Just moved in and inherited the girls ... but this doesn't look right!

[rebrascora]

Also... Your hens may be stressed. Give them plenty heat in the winter and perches all year round. As long as they can escape a rude hen... They can handle themselves and heal.

I'm not sure what the poster means by "Give them plenty heat in the winter" but hens can tolerate the cold very well as long as they don't get wet or have draughts. Heaters in the coop are dangerous on two levels.... 1. they pose a fire risk and 2. If they fail ie power outage, the birds have become used to them and struggle to keep warm without them. The most important issue in winter s good ventilation at roof height so that warm damp air can escape, otherwise it can condense on the roof and drip back down on the chickens making them wet. Insulation under a tin roof will also help prevent condensation forming, but ventilation is essential.

I just wanted to clarify that with the OP being new to chickens and perhaps thinking a heater was necessary.

 

[BantyChooks]

I wasn't talking about a heater. I would never use one. I was talking about a heat lamp and plenty of light. Sorry for not clarifying that properly. I feel that they need lights.

A heat lamp is a heater.

I don't use heat, ever, and I live in a climate cold/colder than yours. Healthy chickens should handle cold well.

 

[The Angry Hen]

I'm sorry guys for the posts I have made. I have a bad cold and I am a bit out of it and woozy... Please accept my apology. I'm going to delete the two posts I made with much misleading information.

 

[rebrascora]

Heat lamps are probably the biggest cause of coop fires and each year there are one or two posts on BYC from people who have experienced such disasters, wanting to warn others of the danger and heartache. Birds don't need light either as long as they have daylight. Once they are on the roost at night, they don't need to be able to see and a light 24/7 will stress their bodies. A normal light in the coop can help to keep birds laying, but it is my personal belief that they are better allowed to experience a natural rest from egg laying after they moult until their bodies are ready to start up again with the increasing daylight. A window in the coop allowing in some natural light is a better option than an artificial light, that way as the light fades, the birds get up to roost. If you have an artificial light that just suddenly gets switched off, they are not adjusted to the darkness and it can cause problems.

 

[BantyChooks]

I'm sorry guys for the posts I have made. I have a bad cold and I am a bit out of it and woozy... Please accept my apology. I'm going to delete the two posts I made with much misleading information.

Hope you feel better.

 

[lazy gardener]

To OP: you are getting a lot of advice here. Welcome to BYC and congrats on your new flock. Agreed, feather picking seems to be your primary problem.

You might want to do an info search re: mites and lice. Know what you are looking for, then do a thorough coop and bird inspection. Mites live in the coop and come out to feed on the birds at night, while lice live on the bird.

Increased protein will definitely be beneficial. It will help them to re-grow those feathers, and if they were plucking due to dietary deficiency, the extra protein will help fix that. What were they being fed? If they were on layer, do you have the bag handy so you can check the mill date? Feed older than 6 weeks has begun to go stale and the nutrients in it are rapidly degrading. If they were getting a lot of scratch (I'd not give it every day, and then only use it VERY sparingly) or other kitchen scraps that are NOT meat based, their diet may certainly be the cause of the feather picking.

Things to consider to improve their environment/health:

Fermented feed. There is a FAQ article in my signature (written by Tikki Jane) about the how and why of FF.

Deep litter in the run. An incredible plethora of health and nutritional benefit to be had by keeping deep litter in your run. Bare soil, especially in a chicken run is soil that is being mistreated! A deep litter draws beneficial micro-organisms, as well as beneficial worms and insects. It provides the birds with plenty of digging opportunities, feeds their guts with beneficial bacteria and fungi to improve their digestion and immunity. Birds on DL have better health, better feed conversion, less issue with behavioral problems. Bare soil in a run becomes dead soil b/c of the high nitrogen and Phosphorous load. Pathogens abound, and the soil eventually becomes so over loaded with N and P that it won't grow anything. A DL will be saturated with beneficial organisms that will convert all of that excess N and P to healthy compost for your birds and your gardens.

Ventilation in your coop year round. Recommendation is for 1 s.f. of ventilation per bird. The ventilation needs to be provided in such a way that the birds are not in a draft when perched. Your birds will not need heat... unless you are in a climate that stays below 0*F for days or weeks at a time.

Predator proofing: If there is a hole you could push a quarter through, a weasel can enter. A weasel can destroy a whole flock in a single night. Chicken wire will keep chickens in, but won't keep predators out. A buried skirt will help to keep digging predators out. While hardware cloth is much safer for coop and run, there needs to be a risk assessment: What is your tolerance for loss to predation in relation to your available funds to keep your flock safe??? Hardware cloth, bird netting, chicken wire, skirts, keeping birds shut up safely in the coop every night, perhaps a dog, having a gun handy to dispatch predators, trapping (Humane or to kill) hot wire around coop and or run. Some or all of these methods can be used to help keep your flock safe. Every flock owner has his/her own management style and loss tolerance.

 

[rebrascora]

We all make mistakes so please don't feel awkward about it and perhaps other people can learn from this discussion, so don't feel the need to delete them.
I too hope you are feeling better soon.

 

[The Angry Hen]

Hope you feel better.

Thank you very much. I appreciate it kindly.

We all make mistakes so please don't feel awkward about it and perhaps other people can learn from this discussion, so don't feel the need to delete them.
I too hope you are feeling better soon.

Thank you! Sadly, I deleted the posts already. But there are very many folks that shall learn much more from you both than from I. Keep up the great advice!

Thank you.

Have a nice evening everybody.

Sicerely,
-The Angry Hen

 

[rebrascora]

@The Angry Hen

Actually, mistakes are one of the best ways of learning and if other people can learn from your mistakes (and my mistakes) then that makes them worth sharing, as then a positive thing comes out of something negative. Our society is too keen to ridicule mistakes and failure and yet without them we would not be where we are today. Get well soon and don't be frightened to make mistakes. x

 

[Rlroberts01]

Hello,

The black and white ones with the barred patterns have a name that suits them. They are Barred Rocks. The red ones look like production red's and the one black is an Australorp.

You have a beautiful flock of hens. Absolute no roosters. The one in second-last photo, far back, may be a rooster if I saw a better photo... But most likely hen.

The bare-backs may be cause by mounting, (but in your case- I honestly don't think so). My foggiest guess is that your BR's (Barred Rocks) are the culprits. They are spotless. No bare-backs, right? This most likely means that the Barred hens are the bullies of the situation.
You can use anything to cover it that you get advice on, from gel's to aprons... (I prefer more natural than the gels sold)... But I'd let it be and just pluck a feather from the bully when they go to peck an innocent hen.

My hens had a bully at some point in time... I let them be and they are all healed now. They are nine years old! I think they were fine.

Also... Your hens may be stressed. Give them plenty heat in the winter and perches all year round. As long as they can escape a rude hen... They can handle themselves and heal.

Your hens are fine! Just don't let the mean ones win. Good luck, God bless. I hope this information helps you on your journey. You have beautiful hens that look healthy.

Have a nice evening!

Regards,
-The Angry Hen

Thank you!!