What the Peck?

Pecking. One of the hardest situations we have had to deal with so far while raising these birds. Poor Miss Cleo is getting the short end of the stick in this situation. Granted, the pecking order is a real thing as I have spoken on in previous posts. However, when there is blood involved you have to approach the situation differently.
   Cleo is at the bottom of the pecking order in our flock. She is also the largest hen which I find interesting. I have seen other hens peck at her and she tolerates it. I kept saying if you just stick up for yourself just once it will probably stop. Unfortunately, she does not understand what I am saying, ha-ha! Each time I would see it happen I would intervene, however, we are not around 24/7 to monitor them so
Cory and I had to go back to the drawing board.
  The feathers at the top of Cleo's tail are missing. This is a common place for hens to peck. I did quite a bit of research on this topic to understand why this is happening, how to fix it and how to prevent it going forward. A ton of other flocksters had pecking occur in the same area of their hens so we were not alone which is reassuring. At first I felt like we were doing something wrong. Do the girls not have enough food and water? Yes, plenty. Do they need more space? No, free range is their daily routine. Are they getting enough protein and nutrients? Yes! So what is it then? Time to test some different solutions out and wait to see which one sticks.
  We purchased a hen saddle for Cleo that lays across her back and covers up her tail so the hens can no longer see the bare skin and would hopefully stop pecking her. Honestly, it worked. She looked adorable and it was protecting her enough so she could heal and allow her feathers to grow back.
 Things were going great, until they weren't. One of our Rhode Island Reds has it out for Cleo. The reason why we still have not figured out. Cleo had the feathers of her under belly plucked out and it created a pretty big wound. I felt and still feel terrible that it happened. This poor girl cannot catch a break. We brought her inside, cleaned and disinfected the wound. We then sprayed Blu-Kote on it. An antiseptic spray that sanitizes the wound, stops the bleeding and helps the healing process. This stuff is the real deal.
 Cleo is currently separated from the other girls again and she will be for a few more weeks until her feathers grow back and her wound is fully healed. The re-introduction of her to the coop again will be a process. We need to make sure this issue does not keep happening. I am hopeful that the long time apart the hens will forget the situation and we will be good to go. Another option is to remove the bird who is causing the issues and let the flock develop a new pecking order with Cleo involved and then try adding the trouble maker back in. Potentially having that hen be at the bottom of the pecking order in a peaceful way. I have learned that sometimes raising chickens can have stressful situations and you have to test different scenarios out until something works. We just need to keep in mind that we will figure it out!

   

To Molt or not to Molt...

Once you chickens are over a year old they will begin to go through a phase called Molting. This is where their current feathers fall out and new feathers grow in. The entire process can vary per bird. It is said that your most prominent layers will molt the fastest as opposed to your infrequent layers they will molt the longest. This could vary from a few weeks to months depending on your hens.
  During this time there could be a significant decrease in egg production. Hens use a lot of effort and protein in their bodies to develop the new feathers and push them out to be full grown. Therefore, the protein they use to generate eggs is supplemented to complete the molting process. We have noticed that some hens, such as our White Leghorns continue to lay as they molt. My assumption is because they are such a fantastic egg laying breed that they are able to multi-task. Where as our Australorps are molting the hardest. They have been molting for months now and do not tell them I said this but, they have looked better. Poor girls!
  Molting typically starts from the neck and works its way down the body. You will not have a fully naked chickens running around. I chuckle just at the thought of that! But they will have bare spots. Our Australorps do not have many feathers on their neck. It looks incredibly strange, almost to the point where you think they are ill but I can assure you they are happy as can be!
   During the molting season we mix our feed with layer feed and feather fixer. The laying feed will help give them the calcium and other nutrients they need for their laying and the feather fixer will increase their protein consumption to help them grow new feathers.
 In an effort to make sure their protein levels stay high, every few days I will give them plain yogurt. Recently I started giving them plain Greek yogurt because the levels of protein in it is incredibly high. I also make scrambled eggs and mix in sunflower seed and chopped non-salted peanuts to give them an extra boost.
   There are a few signs you can look for to see if you need to included these other protein options for your hens. The hens will begin to crack and eat the eggs they lay in the egg boxes. Granted this sometimes occurs by mistake. One gets stepped on and breaks so they eat it. Other times it is intentional because they are seeking calcium from the shell and protein from the egg itself. Other clues are the chickens will start eating the feathers off the ground that others have shed. Or they will start plucking the feathers from one another and consuming them. It does not sound pleasant but protein is what they are searching for.
   I should also mention that before your hens go through their adult molt each year they do molt a few times as youngsters. When they are baby chicks they molt their down and grow their first round of feathers. They then molt their teenage feathers to get their adult feathers. The first few molts are not as intense or as noticeable.
  Molting is an uncomfortable process for hens so the best thing we can do it make sure they have access to proper food, water and shelter. They can take care of the rest! Happy Molting! 
  
