My Chickens look crappy

[Qi Chicken]

We are on the tail end of a long winter, and our previously beautiful flock looks awful. 13 hens and 1 roo have a 10 x 11 coop. They wouldn't go outside for most of the winter because of the snow. Now they are back to free-ranging daily.

They may be molting but many of the hens are missing all the feathers on the tops of their heads where the roo hangs on. This has never happened before? A few of them have bare backs. I put the saddle on in the morning and the next morning they have taken it off. I don't have any idea how this could happen. but it does.

Their combs look awful. I don't think it is frostbite, but many of the hens have black spots on their combs like they have been pecked. Some do have little spots of what might have been frostbite. We did use a heat lamp during the coldest times but they have an insulated extremely well built coop.

The roo was attacked by a dog last fall and the girls have been pecking at his bottom off and on since then. He is white and now purple from the blue kote I spray on his butt and sometimes red from when they draw blood. Also using hot pick and have pinless peepers which we have not yet tried.

One pretty little cream colored ee has a big huge line of black poop down her back end. Messing up all her feathers. She is the friendliest one and loves to sit on your lap.

They are definitely not shiny and plump. Kind of dull and scrawny looking?

I am ashamed to even post this. I have always taken pride in our well taken care of chickens. Now they look downright mangy. Is there anything I can do for their combs? What should I do about the poo on Bubbles' bottom? WHY does she have poo on her bottom????? I am at my wits end with the roo. It has been 6 months now. He is the BEST roo. One or two of the hens peck him more than any of the others. I thought I would fit them with the pinless peepers?

Any other suggestions? They get Kent extra egg for food. Fresh water. BOSS daily. Scratch 2 x week. Scrambled eggs when we have extra, which we haven't b/c they have virtually stopped laying. Again the molt?

Help please!

 

[Chick Charm]

Keep feeding them well. Add in some scrabled eggs and yogurt. Find some big ol fat meal worms to get their protein up and this will eventually help with the quality of their feathers. Wash the ladies butt with warm water and scrub with a towel (one you don't care about very much of course). And don't forget to measure out a good dose of pride to yourself knowing that you are doing everything you can to make them the healthiest chickens.

 

[Judy]

I would remove the two hens who are doing the major pecking for at least a week. And next winter I would have either a larger coop or a covered area where they can get outside without walking on snow.

Good luck.

 

[looptloop]

Had to laugh as I could have written your post! Mine are all dirty from all the mud in the yard, one of mine must have been under the roost bar at the wrong time..... I can't wait for the rain to stop so they can actually take a dust bath.....

 

[jettgirl24]

My flock was looking really sad thsi winter too so don't feel bad. Halfway through the season I put up a makeshift cover on the run and it has done wonders. The neighbors probably hate it but the flock is SO much better for it now that they can go outside without being wet and muddy

I'll definitely be building the run at our new house with a cover after my experiences this year!

 

[Minniechickmama]

Bare backs and bare heads are from the rooster mating with them. The only thing you can do there is put a saddle on the girls. This time of year, the boys are all frisky and bit more active than they are the rest of the year.
Since they spent most of the time indoors, they may just need some fresh air and good food to get them back into shape. They go through these cycles and you just have to work through it.
I feed my chickens outside (I put feeders inside at night when I close up) and so they HAVE to come out to eat, and they do. They hate the snow, but I scrape it back around the feeders at least, even blow snow when necessary, and they get out of the coop. I think it helps keep them tough and they do fine. You can't stay cooped up all winter, and neither should your birds. Not scolding, just saying. Eventually, they will get used to the snow enough to come out on their own.
Good luck getting them beautiful again. I am sure once Spring is really here, they will look better.

 

[mandelyn]

You could also contain the rooster to give the hens a break, and let him back around with them after they've both regrown feathers. My first two hens of the flock I have now were receiving extra rooster care and showed it BAD. The Black Australorp still doesn't have perfect feathers and it's been 6 months, but she looks a heck of a lot better than she did.

Mine have cruddy combs from picking in the mud. They're fat, but filthy. Last week the rain was so bad it flooded their run, luckily their house is elevated off the ground just enough to keep it dry. But apparently, my spot for the coop has underground water and rain collects in that area of the yard and takes awhile to drain. When we dug in post holes for a perimeter fence, 3ft down would fill with water and hold it! On a dry day!

Keep them on the regular feed, up the protein they're getting, and be sure the food is "free choice".. never going empty. I started making too much oatmeal for myself and giving them the extra with some yogurt, wheat germ, and things like that. Finally there is greenery for them to munch on when I let them out. I was buying them Spinach when it was on the mark down rack at the local veggie store.

I chose not to have a rooster, both for the neighbors and the hens. My older hens were just about brutalized by their rooster and seem to be enjoying themselves a lot more now. But they had come from small breeding pens too, I'm sure space was a contributing factor for them.

 

[Elly_Mae]

Quote:
x2 and I would also up their protein level. Feathers are about 85% protein.

 

[Emmalion]

Yeah I have some sad looking birds as well. But its been a long hard winter and they made it through. Now its time to get them back into shape for the summer fun of chasing frogs

 

[Attack Chicken]

It's been a hard winter here as well. I take the chance anytime we get nice warm days for a few days in a row and give a couple birds a bath. If you have white birds your just gonna have to wait until they molt. Two on my white birds are brownish whitish from rolling in the mud/dustbathing lol.
Got 2 girls that were broody (1 has all of their chicks now) and their starting to molt. Their looking scraggly but I'm glad their molting before the shows.

Also could you get a pic of their combs?

AC