Few questions from new chicken owner...

[brendalee]

I've been a chicken owner since June and loving it. I have a few questions that I hope can be answered.
*My four chickens have black spots on their crown and waddles. They had this in August and I researched here and realized it was probably Avain Pox. I didn't treat it and it seemed to have went away. Well, now it's back again and they're now laying eggs and I was wondering if it's ok to eat eggs if the chickens possibly have pox. I thought I read somewhere where pox only happen once and then doesn't come back? Is this true. What else could it be?
*Next question is... does anyone make their own chicken feed mix? Is it cheaper? or not worth the work?
*I think I've researched the "light on in the chicken coop" question enough and I have a timer set to come on at 4 a.m. and off at 8 a.m. They've been laying, so this seems to be working.
*Next question is for my friend, who has free-range chickens and no computer, so I told her I'd inquire for her-- She had a beautiful rooster since about July and she came home the other day and found the rooster had had it's head severely pecked (all the feathers were off the head) and it's eyes pecked out. She figured it was a hawk, until she talked to a neighbor who raised chickens and said that sometimes if another chicken gets injured or a cut, that the other hens will go crazy over the blood and peck at the head and the eyes and then leave it there. The rooster was still breathing, so she had to kill it. Has anyone heard of this behavior by other chickens before?
That's all for now. Thanks for the help. - Brenda

 

[tx_dane_mom]

I can't answer your questions, but I do know that chickens are canibals and will eat each other and pick at each other like crazy, so that doesn't suprise me about your friend's roo....but if it was THAT drastic, it must have either been a long time or alot of other birds....Hopefully someone else can give more input..
HTH,
Kristi

 

[KingsCalls]

If you are talking about growing/raising your own chicken feed.........with as few birds that you have, it would not be hard to raise enough for them. It would be more time consuming than anything. I mix my own feed from a local milling company. It is just easier for me to purchase it and mix it at home. I mix 100 lbs. at a time for chickens and 100 lbs. at a time for ducks. For me it would just be too much extra time to try and grow my own. ...............The other thing about the chickens pecking the feathers and eyes out of the roo...........chickens wil for some reason peck at the color red.........I'd guess the roo probably got injured in some way and the others just kind of pecked on him until he could no longer protect himself.