 

Don't Let the Bed Bugs Bite

This topic is not going to be the most glamorous posting I have ever written, however, it is an important one. Mites. Tiny, microscopic creatures that are harmless to humans but can be quiet an annoyance to chickens.
  No matter how clean your coop is, rest assured that every flockster at one point or another will experience mites in their coops/runs. It stinks, it's gross, but it happens and you're not alone. I wanted to provide everyone with some tips and tricks that I have learned along the way on how to correct the situation.
  It is hard to determine if you have mites in your coop because they are incredibly difficult to see due to their size. Some tell tale signs that you have a mite issue is by being observant of your birds. If they are plucking feathers or constantly preening/nibbling themselves you might have a mite issue. You can always check around a chickens vent area or under their wings to see if you can see the mites because that is typically where they "hang out."
  The one time we thought we had a mite issue, which we were never able to really confirm, we did the next few steps to resolve the issue. I will admit at first that I was itching myself because it gave me the creeps me out but it really is not that bad.  If you act on it you can get your birds back to being comfortable and happy.
  First thing you will want to do is clean out your coop and run completely and dispose of any bedding/straw. Once the coop is cleaned out I run a shop vac throughout the whole thing sucking up any dust, left over bedding or debris that is inside the coop.
  At your local tractor supply store or online I would purchase two items. A poultry protector spray and a garden/poultry dust. The spray will say on the label that it is meant to kill mites etc. The poultry protector spray by Manna does not have any harsh chemicals in it so it is safe to use on and around birds.  The garden/poultry dust that we purchased was made by Y-Tex. Sevin is also a great brand you can use. This dust is put directly on the chickens, usually around the vent area. It will suffocate and kill any mites that are on the hens body. Both of these products are safe so you do not have to dispose of any eggs during this process. If you were to use a heavy chemically dosed product you will want to dispose the eggs per the directions on the bottle. I like to keep things as natural as I can for the hens while receiving effective results.
 Spray the poultry protector all over inside the coop. Try and get into the tight spaces where mites enjoy living. Once sprayed all over, let it air out and dry. Place brand new pine shavings into the coop and mix in food grade diatomaceous earth. DE is great for keeping bedding dry and for keeping insects away from the coop. There is a balance of how much to mix because you do not want the bedding to be too dry. Start with a small amount, you can always add more. I use 1 cup inside the coop to start. Our coop is 36 square feet to give you an idea of how much to use.
  We then spread DE around the entire outside of the coop and all over the run. You can also use the garden dust and sprinkle that around the run as well and inside the coop if you would like. The garden dust is then dusted onto every hen. I do this every day for about a week just to be safe that the mites are killed. If one bird has mites, treat them all as it will spread.
  If you feel that one bird has it worse than others you can always give that hen a bath. Pick up a bottle of mite or lice animal shampoo and bathe the hen using that product. I bought a brand that is used on cats and dogs which worked out perfectly. It is made with oatmeal which is great for the skin.
   Also, to prevent mite issues make sure your hens have access to dust or dirt baths. This is the way hens maintain a healthy skin themselves.

The dirt and dust they bathe in kills the mites the same way the store bought dust does by suffocating the mites. Luckily, our hens like to take dust baths regularly to help prevent us from having any issues.
   As stated before, every flockster will have this issue. Other animals around the coop area bring the mites in so do not feel that you have failed or that your coop is not clean. You're doing great and the treatment process it easy, affordable and effective! 

Cleopatra

Good Morning Chicken Scratch Blog Followers! I apologize it has been so long since my last post. A lot has happened with the girls lately so I have to get to sharing!
About a month ago one of our new hens was being picked on. This is normal when you add new hens to the flock because they have to reestablish the pecking order. Someone will always be the head hen and someone will be at the bottom, it is just how it works. As long as no one is bleeding and for the most part they are getting along then everything is going correctly. However, we had one of our girls that ended up getting pecked a bit too much.
 Cleo is our largest hen. Her growth rate is that of a meat bird, however, she is still an egg layer. Looking at her size you would think that she would be the "boss" of the group but she truly is a gentle giant. The crown still belongs to Betty and Luna, they keep our flock in line.
   At the top of Cleo's tail near her preening gland up towards the middle of her back her feathers had been plucked out. Which then caused her to have a bit of bleeding. It sounds scary but I can assure you she was fine and after we saw her wound she received the royal treatment!
    When you first experience a bird that is hurt it can be a bit overwhelming. Many of you know I have a incredibly soft spot for animals and sympathize with their pain as a lot of people I know do as well. You just have to remember that these things happen and do what you can to make them more comfortable and help the wound stay clean and heal.

