New to raising chickens in Ohio

[Ritasaun]

My momma chicken roamed into my yard last summer & never left. One day she brought home 9 baby chicks. I gave away 7 roos & kept 2 hens. The chicks are almost as big as momma now. My worry is that none seem to be eating well. I’ve tried everything. Cooked oatmeal, boiled eggs, cottage cheese. I even sprouted some barley seeds for them but they didn’t eat it. It’s been pretty cold here & they stay on the roost out in the run. They have stopped going in the coop at night, too. I cleaned the coop but still not roosting in it. I’ve started heating their water before I take it to them & I see them drinking it so I know they are getting water. I bought a heated waterer but they never learned to use it.
what can I do or is this normal in cold weather ?

 

[CluckerFamily]

What kind of chicken food are you feeding them?

 

[Ritasaun]

What kind of chicken food are you feeding them?

Layer feed. 16%

 

[CluckerFamily]

Have you changed from pellets to crumble or vice versa?
I would stop with all treats and just provide their chicken feed. Is their feed out of all drafts?
As for roosting in the run and not the coop, you may have to put them in the coop right before bedtime. And rechecking you’re coop setup may be beneficial: are all drafts blocked, do they have plenty of ventilation?

 

[Ritasaun]

I don’t know how much ventilation is needed. There’s an opening about 4” above the coop door wall & a slide vent at the back of the coop. They used to go in every night until it turned really cold. They just stopped going inside. I took the roost out of the run & they went inside the coop. I read that it’s ok for them to roost in the run & since I have the coop/run inside a kennel covered with hardware cloth I thought that to be ok for them. They even came out in the kennel in the snow until we had some ice cover everything.
I have used crumbles all along & never changed to anything else.

 

[Ritasaun]

They are so afraid of everything, including me that I would fear stressing them out trying to get them in the coop. They don’t even go in for mealworms anymore. I see them occasionally in the coop during the day, roughing up the pine shavings lol

 

[Offshoreorca]

If they are not laying yet, you should be feeding them grower. You can switch the whole coop to grower and offer oyster shells on the side for those who need calcium. Layer feed has a lot of calcium in it that can damage the kidneys of birds not laying (and birds don't put weight on as fast).

My suggestion would be to put them back on grower (and offer oyster shell on the side for laying hens) and give them a bit of scratch grains or cracked corn in the evening to help them retain heat better overnight.

You can also check for parasites as that can cause a lack in appetite and weight loss.

They might not be going into the coop because of drafts or bad ventilation as mentioned above. Double check that there is no moisture collecting anywhere in the coop and that there are no spaces at their roosting level that could make them cold at night.

 

[Ritasaun]

This is what they have always eaten. I don’t see any moisture inside the coop or on the inside of the window.

 

[Offshoreorca]

This is what they have always eaten. I don’t see any moisture inside the coop or on the inside of the window.

Okay, you said they were fed 16% layer in your second comment in this thread so I was under the impression that you had switched them to layer already.

Any chance you have rodents in the coop, as rat disturbance could cause them to avoid the coop at night. There could be something they don't like about that is causing them to stay outside.

 

[Ritasaun]

I thot it was layer but after looking realized I was wrong. Sorry about that.
How can I tell if there’s rodents ? I haven’t seen or heard anything while I’m out there day or night. I saw cat paw prints in the snow but nothing else.