Need help with my laying hens plz!

[LorraineBart]

If you are mixing your own feed then it's hard to gauge the protein content. There are commercial feeds with higher protein contents, that are complete. Many brands. When I can't find one I will use a grower feed in the 18 -20 % protein range, my birds do much better on that than on layer at 16%. 12 x 12 should be big enough for the coop if they are ranging during the day, but it depends on the layout. How many roosts you have and their spacing, can make a difference. Every flock is different, what works for one group of birds can be too small for another, so you have to adjust to what they are telling you that they need.

Oh ok. Valid point. I will get them more protein and see if that helps. And also look into more roosts.

 

[LorraineBart]

We do have a rooster! And he is very aggressive when mounting sometimes. I've literally seen him RUN across the hard and jump roughly on a hen he wants to mate with! That would make sense that maybe he's causing some of that feather loss then! Is there any way to get the feathers back or is the only solution getting a new rooster?

 

[LorraineBart]

Do you have the nutritional information for your mix? What's the protein source? What is the full recipe? Homemade Chicken feed is very hard to formulate to meet nutritional needs. Oats are actually bad for chickens.

I've never heard that about Oats! Oh my!
No, I don't have the nutrition info on the mix I make. I got the recipe from this other lady who has a successful chicken farm so it seemed safe to follow.

 

[nuthatched]

When they started picking at each other badly they were on a layer pellet with oyster shells on the side. Now I give them a homemade blend of Oats, corn, blackoil seed, etc etc. And I give them crushed egg shell on the side. If they run out of crushed egg shell we still give oyster shell. A closer pic of the bird with feather loss or what? What do you use for treating mites then?

Yes, a closer picture of the feather loss, thank you. You can use a permethrine based poultry spray or dust.

 

[nuthatched]

We do have a rooster! And he is very aggressive when mounting sometimes. I've literally seen him RUN across the hard and jump roughly on a hen he wants to mate with! That would make sense that maybe he's causing some of that feather loss then! Is there any way to get the feathers back or is the only solution getting a new rooster?

I'd get rid of him, he's not being a gentleman and is causing some of the issues. Unless you want fertile eggs, or just want a rooster, they don't need one.

I've never heard that about Oats! Oh my!
No, I don't have the nutrition info on the mix I make. I got the recipe from this other lady who has a successful chicken farm so it seemed safe to follow.

A little outs wont hurt but they contain vitamin blockers in large amounts. Can you post the recipe for us to see? We can look at and advise you on a better formula or if it should be scrapped entirely. Any recipe can appear that it works fine and most do, short term.
But long term, most homemade diets can prove insufficient if not harmful. If you cycle birds out every year, it might not matter.

 

[samanthaoverton]

I'd eat that rooster...a good rooster let's the ladies say no..or yes..