WINTER QUESTIONS from new-ish mom!

[FirstTimeChickenMama]

Our inherited flock’s been with us since September. No issues whatsoever (even tho they went from free-ranging to a 50 foot enclosed run) until this morning I saw they all (6 of them) have varying degrees of black spots on their combs. Everyone is seemingly normal, but we did just add a heat lamp to their coop at night because of the Pennsylvania weather has dropped at night. I also have been doing my best with the “deep bedding” concept. Is it just bullying? Illness?? There are too many theories for me to confidently diagnose!

 

[DobieLover]

Hello and welcome to BYC! Glad you joined.
Lose the heat lamp.
Those are pecking wounds. What is in the run for them to do? How large is your coop?

 

[Meg-in-MT]

Hello! Welcome to BYC!! I agree with @DobieLover.

 

[sourland]

Hello, and welcome to BYC. I, too, agree with @DobieLover .

 

[FirstTimeChickenMama]

They hate the snow so they don’t venture too far out. And I’ll admit there isn’t a TON for them to do but it’s a 50 foot run so there’s a decent amount of room to roam. Any thoughts on what I should add? They have stumps and a Christmas tree lol - and thank you both, @DobieLover & @Meg-in-MT

 

[FirstTimeChickenMama]

Also, continue deep bedding? Is that bad for their health at all? And they do get lots of treats throughout the day. I give them straw bales to “go to work” on with black soldier fly larva thrown in for them to hunt around in the straw for.

 

[FirstTimeChickenMama]

Hello, and welcome to BYC. I, too, agree with @DobieLover .

Thank you!

 

[DobieLover]

They hate the snow so they don’t venture too far out. And I’ll admit there isn’t a TON for them to do but it’s a 50 foot run so there’s a decent amount of room to roam. Any thoughts on what I should add? They have stumps and a Christmas tree lol - and thank you both, @DobieLover & @Meg-in-MT

Put in some perches about 2 feet off the ground.
Lean some old pallets against the walls.
Put wood chips (if you can get them) on the ground for them to dig through.
Why did you stop free ranging them?
The chicken wire isn't going to keep any predator worth it's salt from getting at your birds.
Keep the treats to a minimum.
You might want to start another thread in the Coop and Run Forum and include pictures of your coop, inside and out. The deep bedding may or may not be okay depending on how well ventilated your coop is and how often you remove material. The coop needs to be kept as dry as possible.

 

[FirstTimeChickenMama]

Put in some perches about 2 feet off the ground.
Lean some old pallets against the walls.
Put wood chips (if you can get them) on the ground for them to dig through.
Why did you stop free ranging them?
The chicken wire isn't going to keep any predator worth it's salt from getting at your birds.
Keep the treats to a minimum.
You might want to start another thread in the Coop and Run Forum and include pictures of your coop, inside and out. The deep bedding may or may not be okay depending on how well ventilated your coop is and how often you remove material. The coop needs to be kept as dry as possible.

Ok, great ideas. We had to stop because of where we live - they aren’t able to run free but containing them was an acceptable option. That’s why we built the biggest run we could. My husband also just noted that the coop is very, very dry (which is why we were nervous about the heat lamp but the weather gets down in single digits at night)

 

[DobieLover]

which is why we were nervous about the heat lamp but the weather gets down in single digits at night

My flock has experienced -23F and did fine
A tad bit of frostbite took the tips of my roosters comb and that's it.
You don't need the heat lamp. The risks far outweigh any benefits.