The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[TeaChick]

Asking for input/advice about feather-picking. I'm not sure if there is really anything else I can do. The leghorns (top of the order) are not missing any feathers, yet. They started with the bottom Barred Rock, progressed to the next in line and just recently started on the Wyandotte. I don't know if it's one culprit or everybody's in on it, or it's self-inflicted.

They get about a 1/4 to 1/2 cup of meat of some sort every other day or two, one scrambled egg every great now & then, red wigglers less often, yogurt about the same as eggs.

They have leafy greens of some kind fairly often in a suet cage to peck at, a cabbage "piñata," a "scratch dispenser" from Bulldogma's blog, and a little dried meal worms/scratch/BOSS in the deep litter every day--to have something to do. They are in a 10x20 foot coop & run combo. Today is the first time since we got deep snow that I have put out a path of leaves and let them out into their "play pen" which is about 20x30 around the side of the coop/run.

I have inspected every one of the five and see absolutely no evidence of bugs--no eggs, no crawlies, nothing. I even looked at 11pm with a magnifying glass and nothing. They scratch & preen, but not over much. I'm thinking it's protein/boredom. I work Mon-Fri and feed/water them at about 6:30a and give them whatever extra they're due for and then gather eggs & check them out at 5:30p when I get home. On weekends, I go out there several times a day with things to eat & to do.

Here are some pictures. Any suggestions are welcome.

No help here, but you have pretty chickens.

I want stripey chickens too.

 

[mlowen]

I was asking about this a while back....I have two that are untouched...three that are barely touched...and one that is picked on the most.....I have been doing many of the things that you are doing. There is no more that I can do for them. I did know who was the main "picker" and I took her out of the coop for a couple of days and then added her back in before bed (while she was out I put some no-pick stuff on the hen that was picked the most that I picked up from Rural King-- might of helped....it's smell is tea tree oil.... I wonder if you could just use that alone?!? She is still bossy but I haven't noticed her picking as much. Now-- when they do it they are doing it to get the others out of their way on the roosting bars. I have finally discovered what is the "desired" spot-- and they will get aggressive over obtaining it. A few days ago I added a infrared baby video monitor to the coop so that I could see them when they do not know I am there-- I did not have to purchase one-- we had one for our boys-- I would not have purchased one. I tremendously enjoy watching them though and seeing who is doing what. Long after dark they are still moving around on the roosts on most nights... they settle for a while and then decide they want a "higher" position and they get at each other. I really wish that I could offer more advice. I did think that it helped when I first put my aggressive hen back in she went to get real bossy to another hen and I gently pushed her back down to the submissive position so I was her "alpha" -- she did seem to pipe down a little after that but still roosted in position 3 that night out of 6.

I wondered today if Blue Kote would do anything...I think I'll spray the favorite areas on the three with it tonight & see if that lowers the desirability any.

 

[Scott H]

How much light is in the coop?

 

[Leahs Mom]

Speaking of ear color and egg color. My new pullet (Marigold) is Buff Orpington x SLW. Her earlobes are red around the outside and white on the inside, like of a circle (sort of). Anyway, I wondered if that meant anything? Maybe she'll lay bullseye colored eggs.

That's what I'm thinkin'

 

[mlowen]

How much light is in the coop?

The southern side of the coop has a 2x3 window (covered with clear plexiglass) the eastern has same plus little window in top of door. North wall just has vent at the top, under the eaves. West wall is against the run. Run South side is 14x8 all hardware cloth, now covered with "clear" plastic sheeting, West side same (8 ft goes down to 6 ft) and the North side same but 14x6, also covered with plastic. The whole thing is roofed. You can see it at "my coop" link.

That is...if you were talking to me. If not, ...nevermind....

 

[Scott H]

Quote:
I was! This may be a little simplistic but if you took away all or enough light to see in there after they got on their roosts they wouldn't fight for position or even be able to see to move til daylight.

 

[Jewelwing]

Everyone raises their hens the best way they believe in.

