Molt?

[RoseandRan]

We have 5 chickens. 1 is okay , 4 have bare featherless spots just below the beaks on thier necks good size area. 3 of these have bare backsides starting just below the vent area and about 7 by 7 inches. A few have black dots on the combs . All we now inside . They are angry about it and are board. I wanted them in the garage but it too is very cold. Below zero for a few days again.

It is cold here so we have them in the basement in an extra large dog cage and joined to their baby cage … until they have some feathers to come in or it gets warmer out . Not sure what temp is good enough ( hope not 50 degrees . That could take a whole long time . ) They stink. Not the air freshener I had hoped for.

We have them on highest protein food… wild game food , dio. Earth, and Zyfend a.

I need to give them more room … thinking about putting tarp down and block a larger area ;(

Any suggestions?

 

[rosemarythyme]

How cold is it exactly? What does your actual coop and run look like? Unless you're talking sustained -20F or more, I don't see any benefit to them being in your house, and those cages are quite small. If they're already having behavioral issues (like feather picking) this can't be helping matters.

 

[rosemarythyme]

This is make shift inside cage . They can be out side with no feathers ?

Depending on temperatures and amount of shelter provided, yes.

 

[nuthatched]

5 chickens. 1 is okay , 4 have bare featherless spots just below the beaks on thier necks good size area. 3 of these have bare backsides starting just below the vent area and about 7 by 7 inches.

This is your solution.
You have one that's picking the others.
It could be boredom or tight quarters. Or not enough roost space for them to get away from the picker.
Drop the d.e, it's not good for you or your birds to breathe.

 

[fluffycrow]

Sorry to hear that about your hens. Can you share some photos so we can have a better look? Do you have a rooster in with them? Also, welcome to BYC

 

[fluffycrow]

Usually chickens have a tendency to peck at exposed/raw skin, were these girls ever in the company of roosters?

 

[RoseandRan]

This is make shift inside cage . They can be out side with no feathers ?

 

[rosemarythyme]

Ummm . Okay, well temp is usually 17-30 degrees . Coop is surrounded by straw to buffet the wind. We have a heater made for the coop. Right now they have some feathers beginning . The coop is not big enough space within it to stay inside for days. We joined to cages and need to cut the divider in side. So they stay only in one side. There is only a doorway between then right now. … if below 0 -10 degrees we we keep them in the coop. With no feathers their skin got very red .

So we brought then inside for now. We have a real cold spell. -1 tomorrow. I am ready for them to go back out anytime. But we don’t want to lose any. We only have the 5.

With those temps it's really not too cold for them to be out there but because they're used to being in a warmer area right now they need to re-acclimate to the colder weather so that there isn't a big shock when they move back out. So you might want to try having them out for the warmer part of the day, bringing them back in at night, and doing that for a few days to get them used to being outside again.

The feather picking is an issue. How big is the coop in sq ft?

 

[RoseandRan]

This is your solution.
You have one that's picking the others.
It could be boredom or tight quarters. Or not enough roost space for them to get away from the picker.
Drop the d.e, it's not good for you or your birds to breathe.

I was thinking to drop the d e too . I will drop it. Thank you . Read some place about causing respiratory issues.

 

[RoseandRan]

We have 5 chickens. 1 is okay , 4 have bare featherless spots just below the beaks on thier necks good size area. 3 of these have bare backsides starting just below the vent area and about 7 by 7 inches. A few have black dots on the combs . All we now inside . They are angry about it and are board. I wanted them in the garage but it too is very cold. Below zero for a few days again.

It is cold here so we have them in the basement in an extra large dog cage and joined to their baby cage … until they have some feathers to come in or it gets warmer out . Not sure what temp is good enough ( hope not 50 degrees . That could take a whole long time . ) They stink. Not the air freshener I had hoped for.

We have them on highest protein food… wild game food , dio. Earth, and Zyfend a.

I need to give them more room … thinking about putting tarp down and block a larger area ;(

Any suggestions?

Sorry to hear that about your hens. Can you share some photos so we can have a better look? Do you have a rooster in with them? Also, welcome to BYC