A Whole New Can of Worms

As the days get shorter, the chickens sleep longer.  They are sleeping when I leave in the morning and some nights when I am teaching and get home after dinner time, they are already sleeping when I get home.  They follow the sun.  And the shorter days affect their laying cycle.  Instead of 5 eggs a day, we are now getting 2 eggs a day.  The chickens are definitely feeling the change in seasons.

I was getting worried about the sudden drop in temperature.  I wasn’t exactly thinking that it would be 32 degrees mid-October, so needless to say I hadn’t taken the time to research what would need to be done to prep the chickens for winter.  So I was laying in bed, worrying about how cold it was going to get at night, I read what other backyard chicken farmers had to say.  I came to find out that the chickens are actually safer in the cold temperatures than in the extreme heat during summer.  As long as the chickens aren’t huddled all together, then they are fine.  And when the temperatures do go below 0 degrees we will most likely run a heat lamp or light bulb out to the coop to provide extra heat.  But they recommend only doing that when it is REALLY cold and below zero, so that the chickens don’t get used to the warmth.  Whew! That was good to hear. 

A couple of tricks I did read about… I have been giving them cracked corn at night before it gets dark, which gives them some extra calories to help keep them warm through the night.  But so far, they have been just as active as normal.  If anything, they want to run around even more now. 

 Also, other bloggers said to make sure they have plenty of hay in the coop area that stay dry.  So I added some extra pine shavings and hay to the little closed off area for them.  Also, they have each other for heat!  When they roost at night – they are all up on each other and their body heat keeps them warm.  Makes perfect sense.  The one thing I did have to worry about is their feet.  Once the ground gets frozen, others said to watch out for frost bite on their feet.  So as winter truly arrives in Cincinnati and the ground freezes, I will have to make sure extra straw/hay is in the coop. 

So I was feeling much better about the cold temperatures and my little flock living outside.  And then I go out to clean the coop yesterday and noticed that Grey was starting to lose feathers all along her neck.  I was so nervous that this had something to do with an infection from Savannah attacking her several months ago.  I was sure it had to do with the cold weather and I was scared to look up the symptoms online. 

I tried to take some pictures – but she was not having it with me trying to hold her still. It was like she was self conscious and didn't want me looking at her without her feathers :(  I could see down to her skin almost and noticed that some of the feathers that were left were a little blue/purple color at end attached to her.  So weird.  She still had an appetite and was running around the yard with all the others – so I was hopeful it wasn’t anything serious.

I am pretty sure that Grey is the first to start molting.  It is either that or mites.  Ew.  I'm pretty sure it’s not mites. Because they take regular dust baths in the dirt/mulch in our yard, which is supposed to help keep them clean and mite-free. 

Apparently chickens can have pretty hard molts and can get almost completely featherless – look at this picture I found!

Note: This is NOT one of my chickens and I really hope they don't molt this hard... so creepy looking and they would be so cold!

Some facts I Learned about molting:
(taken from Backyard Chickens - Managing Your Chickens Molt )

Full grown hens molt once or twice a year. Molting is caused by exhaustion and or sickness, when their laying cycle is completed, (that means they are done laying eggs for a while) and reduced lighting.

Molting also gives a chicken’s reproductive system time to rest. This process can be very stressful for chickens so it is important they stay happy and healthy. Usually after molting their hardier and more resistant to disease

During the molting process, chickens will start to lose their head and primary wing feathers first then the feather loss works its way down the body. Chickens may have a hard molt or a soft molt. A hard molt is when the feathers drop out very quickly but don't come back for a while. A soft molt is when the feathers drop out and new ones come in soon after. The new feathers that come in are called pin feathers.  I am curious to see if Grey continues to lose more feathers and if any start to grow back or if she just goes bald… yikes!

Did you know? Feathers are 80-85% protein and eggs are around 13% protein. So the chicken has to make a choice to put protein toward molting or laying, there is not enough for both. Because of this, during molting, laying stops in hens.  So I guess I will need to up the protein in their diet to make sure they are getting enough.  Especially if they start to get bare spots, I don’t want them pecking at each other. 

There is always something to learn with these chickens.  I was just so glad to find out that Grey losing her feathers was normal. 

