Ready to give up on my chooks, help please.

[mamajos]

I thought chickens just sleep when the lights go out, but I was very surprised, after putting in a camera to watch them at night. They don’t sleep the whole time. Sometimes they pick on the bird next to them, trying to get under them, or pulling feathers, or pecking-if they are in close quarters. They use their beak to peck the roost board so they know where they can walk next, if they can’t actually see it. They preen, they stand and stretch. Just because it’s dark doesn’t mean they are not doing things. They are limited because it’s dark, but they aren’t just sitting quiet, sleeping.
Along with that, they still breathe and poop at night, creating the need for much ventilation-more than pre-fabs supply.

 

[Cara83]

I thought chickens just sleep when the lights go out, but I was very surprised, after putting in a camera to watch them at night. They don’t sleep the whole time. Sometimes they pick on the bird next to them, trying to get under them, or pulling feathers, or pecking-if they are in close quarters. They use their beak to peck the roost board so they know where they can walk next, if they can’t actually see it. They preen, they stand and stretch. Just because it’s dark doesn’t mean they are not doing things. They are limited because it’s dark, but they aren’t just sitting quiet, sleeping.
Along with that, they still breathe and poop at night, creating the need for much ventilation-more than pre-fabs supply.

Well they sell hundreds and I'm pretty sure the chickens are fine and some live in much worse conditions I'm not doing anything wrong and I don't appreciate being bullied on here

 

[demonic]

I have had so many issues with raising chickens, I have had mites and coccidiosis and had to lay a few to rest, whilst some just died. They are now 8 weeks old and outside the past 2 weeks.
They are becoming way more work than I anticipated.
The smell, the flies and the poo everywhere is getting to much for me. Why do people say they are easy??
I worry about them in the wet weather also.
I live in town and whilst I'm allowed 7 chickens by council, I only have 5 and they have a mobile chook tractor, I can move around the yard.
I worry about my neighbours complaining about the smell and flies.
I hose down each day and move them but they just go back to where they used to be and cry, so the area dosent get a break.
Today I got garden lime and moved them to the other side of the house in hopes of that area being less smelly and get rid of the flies.
I clean out the roosting area every few days and use wood shavings or hemp bedding.
Am I doing something wrong?
It's really getting overwhelming for me.

Chickens are easy- once you get the hang of them. I know from experience . I got my first chickens July of 2020. I felt similar to you and have lost so many chickens and lost my entire first batch of chickens except 2. I presume you are a first time chicken owner. The only thing you can do is learn from their deaths. What went wrong? How to avoid this next time? Buy medicines beforehand like Coci and dewormer and even mice and lice spray. Do research and look at forums on here to learn what symptoms are equivalent to what disease or problem. Now, chickens are very easy and I haven’t had any deaths in a long time. It’s a learning experience.

 

[mamajos]

I don’t think most here are bullying you. I see information being given, to help you decide what to do. I certainly wasn’t doing anything other than letting you know what I have learned. All those things, help make raising chickens easier. I do hope these ideas help you.

 

[aart]

I don’t think most here are bullying you. I see information being given, to help you decide what to do.

Correct.

I certainly wasn’t doing anything other than letting you know what I have learned. All those things, help make raising chickens easier. I do hope these ideas help you.

Your post was good.

 

[lomine]

The problems you are having are directly correlated to your husbandry practices. Compared to many other livestock animals, chickens are easy keepers; but there are some basic principles that need to be followed. You don't have the right setup and practices, it's as simple as that. Are you a terrible chicken owner or person because your chickens had mites or there's lots of flies? Absolutely not! These are typical problems that many of us face. However, you are dealing with them one after another so you're getting overwhelmed. That's understandable.

It sounds like you are limited in what you can change because you're renting. Reducing the number of birds may help and I think that would be a good first step. Pick your favorite three and sell the rest. Then give it a little time and see if things get better. If they don't, sell everything (birds, coop, supplies, etc) as a package deal and be done with it. Keeping backyard chickens should be (mostly) fun but like I said before, they aren't for everyone. You could try again later or you could never get chickens again. Do what's best for you and don't feel guilty about it.

 

[Lizzy733]

You are aware chickens tend to de-veg lawns, correct? If not from scratching, it will be from the ammonia in their poop.

My flock - at peak 6 hens - has a run which is 5x6 meters in size. There is no grass. It took them a little longer to deveg it, but deveg they have.

Do you have approval from your landlord to keep chickens? Are they aware the damage it will do your freshly turfed back yard?

