Hello folks... I thought I d share a couple photos of some hens Im working with... I have been following this post and the FF post and have gained so much knowledge and benefit. I use FF now with many of my critters and have amazing results. I have 2 seperate coops of laying hens. I adopted the one flock of mostly older girls and a Roo in the spring. The Pics of the ones below are ones I have raised from chicks.. They are 18 months old and are going through and finishing their very first Molt.... I have been getting more and more worried about this group because to me they look very different from the other flock... They are smaller, they pick at one another, they are always hungry. I know they are suppose to look worse during a molt but to me I just feel they look to small for their age??? I keep worrying that I am missing something or doing it wrong. So heres what I am doing.
First of all a word about their behavior... They are very chatty friendly girls, They roost very well, they all lay eggs . There are 11 hens and I daily get 8 to 11 eggs.. The shells on the eggs are hard, smooth and look good. My laying flocks are kept in "Summer Pens" from late spring to the rain starts here. They are let out every day to Free Range and we have 20 acres of land that they can scratch around in. They run, flap their wings, role in the garden dirt. work my compost and are generally always busy..
Eyes, Beaks etc are clear.
Poops are formed and color looks normal.
I free feed them a layer Mix with 16% Protien.. they also get Fermented Grains about every other day. It depends on how much produce I have to give them from the garden and kitchen.
They also get BOSS as a treat tossed in their kennel. Usually when I dont have scraps or if I need to put them away before their usual time
Now as for the girls that are pecked and have feather damage.... A friend of mine had 3 hens 2 RR and the little black one in the pic. They are about the same age as mine and she needed a home for them. I took them.. Did everything I was told to Introduce them to the flock gradually over about a months time. I finally put them together and after 3 days. The origanal girls attacked and killed one of the hens.. they badly attacked the other 2. Quite honestly I probably should have culled them after the attack. But I was new to chickens and felt responsible. So i nursed them back... It took a Very Long time... Now before this I had had NO PICKING issues in the flock. After the attack and I had removed the survivors the origanol girls kept picking at each other... The Barred Rocks seemed to be the most aggressive.. This went on for quite awhile and I was ready to give up chicken keeping all together, because they just wouldnt be nice to each other. Thats when my hubby brought home the abandoned flock of 17 birds.... they of course had a seperate pen and house. I noticed over time that the Roo in this group did not allow disorder among his ladies... So after about 2 months of watching I took the 3 worst offending girls and joined them to his flock... It didnt take long and he had them in shape
However I am left with these tailess and featherless girls that dont seem to want to heal. Which leaves me concerned.
Heres what Ive done... I did treat everyone for mites over the summer because I was told the picking could be due to them having bugs.
If they had open wounds I removed them and treated them until healed over.. then I used Blu Cote and No Peck by Rooster Booster to cover them.. Most have healed and are regrowing feathers.
Except for the last 2 in the pics.. Thats "Tails" ( the one with no tail) and "Baby".... the worst hurt of the bunch. I treat her every couple days with Aloe, Vitamin E oil, and I keep BluCote on her. She has only been allowed back with the flock for about 2 months... She has gained weight since then is seems happier, But Im worried about her healing. She is the one that I probably should have culled after the attack.. See the entire exsposed area you see in the picture was one big open wound and I could see and touch her bones... like her skin had been peeled off... She was in shock and her comb was white and eyes a mess when I found her... I actually thought she was dead until I picked her limp body up. Needless to say I spent A LOT of time cleaning and tending to her wounds and feeding her and supplementing her back to look like a chicken.
So Ok that should give you some information and idea of what I am doing and have done. Like I said I still just feel like Im doing something wrong with these girls.. Mostly because they look so much smaller than the older ones I have in my other flock. Im kinda at the end of my knowledge as to what to do.. I have been told to worm them every 6 months. I really dont want to use medications etc... if its not needed. The farm I live on is 3rd generation to my family.. and my Mother often points out to me that in all the years she has been on this farm "They NEVER had to fuss so much with the animals or give medications. She adds.. "And they were all healthy critters and us kids and you kids were healthy and lived just fine!!"
So you wont hurt my feelings. I posted here because I want to learn and know what I am doing wrong and how I can improve
First of all a word about their behavior... They are very chatty friendly girls, They roost very well, they all lay eggs . There are 11 hens and I daily get 8 to 11 eggs.. The shells on the eggs are hard, smooth and look good. My laying flocks are kept in "Summer Pens" from late spring to the rain starts here. They are let out every day to Free Range and we have 20 acres of land that they can scratch around in. They run, flap their wings, role in the garden dirt. work my compost and are generally always busy..
Eyes, Beaks etc are clear.
Poops are formed and color looks normal.
I free feed them a layer Mix with 16% Protien.. they also get Fermented Grains about every other day. It depends on how much produce I have to give them from the garden and kitchen.
They also get BOSS as a treat tossed in their kennel. Usually when I dont have scraps or if I need to put them away before their usual time
Now as for the girls that are pecked and have feather damage.... A friend of mine had 3 hens 2 RR and the little black one in the pic. They are about the same age as mine and she needed a home for them. I took them.. Did everything I was told to Introduce them to the flock gradually over about a months time. I finally put them together and after 3 days. The origanal girls attacked and killed one of the hens.. they badly attacked the other 2. Quite honestly I probably should have culled them after the attack. But I was new to chickens and felt responsible. So i nursed them back... It took a Very Long time... Now before this I had had NO PICKING issues in the flock. After the attack and I had removed the survivors the origanol girls kept picking at each other... The Barred Rocks seemed to be the most aggressive.. This went on for quite awhile and I was ready to give up chicken keeping all together, because they just wouldnt be nice to each other. Thats when my hubby brought home the abandoned flock of 17 birds.... they of course had a seperate pen and house. I noticed over time that the Roo in this group did not allow disorder among his ladies... So after about 2 months of watching I took the 3 worst offending girls and joined them to his flock... It didnt take long and he had them in shape
However I am left with these tailess and featherless girls that dont seem to want to heal. Which leaves me concerned.
Heres what Ive done... I did treat everyone for mites over the summer because I was told the picking could be due to them having bugs.
If they had open wounds I removed them and treated them until healed over.. then I used Blu Cote and No Peck by Rooster Booster to cover them.. Most have healed and are regrowing feathers.
Except for the last 2 in the pics.. Thats "Tails" ( the one with no tail) and "Baby".... the worst hurt of the bunch. I treat her every couple days with Aloe, Vitamin E oil, and I keep BluCote on her. She has only been allowed back with the flock for about 2 months... She has gained weight since then is seems happier, But Im worried about her healing. She is the one that I probably should have culled after the attack.. See the entire exsposed area you see in the picture was one big open wound and I could see and touch her bones... like her skin had been peeled off... She was in shock and her comb was white and eyes a mess when I found her... I actually thought she was dead until I picked her limp body up. Needless to say I spent A LOT of time cleaning and tending to her wounds and feeding her and supplementing her back to look like a chicken.
So Ok that should give you some information and idea of what I am doing and have done. Like I said I still just feel like Im doing something wrong with these girls.. Mostly because they look so much smaller than the older ones I have in my other flock. Im kinda at the end of my knowledge as to what to do.. I have been told to worm them every 6 months. I really dont want to use medications etc... if its not needed. The farm I live on is 3rd generation to my family.. and my Mother often points out to me that in all the years she has been on this farm "They NEVER had to fuss so much with the animals or give medications. She adds.. "And they were all healthy critters and us kids and you kids were healthy and lived just fine!!"
So you wont hurt my feelings. I posted here because I want to learn and know what I am doing wrong and how I can improve
