MY CHICKENS ARE PLUCKING THEMSELVES TO DEATH

[RobertaD1]

Also not sure if you saw but my chickens free range all day, so for just sleeping I believe this new coop is PLENTY of room for my 2 ladies! 3 laying boxes.

You may be right. 3 nest boxes are irrelevant anyway. They would be fine with one
I would drill some inch holes at the peak and cover with hardware cloth. It's not much, but a start!

 

[gluckgluck9000]

These are better.

https://www.amazon.com/Maurice-Fran.../B01DH8J7RI/ref=psdc_2231044011_t2_B01DX4B2Y2

Okay thanks! Just 2 of them? and on top of the roof?

 

[gluckgluck9000]

You may be right. 3 nest boxes are irrelevant anyway. They would be fine with one
I would drill some inch holes at the peak and cover with hardware cloth. It's not much, but a start!

Okay wonderful thanks so much for your advice

 

[21hens-incharge]

Okay thanks! Just 2 of them? and on top of the roof?

Just 2 but on the side walls at the high points. The peak/pointed top of the side walls is where those should go.
Point them so he louvers (slats) point down to keep water/rain from blowing in.

 

[21hens-incharge]

Okay thanks! Just 2 of them? and on top of the roof?

Home depot should have them by the each too. That way you don't end up wth half a dozen when you need 2.

 

[NatJ]

Also not sure if you saw but my chickens free range all day, so for just sleeping I believe this new coop is PLENTY of room for my 2 ladies!

Do they go out even when it's raining or snowy? The bad-weather days when they have to stay inside are when coop size really matters.

 

[littledog]

Hi,

I got some good news that my dad will help me fund a new coop! Do you have any recommendations preferably under $250? I don't really want to have to build it but there are a lot online. I was looking at this one

https://www.aosom.com/item/pawhut-3...6f3026e98bfc0f2038a1ba8eb01dc889bb6eae0627985

What do you think?

Instead of spending that much money on a new coop, what I would do is 1. Take the coop you already have and modify it to be a nicer home by taking out the floor, covering the sides down to the ground, putting in a roost about 18" from the ground and putting in hardware-cloth panels for ventilation a foot above the roost. 2. Then use the $250 in your budget to buy a chainlink dog kennel, enough poultry wire to cover the walls and top, and a roll of 4 foot tall hardware cloth. 3. Install the hardware cloth so it goes around the bottom of the dog kennel two feet high and bend to extend along the ground another two feet out to form an apron.

A bigger run will allow your birds to find more protein for themselves, like bugs. Supplementing more protein such as mealworms, and more calcium in the form of oyster shell, is a great plan.

Though feather-plucking is a bad habit, I don't think you necessarily have to cull your hens before trying some different things. I once had a really bad feather-plucker, and isolating her from the other chickens for a month broke her of that habit. Putting some interesting things in their run might help, such as piles of rocks to hide among, rotting stumps to jump on and peck at for bugs, maybe a chicken swing? Stuff to reduce boredom and give them other things to do.

Of course, this is after you rule out lice and mites.

Good luck, I hope you find the right combination of solutions.

 

[RobertaD1]

Instead of spending that much money on a new coop, what I would do is 1. Take the coop you already have and modify it to be a nicer home by taking out the floor, covering the sides down to the ground, putting in a roost about 18" from the ground and putting in hardware-cloth panels for ventilation a foot above the roost. 2. Then use the $250 in your budget to buy a chainlink dog kennel, enough poultry wire to cover the walls and top, and a roll of 4 foot tall hardware cloth. 3. Install the hardware cloth so it goes around the bottom of the dog kennel two feet high and bend to extend along the ground another two feet out to form an apron.

A bigger run will allow your birds to find more protein for themselves, like bugs. Supplementing more protein such as mealworms, and more calcium in the form of oyster shell, is a great plan.

Though feather-plucking is a bad habit, I don't think you necessarily have to cull your hens before trying some different things. I once had a really bad feather-plucker, and isolating her from the other chickens for a month broke her of that habit. Putting some interesting things in their run might help, such as piles of rocks to hide among, rotting stumps to jump on and peck at for bugs, maybe a chicken swing? Stuff to reduce boredom and give them other things to do.

Of course, this is after you rule out lice and mites.

Good luck, I hope you find the right combination of solutions.

This is a really good idea! Turn that whole coop and run into the coop and adding it to a kennel! With the added ventilation, it would make a nice area for 2 birds!

 

[21hens-incharge]

Instead of spending that much money on a new coop, what I would do is 1. Take the coop you already have and modify it to be a nicer home by taking out the floor, covering the sides down to the ground, putting in a roost about 18" from the ground and putting in hardware-cloth panels for ventilation a foot above the roost. 2. Then use the $250 in your budget to buy a chainlink dog kennel, enough poultry wire to cover the walls and top, and a roll of 4 foot tall hardware cloth. 3. Install the hardware cloth so it goes around the bottom of the dog kennel two feet high and bend to extend along the ground another two feet out to form an apron.

A bigger run will allow your birds to find more protein for themselves, like bugs. Supplementing more protein such as mealworms, and more calcium in the form of oyster shell, is a great plan.

Though feather-plucking is a bad habit, I don't think you necessarily have to cull your hens before trying some different things. I once had a really bad feather-plucker, and isolating her from the other chickens for a month broke her of that habit. Putting some interesting things in their run might help, such as piles of rocks to hide among, rotting stumps to jump on and peck at for bugs, maybe a chicken swing? Stuff to reduce boredom and give them other things to do.

Of course, this is after you rule out lice and mites.

Good luck, I hope you find the right combination of solutions.

This is a really good idea! Turn that whole coop and run into the coop and adding it to a kennel! With the added ventilation, it would make a nice area for 2 birds!

Already suggested that.
Problem is OP is a college student without skills or tools for construction. She is also not near enough to her folks to get help there.

She did get a new coop and is working on adding vents to improve it a bit.

 

[RobertaD1]

Already suggested that.
Problem is OP is a college student without skills or tools for construction. She is also not near enough to her folks to get help there.

She did get a new coop and is working on adding vents to improve it a bit.

Gotcha!