Chicken keeping in confined spaces does require a lot more micro-management and as many have said, prefab coups are not appropriate for the volume if chooks being used to house them. They would make a nice rabbit or quail run, but even bantam breeds would struggle in that sort if condition. They do sell, yes, and often end up repurposed as broody or integration pens when the purchaser realises they are not fit for purpose.

I would strongly recommend investing in a compost bin to manage faeces, providing adequate shelter in their free range area (such as low-lying shrubs, shaded areas, and climbing frames) and a dust bathing area - a kids sand pit would be ideal. Dust bathing is necessary to control external parasites - without the opportunity to dust bathe, mites can quickly get out of control.

Coccidia is a killer in young chicks with no immunity and is present in their environment. This is what medicated chick starter is good for. It keeps coccidia numbers in check while allowing the chicks to be exposed to and develop a resistance to this harmful protozoa.

The breeds you are raising should also be considered. Some are not suited for confinement, while others may be less prone to scratch up turf or produce less poop.

While chickens are pretty much lvl 1 livestock, that does not make them easy... they are merely more accessible and losses are less costly financially(but emotionally very draining if you're attached). They can be every bit as complex as keeping a horse or other flocking herd like sheep. Most people (aside from us crazy loons on here) just choose not to go that deep into poultry husbandry.

Yes, you can keep a dog alive by throwing it in a backyard with food, shelter and water, but that's not where dog husbandry ends for most people and is likely to cause major behavioral issues on top of other things. It's the same with chickens.

 

[CoconutCoffee]

Mites and coccidiosis are common problems with chicken keeping. Some people are lucky and rarely have to deal with them while for others it's a constant battle.
Some observations. They are not meant to be taken as criticism, more as a view from the chickens perspective.

I imagine myself as one of your pullets standing on the steps and looking over the fence at all that greenery with trees and shrubs for cover and interest. I would be thinkiing that there are probably some great patches of bare ground over there were I can dig a big hole and search for worms and grubs. I think I would make another patch for a dust bath and then go and doze under a large bush were I felt safe fromm predators.
What I am trying to say in the kindest way possible is if I was a chicken I wouldn't want to llive in your yard. It's far too tidy and bare of interesting things.
It is unfortunate the impression people get regarding the keeping of chickens.
They are not easy to keep if one is mindfull of the environment chickens would choose to live in.
If you are fussy about having your plants the right way up, a spotless lawn and patio chickens may not be the ideal creature for you to keep.
While still a bit on the tidy side the pitures below are a fair representation of the kind of landscape chickens view as a lovely garden.View attachment 2891665View attachment 2891666

I've honestly never thought about it like this. I've primarily free ranged until recently and want to give them more things to do in their run so I'm planning to get more shrubs and stuff for them. Never had much going in the yard except a crape myrtle by the coop for shade.

 

[MTKitty]

I've honestly never thought about it like this. I've primarily free ranged until recently and want to give them more things to do in their run so I'm planning to get more shrubs and stuff for them. Never had much going in the yard except a crape myrtle by the coop for shade.

Purely by accident of placement, my chicken yard has a couple of sage brushes and a skunk sumac in it. The biggest sage and the sumac are in the same general location. That’s where my guys hang out. It’s the first place they run to if the emergency hawk sighting call goes out.

I’m hoping next year to have my fence guy out to put another fence outside the one I put in. That will nearly double their yard space and pick up the juniper with a roughly six foot spread in their area. I can’t wait to see what they make of that giant shrub.

All that said, no matter how different the environment is from their ancestral jungles, they don’t change their preferences much.

 

[Lizzy733]

Purely by accident of placement, my chicken yard has a couple of sage brushes and a skunk sumac in it. The biggest sage and the sumac are in the same general location. That’s where my guys hang out. It’s the first place they run to if the emergency hawk sighting call goes out.

I’m hoping next year to have my fence guy out to put another fence outside the one I put in. That will nearly double their yard space and pick up the juniper with a roughly six foot spread in their area. I can’t wait to see what they make of that giant shrub.

All that said, no matter how different the environment is from their ancestral jungles, they don’t change their preferences much.

I've had success with lavender in my run. (Tho Kaka Beak's my favorite run cover, but unlikely available outside of NZ) Lavender is supposed to keep pest insects at bay, but since I put it in when starting the flock, I can't say whether it has or hasn't done any good.

Rule of thumb when starting new plants in the run, always cloche it for a year or so to let it get fully established.

Chickens will rip up the roots looking for bugs otherwise. Loose soil seems to attract them like flies.