Cleo and I hanging out for a few minutes.

  The first thing we did was give Cleo a bath. I wanted to make sure the wound was clean and the area around it was as well. You can do this in a wash sink or a shallow bucket. You fill the sink/bucket with warm water and gently set the bird in. They will fidget at first. Chickens remind me of cats and are not big fans of getting wet. Hold their wings down and lightly keep pressure on the hen and you will feel her relax in the warm water. Of all the chicken baths I have given I have not had a hen yet who did not enjoy the bath after they were warm. I run the water over the hens entire body except for their head. I only spot wash a hens head if necessary with a damp towel.  Then I use an animal friendly shampoo that is usually for sensitive skin so it is not so harsh on the hens. After washing the entire body I rinse the hen thoroughly and wrap her in a towel. We have a towel that is designated for Chickens now so I would keep that separate from your personal towels. I use a blow dryer to finish drying their feathers. Keep it on a low heat and put a good distance between the dryer and feathers so the bird does not get too hot. If you move in a circular motion it drys the feathers faster as it lifts them from the skin to get in between each layer. Once dry they can usually rejoin the flock. This time we do not do that with Cleo because we needed her to heal.
      For a few days I cleaned her wound with Peroxide and put some Neosporin on it to help prevent infection. I applied both parts of this process with a Q-tip.
   We kept her separated from the other birds until her wound scabbed over. She got her own food, bed and waterer. She loved it. We hung out! It was nice because she use to be a little hesitant when we would pick her up. Now, she runs right over to us when we walk in the run and typically follows me around! Such a sweetheart.

  Just to note, you want to keep the bird separated from the other hens until they are healed otherwise the wound will keep being re-opened. Her sisters cannot help but peck out of curiosity. You can keep them in a crate or if you have another coop area you can put the bird in there. We kept Cleo in a crate during this process. It was big enough for her to walk around and stand up so she was comfortable. We put her food and water in there with her along with a small branch that she could roost on at night to sleep.
  Currently she is back in the run and good as new. Her feathers are still missing, however, they will grow back once she goes through her first molt.

Are You My Mother?

Have you ever read the Dr. Seuss book Are You My Mother? That was one of my Dad’s favorite books when we would read the series together when I was a little kid.  It is a good one! The reason I mention that is because we have a broody hen right now and when she started acting like this it reminded me of that story. Broody hens are chickens that believe the eggs that are being laid are fertilized and will become baby chicks. What they do then is nest in the eggs boxes all day and all night laying on top of the eggs keeping them safe and warm. It really is sweet and endearing.
Dumpling, our broody hen, really wants to be a Mama. When we first introduced our new girls to the coop she would chase them around the run. It was not in a territorial mean way. It was as if she wanted to be their mom or friend. Take them under her wing, pun intended.
 This is my first experience dealing with a broody hen so I was not sure of what to expect. Right now what Dumpling will do is roll all of the eggs into a pile and then lay on top of them all fluffed up. She will continuously do this all day and night. Each day I have been taking her out of the egg box so at least I know she is getting food and water at some point each day.  Once she has ate a meal she heads back in to the egg box to continue her duty of protecting the eggs. This is right after she takes a dirt bath of course. She has been keeping herself extra clean lately. Rushing over to the dirt bath, scrubbing up and then heading back inside.

I also have noticed that she has pulled the feathers from her stomach out. I read online that hens will do this so they have skin to egg contact to help keep the eggs extra warm. They also have been known to use the feathers to create a comfortable nest for the eggs to rest on. It is not a painful process for the hens and once the hens molts new feathers will grow in anyway.
Her characteristics through this process have also changed. She makes a “cooing” sound every night when Cory or I go and retrieve the eggs for the day. Almost asking us to not touch them please. However, even after removal of the eggs she still remains nesting in the egg box.  Broody Hens will continue to protect the eggs even if they are not there; “ghost eggs.” You could buy fake eggs at your local tractor supply store if you want to give her something to lay on.
When she does come out of the coop she makes a loud unique squawking noise every so often and flaps her wings, pushes out her chest and fluffs up her feathers. I am not too sure what is means when she does this. I am assuming it is something to do with the broodiness but she sounds a bit dramatic which makes it comical! Haha.
I also do not know the timeline of how long this will go on for. I have read its upwards of 20 days until the eggs hatch. Which in our case, they never will. Other flocksters have suggested removing broody hens from the egg box repeatedly until they break the cycle or putting them into a separate container with a wire bottom so they are not comfortable and break the trance. I just do not have the heart to do that. Something in her brain is telling her right now that she is a mother. That is nature’s way and I am not one to ruin the natural cycle.  Egg production from that hen will go down so you could test out those methods to break the broodiness and have her start laying again but we are going to let it play out. So Dumpling, enjoy being a Mother Hen!

