Isolation ideas needed

[Judy]

Aha, now I have another suggestion. The rule of thumb given on here is one nest to four hens. However, if I had five I wouldn't even consider building more than one. Many, many people say they all use one or a very few nests, even if they have 15 or 20 hens. I have 7 laying at present and they use one -- and it isn't even a nest box, it is a hole someone wallowed out in some loose hay. You should be able to increase their coop floor space quite a bit by taking out two of your nest boxes.

You could also enclose 2 or 3 sides of the area below the coop, even with something temporary like a piece of an old tarp. If they're staying in due to snow, or go in during the day for any reason, this would give them some more "awake and inside" space, and give the "peckee" somewhere else to go.

And yes, I'd guess that cabin fever has gotten to them, along with a whole lot of other flocks. It's a real pain to forage and find no bugs and no grass, just that awful white stuff, don't you know....

 

[ladyfromthewoods]

Quote:
Now THERE'S an idea I can work with!!! I learned pretty early that 2 of the nesting boxes were going to waste and they were just using the middle box so I quit putting nesting material in the other two. But they are one solid piece that removes for cleaning the coop. A quick zip with the skill-saw could free up quite a bit of room and make cleaning their coop floor that much easier in the process!

 

[Judy]

Oops, I shouldn't have edited while you were online, we were posting together.

You sound about like me. Zip, zip, it's fixed.

 

[ladyfromthewoods]

Quote:
Now THERE'S an idea I can work with!!! I learned pretty early that 2 of the nesting boxes were going to waste and they were just using the middle box so I quit putting nesting material in the other two. But they are one solid piece that removes for cleaning the coop. A quick zip with the skill-saw could free up quite a bit of room and make cleaning their coop floor that much easier in the process!

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/80625_100_4723.jpg

 

[ladyfromthewoods]

I can't thank all of you enough!!! Your posts have given me a couple of coop design problem ideas to work on and given me the courage to say, "5 is too many until we can build a bigger coop" so I can give away the bully hen if the remedies don't help. Plus, I learned something about chickens & milk!!! Truly, every single one of you helped me and I really appreciate it. I hope someone else will benefit from this post too.

 

[Judy]

Quote:

Cracked me up. Another victim of chicken math falls into the pit....

 

[WoodlandWoman]

I'd try giving them a little more protein, too. Layer feed is designed to give them the absolute minimum of protein they need to survive and lay eggs. Any more than that would make the eggs cost more. The scratch and all the foods you listed are all mainly carbohydrates and are reducing the protein level in their diet. You could try providing a more balanced diet with enough protein and see if that helps, also.

 

[ladyfromthewoods]

Quote:
Other than the grubs/bugs they are scratching up in the woods, what is the easiest way to give them more protein? I've heard some make them some scrambled eggs at times, and I have plenty of venison here, so maybe I could brown some burger and give it in limited quanities? Another thing to look up!

UPDATE: the hen lowest in order (the one that had started bleeding) was even worse by the day's end and even began to pull out her own feathers that were blood-covered. We have dowsed her wounds with iodine and placed her in one cat carrier and placed the bully in another. 3 hens remain in the coop. I will now be researching wound care in isolation and using the skill saw tomorrow to adjust the nesting boxes to allow more room in their coop.

Thanks, again, to everyone who has cared enough to comment! This is a lesson for all us newbies: MAKE SURE YOU GIVE YOUR FLOCK ENOUGH COOP SPACE TO GET THROUGH WINTER'S CABIN-FEVER!!! We never expected that the first winter we had our hens the weather would be so bad as to prevent them from getting out more often. Most of our previous winters have been mild. Life is learning.

 

[Judy]

Quote:
Venison would be great. Any meat, really; obviously not a lot of salt and fat, is really the only caution. People look for cheap meat sources, such as canned mackerel and table scraps, but you can overdo the fat with table scraps, of course. Scrambled eggs are fine. Cheese tends to be salty; I give them a little now and then as they love it. Cat food is often used because it is fairly high in protein, but it really shouldn't be given to chickens -- I forget why, some amino acid I think, it tells why at the bottom of the BYC treats chart. Truthfully, you wouldn't have to cook the burger, and you probably wouldn't even have to grind it. I'm always reluctant to give raw meat, but no one cooks the bugs they find.....

You can treat a chicken wound much as you would your own. Iodine and peroxide do kill new skin cells, so after the initial cleaning, you should probably stick to saline or mild soapy water. Lots of folks use Neosporin or some other topical antibiotic ointment. The only caveat about topical meds on chickens is not to use "caine" drugs such as benzocaine, cetacaine, lidocaine, etc. They are very sensitive to these drug and you can actually kill them with them.

I have a feeling you and your chickens are going to do just fine. Careful with that skil saw, now.

 

[ladyfromthewoods]

Quote:
Thanks, ddawn! Sometimes a little pat of reassurance is just the needed thing.