care"

 

[GrandmaOrpington]

She may be going through a soft molt then. After returning home from grocery shopping today I went out to feed and was watching them longer than usual because we got timothy hay cubes while out and wanted to see if our geese would eat it soaked but that doesnt seem to be a immediate concern as they went straight for their crumble mix lol.

Anyways as I was standing there Goldy came from the extended run and I noticed she had a 2 feathers hanging off her chest. I guess I've heard so many molt stories about bald patches that I thought it would be easier to notice.

We have 10 chickens and 2 geese.

Space wise..... No idea lmao hmm. I believe the coop size wise its two 5 x 3 metal sheds attached to each other. Theres a partial wall in between both so I figure thats why the not so high on the pecking order birds are sleeping on the nesting boxes in one and the rest on the roosts in the other side..

Run size is harder.... I really cannot remember since its a dog kennel with half a wall of chain link taken off and then extended beyond that with the chicken wire and metal posts we had left over from a past garden. Topped with green netting.

Free range is a can of warms between my mother and I... I dunno if you wanna hear the drama I face to try free ranging the birds my mother bought but I do all the bird care for.

To me their a food source. To her their pretty much unwanted pets now.

My mom continues to buy store eggs and chicken despite the reason for chickens was for our own eggs and meat.

I try to let them out when I feel like I can handle the backlash. Is the short answer.


~Extended in-depth drama incase anyone curious~

Funny we bought them for eggs and meat, gave away probably 6 dozen eggs and ate none of them or their eggs. I very rarely eat eggs just not the first meal id pick to make usually but my mom often fries eggs for her lunch. She won't stop buying store eggs.

So yeah.. The birds get their eggs back to eat. Because I got tired of them sitting on the counter. I'm surprised I haven't caused any eggs eaters yet. But yeah..

I try to free range sometimes. I get yelled at if I don't do a chicken count every hour through the day while their free range. So sometimes I just avoid letting them out if I don't wanna hear it and capture/let the geese out because I know they need more room to stretch and in our female Gizzy's case fly a couple feet off the ground lol. The last all flock free range was yesterday. But the chickens kept going out and then back into the run because of the snow. Before it snowed probably 2-3 times a week free range for the chickens.

I would rather take the risk of free ranging if it means I didn't have to listen to rants about feed costs and yet being denied ideas to help lower said feed cost by fermenting feed or free ranging full time.

Next years arguments. She thinks 10 is to many. I think we should get a few new of different breeds to expand colorations. And I think we should hatch and sell chicks we don't want to keep. (I'm hoping the girls go broody then theres no reason to not have some babies) Only in spring though. One of our buff orpingtons LemonPepper gave me a scare last week she sat on the nest for six hours and didn't leave until I took the eggs under her lol. It's to cold to be having chicks.

It doesn't appear that you have a serious chicken problem. The solution to your most serious concern may be to isolate mom.