Welcome Home!

Ding Ding Ding.. Round Two!! Last night Cory and I picked up eight little chicks from Runnings so I wanted to give my readers a quick update. We are SO excited to be adding to our brood. Our Chicken family is growing! We ended up getting three different breeds this time; all of which we do not currently have in our flock. We purchased four Rhode Islands Reds, two California Whites, and two Rainbows. I cannot get over how tiny they are. I forget that our "OG" (original girls) were that small at one point! When they walk onto your hands it feels like a little tickle as do their pecks. So sweet! I even had one girl fall asleep in my hands! I love when that happens.
All of these breeds are known to be great layers so we have some delicious eggs coming our way in the future.
  The first night they were getting use to being in the brooder together. We got them set up with their heat lamp, waterer and food. We needed to purchase Chick Starter feed. The feed is typically medicated to help build up the immune systems of the baby chicks and it is made out of mostly crumbles that way it is easier for them to eat. I let them eat out of my hand this morning so they get use to being handled. We did this with our year old hens and now they are comfortable with us being around and picking them up.
  We purchased a new waterer this year as well. It works just like the one we currently have for the hens. It is gravity fed the difference is that it is teeny tiny! They look adorable drinking out of it.
  My heart is so full right now knowing we are adding these little girls to the group! I was like a little kid on Christmas morning I was so excited. I'll keep you all updated as these little ones grown. I am going to be one busy chicken mama over the next few weeks making sure these girls stay healthy and grow up strong so they can be added to the coop. Their sisters are excited to meet them as well.. I hope! :)

 

Peep Peep

Chick Days has finally arrived! Who will be starting or adding to their brood? I know we will be adding some new tiny girls to our group!

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The Hunt for a Chicken Waterer

I wanted to share some small but very good news with my fellow readers. We finally found a waterer that works! Wahoo! Since we got the eight little hens we have been struggling to find a watering system that would be care free and provide enough water that all eight hens have the opportunity to drink at the same time.

The first one we tried was a gravity fed galvanized 3 gallon waterer. But the gravity feed on it was not working properly so the water just kept spilling over the edge until the waterer was empty and the bedding became soaked. Back to the store that went. The next two we tried were both plastic waterers, also 3 gallon I believe. The first one the handle broke off which is what controls the gravity feed. The second one the ring around the top that seals the lid snapped. Back to the store those two went as well. In between all of the returns and frustration we used a regular glass bowl in the brooder box for the chicks and when they were bigger switched over to a Tupperware tub (This is what you are seeing in the video at the top of the page). The glass bowl when they were chicks we also placed and even smaller bowl in the center to take up some of the space to prevent drowning. Chicks are not as equipped as hens to get out of water as easily and we wanted to prevent anyone for being harmed. With the Tupperware tub, this was large enough that several hens could drink at the same time in the coop and we raised it up a bit on some stones for easier access. The only big downside to these two options was we had to change the water every single day. They are not closed off watering systems and sometimes bedding would get in there or the girls would tip them over and we would have to clean up and refill. I did not mind doing this in the spring and summer because we had our garden hose right next to the coop and we could just fill it up each time. However, once winter came, it was a whole different ball game.

 Now I cannot complain too much because this winter so far has been relatively mild. However, we have had some freezing temperatures which led to frozen water in the coop. As I have mentioned in previous posts, water is essential to the hens health especially in the winter because they are consuming more food to keep warm hence they drink more water. We would have to break the ice up or dump it out and pour fresh water in. It was okay at first, but if the water in the bowl was frozen then that usually means the water in the hose was also frozen. Not the easiest task to accomplish. We would have to go inside the house fill up the waterer and bring it back out, sometimes multiple times a day depending on the weather. I really did not mind doing this for the little ladies but it was becoming quite the chore.

  This was all until Cory found the best waterer!! It is a tall skinny plastic electric waterer!! Electric!! It holds 3 gallons of water and has a plug that you just hook up to an extension cord or however you want to get power to it and boom you are done. No freezing water and no changing it every day! It is a beautiful thing! Haha. We set this up on top of a milk crate in the coop to keep it higher to make it easier for the hens to drink out of but also to keep the bedding out of it. When the hens scratch they tend to make quiet a mess and so you want to make sure their water is always clean. The waterer also has an internal thermostat so it only runs when it is beginning to get below freezing otherwise it will shut itself off! We have had it for a few months or so now and have had no complaints yet (fingers crossed).