- Mar 1, 2012
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Hey there folks, I am new to raising chickens, and am feeling a bit like maybe I got in over my head!
I purchased 10 full grown chickens (about1 and 1/2 yrs old) and have had them now for about 1 month. One of them has had a poopy butt since we got her. (All the other girls butts are clean, but all the poop is clinging to hers, and it kind of looks like she is pooping a little bit all the time...)
Also it seems that essentially overnight a different chicken has lost practically ALL of her feathers from her underside--(Almost like she has a mohawk. One nice stripe down the center, and patches in other places)
Two others are losing feathers on the top of the head-they are bald on top but have the rest of their feathers.
I have discovered not one, but a whole mess of them have gotten into eating their own eggs!
Listening to the sound they make they son't SOUND like happy chickens, they sound like they are crying!!
Here is there habitat:
They have a run that is 25 x25 ft. mostly dirt, but some grass-that is now dead grass- and there have been some pretty muddy days. It is February is WASHINGTON afterall.
Inside their laying area they have 2 4 ft. poles to sleep on.
They have 4 ft of laying area- BUT they all seem to only lay in one place, and they keep pooping in the rest of the laying area?? I have been changing the hay in there regularly, but still they are pooping all over it.
They are being fed organic pellets, plus our compost (minus citrus, avocado, coffee and chocolate)
I went down to the beach and collected about 10lbs of oyster and clam shells and broke them up a bit for them to peck at.
I change their water everyday.
WHAT AM I DOING WRONG! They were all doing fine when we got them!
Thanks
Miri
I purchased 10 full grown chickens (about1 and 1/2 yrs old) and have had them now for about 1 month. One of them has had a poopy butt since we got her. (All the other girls butts are clean, but all the poop is clinging to hers, and it kind of looks like she is pooping a little bit all the time...)
Also it seems that essentially overnight a different chicken has lost practically ALL of her feathers from her underside--(Almost like she has a mohawk. One nice stripe down the center, and patches in other places)
Two others are losing feathers on the top of the head-they are bald on top but have the rest of their feathers.
I have discovered not one, but a whole mess of them have gotten into eating their own eggs!
Listening to the sound they make they son't SOUND like happy chickens, they sound like they are crying!!
Here is there habitat:
They have a run that is 25 x25 ft. mostly dirt, but some grass-that is now dead grass- and there have been some pretty muddy days. It is February is WASHINGTON afterall.
Inside their laying area they have 2 4 ft. poles to sleep on.
They have 4 ft of laying area- BUT they all seem to only lay in one place, and they keep pooping in the rest of the laying area?? I have been changing the hay in there regularly, but still they are pooping all over it.
They are being fed organic pellets, plus our compost (minus citrus, avocado, coffee and chocolate)
I went down to the beach and collected about 10lbs of oyster and clam shells and broke them up a bit for them to peck at.
I change their water everyday.
WHAT AM I DOING WRONG! They were all doing fine when we got them!
Thanks
Miri