Pine tar and brittle feathers

[HillsideEstate]

Hi all-
In an effort to reduce any chance of any kind of feather pecking, I raised the lower perch so it is even with the high perch and pulled it back some so the two perches are far enough apart they can't peck each other. And I divided each perching area in half with a sheet, again in effort of reducing bullying/pecking. I am not sure if they are bullying but they are definitely not nice girls at night.

However.....I have a dog crate in there with the roo since the girls are meanies and I am keeping him safe until we sort this out, so both perches are about 3.5 feet off the ground (the original height of the highest). It has occurred to me, after watching the gals walk around on the ground not knowing what to do that the perches might be too high. (Will this saga ever end??). I am wondering if I should screw even more holes in the coop and lower the perches? It is certainly easier to clean with them higher, and the crate fits in better, but it they can't get up there then what's the point.

Thanks for all of your help. I won't be offended if you tell me I should be raising goldfish instead

 

[HillsideEstate]

Hi all-
In an effort to reduce any chance of any kind of feather pecking, I raised the lower perch so it is even with the high perch and pulled it back some so the two perches are far enough apart they can't peck each other. And I divided each perching area in half with a sheet, again in effort of reducing bullying/pecking. I am not sure if they are bullying but they are definitely not nice girls at night.

However.....I have a dog crate in there with the roo since the girls are meanies and I am keeping him safe until we sort this out, so both perches are about 3.5 feet off the ground (the original height of the highest). It has occurred to me, after watching the gals walk around on the ground not knowing what to do that the perches might be too high. (Will this saga ever end??). I am wondering if I should screw even more holes in the coop and lower the perches? It is certainly easier to clean with them higher, and the crate fits in better, but it they can't get up there then what's the point.

Thanks for all of your help. I won't be offended if you tell me I should be raising goldfish instead

I forgot the pics:

This is before:


This is after:

 

[HillsideEstate]

I forgot the pics:

This is before:


This is after:

And as long I am picking your brains (pun intended), could I, should I add a poop board under the perches as long as I am drilling holes?? Or will it make it even harder for them?

(Sorry for all of the questions. But I really really appreciate it! )

 

[MrsBrooke]

Were the 'before' roosts stacked one on top of the other, so that hens above might poop on hens below? Just curious.

MrsB

 

[HillsideEstate]

Were the 'before' roosts stacked one on top of the other, so that hens above might poop on hens below? Just curious.

MrsB

No, they were staggered enough so they couldn't poop on each other, but they could reach over a pull out a feather if they were so inclined. I moved them even farther apart to remove all opportunity for pecking.

Sadly, I witnessed two of the Barred Rocks be really aggressive to my gentle aracauna tonight. I have questioned their roles in this pecking matter (they are not the whole problem but have indicated several times that they are willing participants). They are going to the small coop for a couple of weeks to think about it! I don't think that is all the problem by any means but if I can remove it little by little perhaps my sanity will return.

 

[Michael Apple]

The "after" pic is much better. Roosts are low and apart from each other. That is how I set my roosts. Deep shavings on the floor will lessen the chance of bumblefoot with standard breed birds. How big is their yard outside? Do they have in and out access all day?

Do you feed lots of scratch grains? What was the protein percentage of feed? Do you use any other supplements?

 

[HillsideEstate]

The roosts are now far apart, but they are about 3.5-4 feet off the ground. I am worried that is too high??

The coop is 6' x 8' and 7 feet high. The run is totally secured with welded wire and is 16' x 24' for 15 chickens. They can go in and out of the roost into the run at will (during the day). At night they are locked up like Fort Knox. The run is dirt and covered with a shade cloth in summer but no roof (just the welded wire for hawks). I am contemplating a roof over part and then adding sand to the covered area so they can have a dry place to play during the rainy season. When the snow melts or it rains the run gets muddy, despite the fact it is on a slope.

There is about 1 inch of shavings in the roost and I change weekly but I can add more if you recommend.

I feed layer crumbles (17% protein) and veggie scraps (although more in summer). In the summer I added ACV to the water. I used to treat them with scratch but had read that could lead to feather pecking so stopped 2 months ago when the pecking began.

Since the picking started 2 months ago I added Poultry Conditioner and/or Feather Fixer, Avia Charge in their water, a flock block, occasional tuna or yogurt.

It started when they were 8 months old (in January).

 

[HillsideEstate]

I also add oyster shells to the food, but have been told recently to put it in a separate container for them.

I thought the girls were using the dirt floor floor grit but someone said I need to offer it. Not sure if this goes in the food, oyster shells, or ground.

 

[ChickenLegs13]

There you go! Having the roost bars far enough apart that a bird on one bar can't reach a bird on another bar prevents a lot of drama at roost time. The "they say" says you need 1.5 ft of roost per bird, but in real life some birds need more space, some are happy with much less. My hen house has two 10" bars and the hens jump back & forth until they land next to a hen that doesn't peck them, then they go to sleep. They always end up with the same bird in the same spot every night, with 17 birds on 1 bar and 10 on the other. The roost closest to the wall is the most popular.
Not saying that's your problem but the "before" roosts didn't look user friendly, the feed and space sounds ok and you've dusted enough to kill every bug between here & Mobile.
Keep us posted...

 

[Michael Apple]

18" off the floor are best when applied to roosts for heavier breeds, which you have. 6-8" of pine shavings on the floor area is best. It provides enough padding and is absorbent for droppings. Keep roosts sanded smooth to prevent splinters. Nests should be easily accessed too, and in a darker area of the coop. Nests that do not allow privacy, or in the suns rays become uncomfortable to birds. They are then more likely to bicker over nests/harrass each other, or lay in other areas of the coop. Why do you add ACV to the water in Summer? Poultry vitamins-electrolytes 3x a week, and Probios dispersible powder 1x a week are much more beneficial than putting ACV in drinkers. Too much ACV can upset the balance of digestive flora. ACV has little use for poultry despite the popularity of it. Proper diet and probiotic activity in the gut regulate digestion, whereas ACV depletes calcium and and can disrupt the intestinal PH if given too often. I've found it is always good to provide granite grit, and it is cheap enough. Oyster shell in a separate hopper is good if you have roosters.

A 16' x 24' outside pen can become fouled quickly with that many birds. Sand in the outside run can be beneficial for drainage, and droppings that accumulate in dry weather can be raked out since they dry out faster sitting on sand. If you range them outside the pen, that also prevents accumulation of fecal matter in the contained yard.