Chicken Keeping Secrets

“I have had my 16 hens for a year now, and have not had a problem until this summer. They are pecking each others’ feathers out. My hens are a variety of Rhode Island Reds, Orpingtons, Australorps, Wyandottes, and Leghorns (I wanted color!). I feed a complete crumble, plenty of water and roosting space, they are let out of their pen every evening for a couple hours before sunset.

I was told I needed a rooster to calm the hens down, so a got a real nice brahma rooster, but that didn’t make any difference. They lay nice eggs averaging about 12 to 14 a day. They started out pecking the feathers around their rear ends, then the backs, and some even on the heads, they look terrible. Any ideas what could help? Thanks for any advice!” ~ Pat

Hi Pat,

I’m sorry you’re having problems with feather pecking this summer but I’m glad you wrote because I have a couple of ideas for you.

There are a few possibilities behind this behavior.

Limited space can cause stress and therefore, aggressive behavior.

You didn’t mention how much space is available to your flock while they are confined so I’ll share some parameters for that and you can determine if it might be part of the problem.

A fully confined flock requires 5-8 square feet per bird within the coop.

A flock that is free ranged all day requires at least 4 square feet per bird of coop space.

Because your flock experiences a combination of free range and confinement, they would appreciate at least 5-6 square feet per bird within the coop.

Since your flock is confined for most of its waking hours, I’d suggest using a guideline of 8-12 square feet per bird within the run.

If your set up is within the above guidelines, boredom might be part of the problem.

I don’t know if you have children but I do know that if I want to guarantee bickering amongst my children, all I have to do is help them achieve boredom. (more…)

“First of all I would like to say how much I like the newsletter. I look forward to receiving it. I have about eight chickens in my garden, the coop will have a covered run of eighteen feet long by six feet wide and six foot six high.

The problem I have is that near to my garden is a massive oak tree which drops a lot of acorns. I know the coop and run will be covered, but have I got to make sure no acorns get into the run? I hope to hear from you soon.” ~ Graham in Essex England.

Hi Graham,

I’m glad you wrote and you are right to be concerned about the oak tree.

You would absolutely need to make sure your chickens do not eat any dropped acorns.

Oak leaves as well as acorns can be toxic to chickens and as chickens are very curious eaters, you can’t assume that they will know to keep away from them.

Chickens will eat most anything!

This would include screws, Styrofoam, most anything so everyone LISTEN – make sure your chickens have an area that is completely free from anything they should not ingest.

When it comes to plants though, I know that personally I tend to not be quite as vigilant.

Especially if it is a plant that I’ve planted in my garden. (more…)

“My mom and I are just starting to raise chickens. I’m 15 years old and I’ve always been interested in animals so I’m happy to try my hand with chickens. I’ve heard the phrase “chicken hospital” before and I’m not sure what it means. The man I was talking to said that I would need one to separate my chickens. What is it and where do I get one?” ~ Carlton Michaels, California

Hi Carlton,

I’m happy to hear that you and your mom are starting this new adventure.

I’m assuming that the gentlemen you were talking to was referring to a place you can keep an injured or ill chicken separated from the rest of your flock. In back issues I’ve referred to this space as a chicken infirmary.

Here’s the point, if you have a chicken that seems to be ill but you don’t know what is wrong and you’re not sure if it has something contagious to the rest of the flock, you’ll want to separate that chicken from the others as soon as possible.

The time to prepare your chicken infirmary is before you need it. (more…)

“Hi Wendy, Do roosters go through a period of molting? I have a beautiful Blue Lace Windot rooster that has lost his tail feathers first and then lots of feathers on his head and neck. I put no-pick lotion on him. No luck. He still is losing feathers. I have examined him for mites and cannot see any. I have six Red Sexed hens and they have no problem. I have separated him from the flock until I can see that he quits losing feathers. Do you have any suggestions?” ~ Harvey Sheppard.

Hi Harvey, thanks for the question.

Yes, roosters do go through a period of molting just as hens do.

If you had said that your rooster had just lost his tail feathers, my assumption would be that he got them caught in something or that he had had an encounter with a predator. Tail feathers come out rather easily.

Because he is loosing feathers on his head and neck, I feel pretty confident that this is just a natural molt.

The possibility of mites was an excellent concern on your part as mites can indeed cause feather loss. (more…)

“Hi There. I am a big fan of your weekly newsletter and find it very informative, keep doing what you are doing its fantastic! I have just a little flock of free range chickens, of which I have had for four months. They have settled into life very well and we have a good yield of eggs on a weekly basis.

However I am a little concerned that one of the chickens seems to have a deformed beak, its lower beak is longer than the upper beak. I have been watching it closely this past week to check that it is eating and drink well and it is. Do I leave things as they are or should I take it to my local vet? Your help is very much appreciated. Kind regards” ~ Liz Mackie

Liz, thanks for the question.

If your flock was dependent completely on commercial feed, I wouldn’t hesitate to tell you not to worry about it. The reason being that you’ve confirmed that your chicken can, and is, eating and drinking.

My concern came into play when you mentioned that they are free ranged and I wonder how much of their diet is dependent upon forage.

Bugs provide protein and it’s awfully tough to catch a squirmy bug if your beak doesn’t line up. Okay, I don’t personally know this but it stands to reason. (more…)