Failing as a chicken owner

[AliciaMur2395]

Hi everyone, I have been keeping chickens for a year. I feel like I am failing at it. We started with 13 beautiful and healthy golden comets. Last September we had a bout of coccidiosis that resulted in loosing two of them. Then several months ago, one of my girls had to be put down, because I think an egg ruptured inside her. She was fine earlier in the day then I went out that evening to put them up and she was bleeding from her vent, puffed, and barely breathing. About 2 months ago they started feather picking. I put saddles on them, and increased their protein, and added more enrichment opportunities. We are building a new coop and run that is larger as well. Just these last three weeks I have been dealing with one chicken with what I thought was vent gleet. I tried Epsom salt baths, monistat, and banixx. The other girls started picking at her and causing her to bleed around her tail and vent. I had been tending to these wounds and separating her from the others when I could. I went out this morning and found her dead in the run.

I don’t know what I am doing wrong, but I feel like I am failing as a chicken owner because they went from perfectly healthy to constantly having problems. Does anyone have any suggestions because I am getting discouraged and I’m starting to doubt if I should even have chickens…

 

[Sussex19]

How old are your golden comets now?
I ask because golden comets are a production breed, meaning they lay a lot of eggs, but only last around 3 years in many cases.
Don't feel bad about it, because problems do tend to come together, and certainly doesn't sound like you are much (if anything) wrong.
Can you get some photos of your set up?
And, you should have chickens, to me it sounds like you are a very caring owner, and chickens don't want more than that.

 

[Iluveggers]

None of this is your fault. Hybrid layers, like Golden Comets, often have many egg laying, reproductive issues. Agree with @Sydnee bjork try a few heritage breeds next. Hopefully less problems.

 

[_meels_ the chicken mom]

Hi everyone, I have been keeping chickens for a year. I feel like I am failing at it. We started with 13 beautiful and healthy golden comets. Last September we had a bout of coccidiosis that resulted in loosing two of them. Then several months ago, one of my girls had to be put down, because I think an egg ruptured inside her. She was fine earlier in the day then I went out that evening to put them up and she was bleeding from her vent, puffed, and barely breathing. About 2 months ago they started feather picking. I put saddles on them, and increased their protein, and added more enrichment opportunities. We are building a new coop and run that is larger as well. Just these last three weeks I have been dealing with one chicken with what I thought was vent gleet. I tried Epsom salt baths, monistat, and banixx. The other girls started picking at her and causing her to bleed around her tail and vent. I had been tending to these wounds and separating her from the others when I could. I went out this morning and found her dead in the run.

I don’t know what I am doing wrong, but I feel like I am failing as a chicken owner because they went from perfectly healthy to constantly having problems. Does anyone have any suggestions because I am getting discouraged and I’m starting to doubt if I should even have chickens…

Also, if you get more chicks ever. Get heritage breeds. Like i said before, barred rocks, but heres some more to consider.

Sussex, buff orpington, dorking, black austrolarope, ( i have a black austrlorpe, she almost 10 and shes great) brahma, and mabye Dominique.

 

[David61]

Don't get chickens if you cant take a loss.
it has been almost four years now. I only have one chicken out of my first ten now. Loss from Illness, dog attack. I got new chicks last August and some this week.
I have lost two this year so far. A young pullet blew out her knee and could not use the leg anymore and one of my original buff O died without warning. well, she started laying double yoke so there was a reproductive issue or a heart attack.
anyway, if you keep them safe, the food and water dishes clean, coop clean and address any issue you find with a nightly roost check. what else is there?
nightly roost check= looking at their feet, vent, over all appearance while sitting on the roost. Look at the poop board for issues. any bird tall down gets picked up for full inspection.

 

[Yardmom]

None of the issues you have had sound like things you could have controlled. If you care about something you are going to feel it when you lose it, but don't let that keep you from enjoying them while you have them. As others have said for future chicks get heritage breeds instead of production breeds to lessen the chance of health issues.

 

[AliciaMur2395]

Also, if you get more chicks ever. Get heritage breeds. Like i said before, barred rocks, but heres some more to consider.

Sussex, buff orpington, dorking, black austrolarope, ( i have a black austrlorpe, she almost 10 and shes great) brahma, and mabye Dominique.

We just got some black australorps chicks a few weeks ago and one random bantam that we were given for free because it was all alone in the stores brooder.

None of this is your fault. Hybrid layers, like Golden Comets, often have many egg laying, reproductive issues. Agree with @Sydnee bjork try a few heritage breeds next. Hopefully less

How old are your golden comets now?
I ask because golden comets are a production breed, meaning they lay a lot of eggs, but only last around 3 years in many cases.
Don't feel bad about it, because problems do tend to come together, and certainly doesn't sound like you are much (if anything) wrong.
Can you get some photos of your set up?
And, you should have chickens, to me it sounds like you are a very caring owner, and chickens don't want more than that.

They are barely over a year old. Our set up was smaller because when we got our chicks we didn’t expect them all to make it. I had never had chickens and my husbands experience with them is you generally lose a few chicks. Also the Amazon add we got our coop from was super misleading so it ended up smaller than we anticipated. They have been so good with each other though until recently. Below is our current set up then the one we are building.

 

[Sussex19]

We just got some black australorps chicks a few weeks ago and one random bantam that we were given for free because it was all alone in the stores brooder.

So they are a bit crowded, so I think the pecking should improve when they can move into their new home.
Can you let them out for a bit of supervised free ranging while you finish building their new run?

 

[AliciaMur2395]

Don't get chickens if you cant take a loss.
it has been almost four years now. I only have one chicken out of my first ten now. Loss from Illness, dog attack. I got new chicks last August and some this week.
I have lost two this year so far. A young pullet blew out her knee and could not use the leg anymore and one of my original buff O died without warning. well, she started laying double yoke so there was a reproductive issue or a heart attack.
anyway, if you keep them safe, the food and water dishes clean, coop clean and address any issue you find with a nightly roost check. what else is there?
nightly roost check= looking at their feet, vent, over all appearance while sitting on the roost. Look at the poop board for issues. any bird tall down gets picked up for full inspection.

I’m not sure where you got that I couldn’t handle losing a chicken. I understand it happens, but with them only being a year old last month and already having lost 4 to seemingly unrelated issues (except for the two with coccidiosis), I am concerned that I am the problem. Is it upsetting when they pass? Yes, because I have spent a lot of time, effort, and money to do this correctly and care for them well.

 

[AliciaMur2395]

So they are a bit crowded, so I think the pecking should improve when they can move into their new home.
Can you let them out for a bit of supervised free ranging while you finish building their new run?

We have been doing this more often, to help. I haven’t been home as much though because both my work schedule and my husband’s work schedule have been a disaster lately. We have even been putting some of them in the new run during the day when we aren’t home (it has a tarp over it right now to protect them, but we are building a real roof).