I live near buffalo,ny. We are know for cold & snow. My girls have never had heat even when the temps were -30 last week. I put in extra hay for them and hang plastic down from the roof of the coop as a wind block. To bad they roosted on the wrong side of the plastic

. Regardless they had no complication. Mrs green has a tiny bit of frostbite on the tip of her comb. I only saw it because she got close to me a couple days ago. That's it. They were all outside in those nasty temps to go btw their coop and old covered run. My girls are in a hoop coop. Lots of air movement in there and the cold is def insulated out of the coop lol

Today it rained all day & they were out in it. Still no heat. They preen and dry out some. The temp here now is 37 but it's going to drop overnight. I have no doubt they will be fine. Their feather protect them from rain and snow. Much like a ducks feather I believe.

I don't heat the coop because I want birds that can survive our temps. And if we lose power I don't have to worry about losing hens that are not used to cold weather. That's why I don't lock them in the coop either on cold days. If they want to go out in it it's their choice. Even tho I think they are nuts when they are out in torrential rains

Yeah, I don't like the idea of heating them either. I don't even have electricity to the coop, and wasn't planning on using any heat during the winters. But then we got that incredible cold a month ago, where the low suddenly dropped 20 degrees lower than it had been this winter yet. That didn't give the chickens any time to acclimate, so I bought a heat lamp and ran an extension cord down to the coop.

Then yesterday, I saw them walking in puddles and their feathers were soaked. Knowing they wouldn't dry off before it got to low 20's overnight, and knowing they get frostbite on wattles & comb when they're wet, I thought it would be a good idea to give them some heat. It was freezing rain at the time, and it ended up precipitating past 2am, so the air was really humid too, making drying off feathers difficult. I don't want to lose any more chickens - it was hard enough to lose Ethel last week! So I didn't want to stress them like that.

I think I made the right decision for last night, and all the girls are dry and happy this morning. I propped the people door open so they could get some more air circulation, since they're staying in the coop because of the scary snow that came after the freezing rain last night.

 

[mlowen]

I was! This may be a little simplistic but if you took away all or enough light to see in there after they got on their roosts they wouldn't fight for position or even be able to see to move til daylight.

There is a wall with a people door (and a pop door in it) between "coop" and "run." It's only 6 feet high, so there is some light through there...but only when it's really daylight. I have been shutting the big door at night (and sometimes all day) and leaving the chicken door open, to keep the breezes down. It's pretty dark in the coop, once the sun starts going down. There are some tall trees across the street in the neighbors yards and behind that screen the sun before it's actually down. (This is Maine...trees, trees, and more trees!)
Great thought, though. I would love to get a camera in there & see just what they are doing in the night. It also may be happening during their "nap" times. They like to roost & doze in the afternoons, too.

 

[CourtsCacklers]

I was! This may be a little simplistic but if you took away all or enough light to see in there after they got on their roosts they wouldn't fight for position or even be able to see to move til daylight.

even with the light off in my coop...they still are moving around at night... I just recently started watching them but maybe it is because I had one out for a couple days and just added her back in. They have been acting funny over the nesting boxes too-- in--out--in--out--in--out. It is a power struggle! These girls.....crazy they are!!!!

(mine do have one window but this is after dark and there are no lights by that window.... hmmmm.... the interesting thing you see when you watch chickens at night... I don't mean to sound like they are busy all night....that isn't the case at all but we might start out with 3 on the bottom roost and within a couple hours-- there are only 2 on the bottom roost. They do it quietly but they are doing it.... My girls just never had an blatantly obvious "pecking order" until they have been more confined in the coop/run.... it has definitely brought out the worst of their personalities and since they are just hatchery chicks...obviously it hasn't been bred out of them like everyone talks about....

 

[Leahs Mom]

WTHeck...why listen to a groundhog.....

.......... when you can listen to these kiddos?


THESE KIDDOS ARE SAYING THAT SPRING IS COMING!!!!


Here are the 22 week olds today. (2 BA/SFH mix; 1 SFH)


At least 2 of these girls started laying this week.



In this carton...for size comparison...
Left rear is a 2 yo Hatchery RIR egg; Front right is a 2 yo Hatchery BR egg. All the others are the pullet eggs.




Front left: BR egg then 2 pullet eggs for size. In carton are 2 pullet eggs.