Help I think my chickens are sick

[SeaAngler]

You want to find out what is wrong first, before you give them anything, or else you won't know what will work or is working. You could also make it worse on accident. It sounds to me like a couple of things are going on at once.

How many hens in the coop? I agree that they might need a little more room. It looks like they free range from your photo, though. How often are they enclosed?

Feather picking can be from a few things, or it might just be temperament. You can try pinless peepers on the hen that is doing it, that has worked for some people.

Lethargy might be from internal parasites, external parasites, or coccidiosis. You can type in any of those and you will get tons of info.

Layer should be fine for a roo because he doesn't have egg laying abilities to mess up with it.

I try to free range them at least for one to two hours a day but I don't always get to and I've been thinking that they need more room but idk how to extend their coop

 

[Saveria]

I totally get it. It is a trade off, though, if you put too many hens in a small space, these are the kind of things you will see from it.

 

[SeaAngler]

I totally get it. It is a trade off, though, if you put too many hens in a small space, these are the kind of things you will see from it.

When we built the coop we weren't expecting 9 ckikens we ordered 6 but sent extras now it's just six and a love them and I just want what's best for them

 

[Saveria]

Yeah, tons of people have the same problem, including me. It is kind of a running joke on here.

Maybe you could get some electronet fencing and put that around the coop. That keeps about 90% inside, and anyone who gets out will almost always just stay close to the fence. That will give them a chance to spread out a little more.

I looked at your supplement picture closer, I think you could try any of those in some combination. Use your intuition. None of those are going to stress their system excessively, so go ahead try any and see if they can get you anywhere, just one nutrient booster at once.

I started selling eggs, saving that money and using it to build bigger coops/runs, etc, in case that is an option for you.

 

[SeaAngler]

Yeah, tons of people have the same problem, including me. It is kind of a running joke on here.

Maybe you could get some electronet fencing and put that around the coop. That keeps about 90% inside, and anyone who gets out will almost always just stay close to the fence. That will give them a chance to spread out a little more.

I looked at your supplement picture closer, I think you could try any of those in some combination. Use your intuition. None of those are going to stress their system excessively, so go ahead try any and see if they can get you anywhere, just one nutrient booster at once.

I started selling eggs, saving that money and using it to build bigger coops/runs, etc.

I'll think about the fence thing it's just we have a lot of birds of pray in our area hawks, falcons and owls all call our area home but I have a rooster now so he hopefully will protect them

 

[Saveria]

Yeah, places they can run for cover can help with that.

Putting down cover material very often in the run/ coop or cleaning it out more frequently may help if it is parasite issues.

If the coughing continues, you can get medicine from tractor supply. You can search "respiratory illness" in the search up top and find a ton of info. Try to see if there is anything in the way you care for them that might be exacerbating the problem.

 

[SeaAngler]

Yeah, places they can run for cover can help with that.

Putting down cover material very often in the run/ coop or cleaning it out more frequently may help if it is parasite issues.

If the coughing continues, you can get medicine from tractor supply. You can search "respiratory illness" in the search up top and find a ton of info. Try to see if there is anything in the way you care for them that might be exacerbating the problem.

I have some respiratory stuff vet rx but idk how to use it any tips. And this it the shots we got from ace hardware that cured them last time

 

[nuthatched]

Only one of them looks like this and I offer oyster shells and grit and why is layer feed bad for roos I've heard it's fine I've only had the roo for about a month

Layer shouldn't be fed to non laying birds because it has so much calcium, it can cause issues.

Should I offer any of these

For what? We n3ed address what's causing it before you give them anything, especially antibiotics

 

[Saveria]

Tylosan is the stuff at TSC, and it is just another antibiotic. I don't know about vetrx for respiratory health, but you can start by looking at these threads. It is worth looking into....

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threadloom/search?keywords=vetrx+for+respiratory+illness&tab=0

Maybe someone with experience with resp. ailments will pick this up, too.

What do you think is causing the respiratory stuff? That looked like enough ventilation on your coop, but maybe they need more? My chickens have never had that problem, so sadly I can't advise.

 

[mccmeadows]

I have some respiratory stuff vet rx but idk how to use it any tips. And this it the shots we got from ace hardware that cured them last time

vetRX is kind of like chicken vicks - we’ve used it with success with a rooster who lost his “voice” (by rubbing it on his chest and under his wings, his crow came back in a couple days. unsure what the problem was but it didn’t happen again) and we offer it during the cold rainy spring in a second waterer. you put a few drop on top of the water and they peck away at it if they want. similar to a person using oil of oregano during cold season. you can fill out the questionnaire in this article and it will give everyone a bit more information so that you can get hopefully good advice to help your girls!