Not getting enough protein??

[basicliving]

It could take several weeks for them to completely feather out. I would stop the additional lighting, up the protein, and make certain there is plenty to keep them entertained in the coop/run (where ever they are confined). If the vent area does not show signs of growing back feathers, you can slather that area with pine tar - nasty stuff to work with, but I have had success with it. It will protect the area and tastes very nasty, so pecking/picking should stop as long as you keep it on. Avia Charge 2000 is also good to add to their water. If free ranging is an option, that is what I recommend. I have had the best results with that.

 

[livin-green]

Now that we are back on Daylight Savings and the days are getting longer, I figured it was about time to kill the extra lighting anyway, so I guess I will do that starting tomorrow. Unfortunately, we can not let our chickens free range which I really hate (too many dogs, coyotes, and hawks passing through).

We do supplement with lots of things the chickens might find if they were able to free-range. We give them grass/weed clippings (we don't have a great lawn--LOL!), all sorts of bugs or worms that we come across outside. Of course, their run is just dirt, so I also put a few pieces of plywood out on the ground to turn over every few days...usually lots of bugs under them.

I keep fairly good check of the vent area, and none seem to have a problem in that area. Hopefully, we will not have to resort to that, but I will definitely keep it in mind.

Any suggestions on some specific ways to "keep them entertained"? They have access to the run everyday from mid-morning until after dark. I throw some scratch out in the run to keep them busy in the morning. Around mid-afternoon, I give them some sort of treat--lettuce, fruit or some scraps from the night-before's dinner. I also give them their evening treat around dark which is something like mash--usually oatmeal or rice mixed with yogurt and flax, but sometimes I use some other base like couscous or enriched noodles. Tonight they got a couple spoonfuls of cottage cheese mixed with flax.

Thanks so much for the info. and any suggestions for enrichment would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Wifezilla]

Many people have had great success with the hanging cabbage trick. Hang a whole cabbage just above their reach so they have to jump to get it.

 

[livin-green]

Sounds like a good idea. I haven't ever fed them cabbage, so that might be a nice, new "treat" for them.

Do you just tie a string around the stub of the stem?

 

[SandraChick]

I would agree with basic living. You probably have a feather picking problem. The pine tar works but is very messy. There are some feather picking sprays you can find at feed stores; I've heard these work...but have no personal experience.

If you are seeing some feather eating...that's too much! So, it really doesn't matter if you're not around to watch them all day.

Depending on hatch date, chickens won't molt the first winter.... Are you sure they actually molted? It is possible you just started getting the picking problem in Jan. Also- extra lighting can cause problems with behavior-and they can start picking at eachother. I would suspect that the extra light is part of the problem. I am a firm believer in chickens needing a yearly break...but my break is not that long here in No. California- and it doesn't get very cold. If you feel you need to supplement light, it is better for the light to come on earlier (with a timer if necessary) in the morning than to extend the light into the evening. It's like they can't settle down right in the evening, but it's ok to be woken up early. You should consider giving them a good break in the winter. Remember that laying eggs is taxing on the body, and a good break is good for them.

Hanging all sorts of treats can be very entertaining, and good for the chickens both mentally and physically.

On a more long term project...I like to grow wheat for my chickens. It's easy. Take any container that drains...I use old flower flats lined with newspapers to keep the soil in. Put a layer of wheat seeds on top of the soil...and water.. Keep moist. When the "grass" gets 2" tall, put the flat in the run. Now make a few of these flats and trade them in/out. They will keep growing like grass that's been clipped. THe chickens LOVE IT! and it's good for them too.

Enjoy your chickies!
Sandra

 

[livin-green]

Well, since I don't stay in the coop with them I guess anything is possible

The chickens all came as day old chicks from Ideal in mid-April of '08.

I read that to keep them laying well through the winter you should provide extra lighting, but that they need a break for a couple of weeks. Their egg laying dropped from at least 10/day to maybe 3/day, and it was like that for a couple of weeks before we got extra lighting set up. Do you think that was not a long enough break? How long do they need?

I do have the light set on a timer that comes on at dusk and stays on for a set number of hours. Over winter, when daylight was basically from about 6am to 5pm, it was set to 4 hours to give them approx. 14 hours of light. Now that the days have started to lengthen, it is only set to 2 hours. I will look into getting another timer that will let me set the hour for in the morning instead of at dusk.

I love the wheat growing idea! I will definitely see about doing that since they can't free-range. I have placed a few old flower pots in there that had filled up with weeds. They loved that...picked 'em clean!

Thanks for the input!