Jrod69
In the Brooder
Hey there,
Last fall I added 4 new chickens to my existing 4. I considered overcrowding before making that move. My pen is 9x12x6’ high with roosting bars set up, food and water (1 feeder, 1- water), 16% protein mini pellets. The coop is 4x4 with 3 roosting bars, 4 nesting boxes, 2 on each side. They seem to all fit fine in the coop.
All seemed to be going fine until this spring, when I started noticing feathers missing. Assuming it was from mites, I treated them diligently. When they started looking worse, I brought them to the vet. No pests found, which brought me back to think that they’re doing this to each other. They’re only let out about an hour a day to free range, due to our hawk population.
I realize that I may need to add another water and feeder. Should I change the feed to a higher protein too? Is there a protein I could add to the existing feed? Do I need to add another coop?
Thanks,
Jerry
Last fall I added 4 new chickens to my existing 4. I considered overcrowding before making that move. My pen is 9x12x6’ high with roosting bars set up, food and water (1 feeder, 1- water), 16% protein mini pellets. The coop is 4x4 with 3 roosting bars, 4 nesting boxes, 2 on each side. They seem to all fit fine in the coop.
All seemed to be going fine until this spring, when I started noticing feathers missing. Assuming it was from mites, I treated them diligently. When they started looking worse, I brought them to the vet. No pests found, which brought me back to think that they’re doing this to each other. They’re only let out about an hour a day to free range, due to our hawk population.
I realize that I may need to add another water and feeder. Should I change the feed to a higher protein too? Is there a protein I could add to the existing feed? Do I need to add another coop?
Thanks,
Jerry
