Would Love Some Advice....!

[cozycrestmom]

... It's cold here in Maine,Athere is plenty of snow on the ground, my 10 girls have a nice size run.. 16x24 which dh snowblows for them, and their coop is 7x10.. we have a flood light inside over the coop. I keep this on for about 12 hours, for egg production and warmth.. I think there is plenty of ventilation,, no official vents,, but there are plenty of places where air can come in and out...up high. We use mostly shavings, but I put hay in the nesting boxes which always winds up getting kicked out on to the floor, i just put more in and the hay winds up on the floor with the shavings... They have plenty of food hanging in the coop,, and a heated waterer. There are two perches the lenth of the coop, and plenty of room to perch on top of the nesting box section.. plus the 2x4 up close to the ceiling.. A couple of them like sitting up there
Now I have a little 12x12 door that I open up to the run ... We have been opening it up in the morning and shutting it in the evening... I don't think they go out much at all.. they go out first thing but every time I go out,,, they are mostly inside...
Should I just keep the door shut and keep them in.. I am so afraid of boredom, pecking, and cannibalism.... I already have a white leghorn with a comb that has little black spots on it and it bleeds a little every now and then.. and now I have a couple of chickens that look like they are molting or have the mange....! grrrrrrr... getting a little frustrated and a lot of worried..!
Any advice

 

[dawg53]

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I think you should keep opening the door in the morning and closing it in the evening. I recommend that you visually inspect them for lice and mites. Let's hope it's molt. It sounds like there's some picking going on, specifically on your white leghorn. You could put some Blu Kote on her comb, it will heal and disguise the wound and help deter picking. Blu Kote can be purchased at a feed store. Careful when using it, it's very runny and you dont want to get it in your hens eyes. You could also hang a head of cabbage in their run to encourage them to go outside or inside their house if it's that cold that they wont go out, it's up to you. Good luck.

 

[sharol]

On days that are dry (that's been half and half lately), I open the pop door and give them their morning treats outside in their largish run. They get mash made from layer pellets that they absolutely refuse to eat in pellet form (demand crumble - grrr) and some veggies with a little scratch and BOSS in the straw that is over the remnants of snow that I can't shovel.

Once they are out, they seem to stay out for a while. A few days ago it was 3 degrees and they were scratching around in the run all morning. They have a heatlamp in the coop (it kicks in at 20 degrees and off at 30 - the area near the heatlamp is usually about +10 the outside temp) and a full-spectrum light for 14 hours. They still seemed to prefer the run.

Maybe they are bored in the (very nice, roomy) coop and doing a bit of pecking. What have your temps been (cold is relative)? Unless the pop-door creates a serious draft, I'd leave it open and try to coax them out with some scratch on the ground or sunflower seeds, maybe. Maybe boost the protein with some cottage cheese or a little catfood if they are losing feathers for whatever reason.

Of course you can check for mites and lice and the usual suspects.

All that said, I'm so new at this that I really don't know the answer to your problem. I haven't seem any pecking yet, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed. Good luck and please post back and let us know what you decide.

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[cozycrestmom]

Thanks you guys, I really appreciate it... I have a few things to do I guess...