Hen in nesting box, was panting lastnight, today I found her face down

[DTRM30]

You mentioned that your pen is damp ? Could they be eating the old grass clippings ? if they are moldy that can make them sick - just like people. Good rule of thumb is if you won't eat it don't feed it to your chickens (well, escept of course for the bugs and stuff they find) - I'm talking moldy or spoiled plant material/food.

The drier you can keep their pen and coop the better. I was having a lot of mud issues - covered the pen and put a few inches of gravel in. It works well to keep it dry. The poop gets "recycled" into the gravel as they scratch around - and keeps water from pooling and I haven't had a muddy run since. Hay tends to retain moisture from my experience - but if you change it frequently I think it's fine. I have a pile of shavings that gets into my run as they go in and out the door - and when that got wet, and tramped into the ground - it was like a sponge. Then when I shoveled it out ?? Talk about stink ! Uggg ! All the mold and bacteria growing in there was awful ! I also think that the bigger the run area the easier for it to stay dry - not as much "foot" traffic. I want to expand mine again, but it's going to be too difficult with the way I have it all set up.

If you don't know how to spot mites or lice - just do a search on here - you'll find a ton of info. Lice are pretty easy - mites can be tough to get rid of. And they are host specific, so don't worry about getting them youself from your chickens.

Most chickens like to dustbathe. They scratch holes in the ground to cool off - to loosen the dirt, then they will kick it up all over themselves. It's a natural way for them to keep the lice away as the dirt smothers the lice. Sometimes they just lay covered in the dirt and look like they're dead - it's kinda funny -

I had a hard time finding the DE as well - but I know you can get it on-line if you really want it. I personally didn't think it was worth the cost since my hens have an awesome dust pit under my shed that they literally run to when I let them out to free range.

You may never know why she died - could be a hundred things. But taking the steps to ensure that the rest are well cared for to the best of your ability is all you can do - and it sounds like you're doing just that

 

[sharol]

Premier Farm and Home Supply in Topeka (KS) carries DE. The 50 lb sack I got was about $30. Not sure where you are in MO, but that might be cheaper than shipping it if you are close to KC.


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[TasteLikeChicken]

Thanks for all your info, now if chickens dig holes in the ground and sit in them, does that mean they definitely have mites, cause you said they do that sometimes to keep mites away. I noticed today one of my hens dug a pretty decent sized hole and is sitting in it, quite odd, cause its very cool in the pen area, its in complete shade. I guess it will just take some time for me to learn all their behaviors. I think today I'm going to get all the hay out and just got back to having bare ground. Having the hay is just more work for me. I'm going to clean out their pen and coop today, and put all new pine in.
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[TasteLikeChicken]

Yeah I'm going to do away with the hay in the pen, that's just more for me to clean up, and its possible it could make them sick with it being damp, I'll just do bare ground, I have enough clean up in the coop, I could start a poop farm, lol!! No its not really that bad, they actually don't smell too bad either, but I only have seven hens, And when I had the 23 that got killed, they were'nt fully grown. There is a big difference I noticed from a young hen-adult hen. On smells and different things. Is there anything I can put in the pen for them, that could offer a better dustbathe for them, like a sandbox or something?
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[TasteLikeChicken]

Yeah their eyes seem clear, and not discharge or runny noses, poop looks normal. I'm thinking maybe it could have been too hot in the pen, I do have two windows, but I think I going to cut in some more, and I put a fan in one window. I don't know how the fan will go, hopefully they don't peck at it, I guess they'll learn if they do. I figured two windows should be enough, but the more I am in there, it is hot to me, so if it is to me, it's got to be to them, since they are heavily feathered. Lots to learn, I guess we all learn by mistakes. Thanks for the info
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The poop pic page lol, http://www.chat.allotment.org.uk/index.php?topic=17568.0

Did not know about the cedar shavings being toxic. I bought a bag of shavings at TSC last week that just said "wood shavings". Now I'm wondering if it's safe to use...

 

[TasteLikeChicken]

yeah that's about a couple hours from me, I'll keep checking around do some research, but thanks!!
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[DTRM30]

The only way to know for sure is to check them.
They may not have mites or lice - and just like sitting in the dirt

You could definitely put in a sandbox if you want. I used the bottom of a kitty litter pan, but it was too small for all of them and they squabbled over it - but they did love it !

If you're not using it now - you can try the "deep litter" method in your coop. Many here use it and it works fairly well, including myself. When you put in your pine shavings - make it a 4-6" deep layer. You only need to change it about once every 4 months. They will scratch around in it recycling their poops - and as long as it's dry - there is hardly any smell. The only time I notice a smell from my run is when it's been raining and the ground is wet outside. If I notice a smell from inside - I know it's time to change the bedding - but I usually just eye it and when it seems to be getting pretty old I change it. Takes me about 1/2 to clean it out and replace it all.

 

[TasteLikeChicken]

Thats a gross page, but it makes great sense, and is very helpful. Because like you all said, chickens don't usually show signs of being sick, but you can tell by this page, that you can tell from the poop sometimes whats going on. Thank you for this info, it is definitely something that I should probably print off and keep around for the future, in case their habits or behaviors change. Thank you again!
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The poop pic page lol, http://www.chat.allotment.org.uk/index.php?topic=17568.0

Did not know about the cedar shavings being toxic. I bought a bag of shavings at TSC last week that just said "wood shavings". Now I'm wondering if it's safe to use...

 

[jjthinkagain]

Christian, I'm so glad you found BYC. I urge you to read read read for as many hours as you possibly can some of the vast amount of info on this site about feeding, housing, protection against predators, keeping them cool, avoiding and treating for disease and parasites ...so that you can avoid unnecessary illnesses and deaths. Please don't even think about getting any more chickens until you do that. It is amazing what you can learn here. I just wish all would-be chicken caretakers could be made aware of how important it is to study up first. For example, the dog attack and enormous loss of life as a result - you will find umpteen threads here about how to pred proof and cautioning against relying on chicken wire. Also, good news - chickens digging holes and sitting or lying in them does not mean they have mites - often they do this to try to keep cool. And so on. Good for you for being here now to look for answers. And by all means ask away re: any questions you have that you don't readily see answers for. Folks are glad to help. I hope you will caution anyone you know or meet who is considering adding chickens to their life to spend some months reading up first. It can save a lot of heartache for the humans and a lot of suffering for the birds. All the best to you and your birds. JJ

 

[TasteLikeChicken]

thank you, I do have grit, before I got my chickens, I researched on here, trying to pick up all the things, that people talk about mostly. And grit was one of those things, I provide it even when they are outside, I noticed some people wrote that while chickens are outside, they find natural grit, by eating dirt. I still have the grit out for them, its not really that expensive. Can they get the grit they need by just eating dirt. Is there any thing I need to have on hand, as far as medicines. Do chickens need any kind of shots to keep them healthy. I do put the apple cider vinegar in their water, I heard on here its good for lots of things
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