I also am slightly concerned about scaly leg mites.  As I was researching the molting information, I came across some pictures of what scaly leg mites can do to a chicken.  The mites burrow under the scales on their legs and only really bad cases can cripple the bird.  But the recommended treatment is Vaseline, as it will smother the mites.  So today I put Vaseline on their feet.  Yes, I held each chicken one at a time and put Vaseline on her feet.  I’m telling you – if these birds die, it will not because of poor care.  They are my pets and I don’t want them to have mites on their feet. 

 

 

Anyways between the change in temperature, the first signs of molting and potential leg mites – it was quite an interesting week with the chickens.  I continue to learn about raising chickens and I do love my little chicky babies. 
Have a great Monday!

 

Chicken Owners Scramble When Pets Feel Foul

The thought has crossed my mind - what would I do if one of my chickens gets sick?  A family friend sent me a copy of her Wall Street Journal, which had an article on the front page titled "Chicken Owners Scramble When Their Pets Feel Foul"  You can read the online article in full here: WSJ Chicken Article

According to the American College of Poultry Veterinarians, there are about 260 members in good standing.  However, most of those poultry vets work in the food industry.  So how many vets are out there that could properly treat a chicken?  I could see why previously, poultry veterinarians were not in high demand because as the WSj article states - "If there is something wrong with a commerical chicken,  'It's cut its head off and find out what's wrong with the flock" mentality.  But when you bring the recent increase in backyard chickens into the picture - the whole game is changed.  Once you name a chicken and you have raised them from the time they were only a few weeks old - I would never be able to have the "cut its head off mentality". 

And I am not the only one out there raising backyard chickens that are treated like pets!  According to the WSJ article, the US Department of Agriculture does not track statistics on backyard husbandry (the care, breeding of crops and animals) however, the popular site backyardchickens.com has over 220,000 members. Feel free to check out the website at: Backyard Chicken Website 

I utilized this website when I was first researching chickens - what breed of chickens should I get, what should I feed them, when can I feed them certain veggies, etc.  The backyard chicken website offers forums that allow members to ask questions related to a certain topic and then other members can comment and provide insight/their experiences to answer your question.  Then members, like myself, have the ability to search for topics or questions that have already been asked to view the responses.  It serves as an online database that houses the most random information about raising chickens.  Not sure I would have been able to raise my chickens without the help and guidance I received from the Backyard Chicken site - because let's be honest, I didn't exactly know what I was doing :)

For example, when Izzie got attacked by a fox – I searched “fox attacks” in the forums on Backyardchicken.com to see how to treat a chicken in shock.  I was provided with a plethora of information on how to care for her, the average recovery time and what symptoms to looks for if the injury was getting worse.  

I also researched “curly toes” on the backyard chicken site.  Ever since we got the chickens, Izzie has had curled toes.  At first I did not think it was a big deal, but then I realized it may be affecting how she is able to hunt and peck around the yard.  When they are younger they rely on the instinct to “scratch” the ground for food.  And since her toes were curled under, she was not able to truly scratch.  But according to other backyard chicken farmers, as long as the chicken is able to eat and seems to be growing (which Izzie is plenty big!), then the chicken will be fine. 

The knowledge that other share is very helpful when dealing with a minor health issue or for researching, but there are also detailed pictures/videos of how to care for life threatening diseases and injuries.  I will say, self treatment is NOT for the faint of heart.  I do not know if I would take a scalpel and operate on my own chicken for bumblefoot.  It definitely is venture at your own risk and be prepared to close your eyes if you have a weak stomach. 

It is comforting to know that there are many other backyard chicken farmers who experience the same difficulties.  But also, with more people turning to self-sufficient, grow-local lifestyles, the trend and professional discussions of chicken raising is a hot trend at vet conferences.  According to the WSJ article, “We’re responding to the need” (of more poultry veterinarians).

So the question comes down to this: would I reach out to seek medical help for my backyard chickens if the medical condition was life threatening? – yes.  Would I try to treat the chicken myself, if possible? – yes.  Do I also realize that sometimes the natural circle of life is necessary and as with any animal or pet, it may be in the best interest to end the chicken’s life? – yes. 

I am hoping that I don't have to make any of those decisions in the near future, but you never know.  It has been a fun adventure so far... hoping the fun continues! And for right now, I am going to enjoy the eggs!