mamasnowwolf
Chirping
- Feb 23, 2021
- 51
- 27
- 93
Hi all. We are new to chicken keeping and have been doing so for about 1 year. We inherited a coop and 2, very pretty 6 year old chickens. To add to our flock, we bought 2 Rhode Island Red pullets a year ago. Last July, we rescued a 5 month old RIR cockerel from a city neighborhood who could no longer keep him due to the noise he made. In December of 2020, he died. I won't say it was sudden, but I will say it was odd. One day, he wouldn't come out of the coop. A quick look inside told me he "looked" healthy and I didn't really give it another thought. To be honest, I can't even tell you how long between that day and his death, but it couldn't have been more than two weeks. My son (they are ultimately his responsibility) didn't tell me of any other concerns so I figured the rooster was good. Being December, I was busy and I still hate myself for not looking in the coop more than the one time.
Last month, we met a wonderful breeder who gave us another RIR to help grow our flock. A beautiful rooster who just celebrated his one year birthday. He weighs about 9 pounds and a sweet boy. He Doesn't seem to mind being caught and carried around (something required for showing birds for 4-H) We are trying to train him, so for now, it's just him getting use to being handled.
We keep the coop clean removing poop once a week and cleaning it out completely about once a month. This is an old coop that has room for about 10 birds. 4 nest boxes and 2 roosting bars. There isn't much for ventilation, something I discovered we needed last fall. We neglected to get proper ventilation installed so we put a small heater in the coop to help prevent frost bite. We only turn it on if it dips below freezing. The older birds really seem to love it and huddle near it. This is a flat panel that produces warmth, but it's not hot to the touch and is not supposed to cause fires. It is not a heat lamp.
Today, the rooster did not come out of the coop. It had been a while since I've visited the birds due to a cold snap I think we all suffered. My son has kept up with the food and water, but, to prevent the coop from cooling off, hasn't spent much time with the birds either. I was out there yesterday to fill up the feeder. The rooster was out with the girls scratching and clucking. Acting like a rooster. We all thought it odd that the rooster did not leave the coop today. I tossed in a couple of apple slices, he didn't seem to interested. I managed to catch him to take a good look at him. It appears that he has a bit of frost bite on the top of his comb and the bottom of his waddle. There was one night the heater lost power and it got cold enough for a thin layer of ice to form on the water dish. That was Thursday I believe. I got pictures of his waddle, beak, eye, and legs. Plus I have a couple of nice pictures of him out walking along. His tail wasn't exactly up in the air like it has been, but this is the first non-windy day we've had in a long time. Forst chance I've gotten to really see him without his feathers blown all over the place.
My question is, what should I look for? He does appear to peck at the apple slices and I thought he even took a couple of bites. He seems to have energy. Clear eyes, he's up and moving around, hard to catch. It took the two of us to corner him. What should I be aware of? when is it time to have him checked out?
I should also note that after the death of the last rooster, we did a full clean on the coop taking everything out. Perhaps there was something else we should have done.
Last month, we met a wonderful breeder who gave us another RIR to help grow our flock. A beautiful rooster who just celebrated his one year birthday. He weighs about 9 pounds and a sweet boy. He Doesn't seem to mind being caught and carried around (something required for showing birds for 4-H) We are trying to train him, so for now, it's just him getting use to being handled.
We keep the coop clean removing poop once a week and cleaning it out completely about once a month. This is an old coop that has room for about 10 birds. 4 nest boxes and 2 roosting bars. There isn't much for ventilation, something I discovered we needed last fall. We neglected to get proper ventilation installed so we put a small heater in the coop to help prevent frost bite. We only turn it on if it dips below freezing. The older birds really seem to love it and huddle near it. This is a flat panel that produces warmth, but it's not hot to the touch and is not supposed to cause fires. It is not a heat lamp.
Today, the rooster did not come out of the coop. It had been a while since I've visited the birds due to a cold snap I think we all suffered. My son has kept up with the food and water, but, to prevent the coop from cooling off, hasn't spent much time with the birds either. I was out there yesterday to fill up the feeder. The rooster was out with the girls scratching and clucking. Acting like a rooster. We all thought it odd that the rooster did not leave the coop today. I tossed in a couple of apple slices, he didn't seem to interested. I managed to catch him to take a good look at him. It appears that he has a bit of frost bite on the top of his comb and the bottom of his waddle. There was one night the heater lost power and it got cold enough for a thin layer of ice to form on the water dish. That was Thursday I believe. I got pictures of his waddle, beak, eye, and legs. Plus I have a couple of nice pictures of him out walking along. His tail wasn't exactly up in the air like it has been, but this is the first non-windy day we've had in a long time. Forst chance I've gotten to really see him without his feathers blown all over the place.
My question is, what should I look for? He does appear to peck at the apple slices and I thought he even took a couple of bites. He seems to have energy. Clear eyes, he's up and moving around, hard to catch. It took the two of us to corner him. What should I be aware of? when is it time to have him checked out?
I should also note that after the death of the last rooster, we did a full clean on the coop taking everything out. Perhaps there was something else we should have done.
