Older Hens getting Older

[MegTheHenEggQueen]

Free range in fenced in backyard during the day only go in coop to sleep and lay eggs and eat when they don’t want to forage and to drink.

They currently live in my 3 seasons room bc the coop roof is leaking. Even though water isn’t everywhere I’m not putting them in damp quarters that should be dry.

 

[MegTheHenEggQueen]

They currently live in my 3 seasons room bc the coop roof is leaking. Even though water isn’t everywhere I’m not putting them in damp quarters that should be dry.

Free range all day until they put themselves to bed when it starts getting dark.

 

[MegTheHenEggQueen]

I would leave them alone, unless you see evidence of an ingrown feather abscess. Chickens pick feathers sometimes, which might be why some are missing. How old are your chickens? Do they live outside in a coop and run?

My older hens are going on 4 years old however I use lighting for year round eggs so you have to increase the age supposedly. Only my 3 older girls are having issues. 1 doesn’t lay anymore but looks fabulous and then the other 2 still lay but look awful.

 

[Eggcessive]

How long are the lights on inside the coop daily? They only need 12 hours a day to lay eggs, and it doesn’t have to be very bright. It can be done by setting the light on a timer around 5 am, then shutting off by 9am, and the chickens will then go to roost around 5 pm or so. Too much light inside the coop can lead to feather picking.,

 

[MegTheHenEggQueen]

Do you know what pinfeathers look like? Pinfeathers can sometimes look a bit like ingrown hairs. You should not pluck out pinfeathers, because they are the normal early stage of growing new feathers.

Have you tried looking very closely at some of your other chickens? If they all have the same things, and do not seem bothered, then the things are probably normal (even if you never noticed them before.)

I do not know what the little black things are, which is why I am offering somewhat general suggestions of what else to try looking for or looking at.

Not picking out pin feathers. Just trying to decide if it’s time to put our 3 oldest down bc of health and if they have anything that can spread I don’t want it spreading to their kiddos and grand and great grand kids.

 

[MegTheHenEggQueen]

I would leave them alone, unless you see evidence of an ingrown feather abscess. Chickens pick feathers sometimes, which might be why some are missing. How old are your chickens? Do they live outside in a coop and run?

Do me a favor and zoom in on all the pictures I don’t think they are a bunch of ingrown feathers. I have Oreo and snowflake a bath yesterday and picked some black things off her that looked like bugs. Wasn’t hairs it was a black bug. We had awful flies last year and I want to make sure they also don’t have fly strike

 

[MegTheHenEggQueen]

They are all fine! All the other 16 hens. No issues besides older girls getting older. We have never had fleas ticks mites nothing in our flock over the last 4 years we have had them!

Let me rephrase that. All other chickens are great except 3/16 and they are the older hens.

 

[MegTheHenEggQueen]

How long are the lights on inside the coop daily? They only need 12 hours a day to lay eggs, and it doesn’t have to be very bright. It can be done by setting the light on a timer around 5 am, then shutting off by 9am, and the chickens will then go to roost around 5 pm or so. Too much light inside the coop can lead to feather picking.,

Well let me start from the beginning. The first year we had chickens we had no idea what we were doing. So with my older girls who were the only ones who survived the first winter they had light 24/7! Had no idea that they needed darkness. So for the first gosh 9 months of their life they had ZERO DARKNESS. Since then and finally doing research lights go on when sunrise starts and lights go off about an hour after it’s dark. They have a routine when they put themselves to sleep in their coop. They go inside in pecking order eat drink then perch then on to the next group in pecking order. So by the time they are all settled perching or laying down (some prefer to lay like cats and dogs on their chest and belly) it’s about an hour after darkness. I have a timer set to turn on and off. Right now it’s set to turn off at 7:30pm and turn on at 6:30am. Then they are in their coop until the automatic run door opens into their closed in open space and that opens at 9am. So they get 11 hours of complete darkness. But I do have to say when I keep them in my sun room (3 seasons room) even with lights on they have a routine and sleep with lights on. But yes I know how much light they need don’t need etc. I can say I’m not very routine with my chickens. If I’m outside and it’s dark and having a non fire they want to hang out. If I go outside before the auto coop door opens or before the lights come on I will open their run door and they come out if they want. I’m kind of like this with my kids too. Not very strict with routine. But yea I have had auto lights since I learned they need darkness the spring after I got my first group. Which is my older girls.

 

[Eggcessive]

I just found it was more natural to let them go in the coop in late afternoon with no light on in the coop. In the early years I would put the light and timer on 2 hours before daylight, and adjust it for just providing 12 hours of daylight. In late spring and early fall there was enough light to skip the light and timer. When they did not lay as well after a couple of years, I just let them go without providing extra light and gave them a break in winter.

 

[MegTheHenEggQueen]

I just found it was more natural to let them go in the coop in late afternoon with no light on in the coop. In the early years I would put the light and timer on 2 hours before daylight, and adjust it for just providing 12 hours of daylight. In late spring and early fall there was enough light to skip the light and timer. When they did not lay as well after a couple of years, I just let them go without providing extra light and gave them a break in winter.

Exactly! This is what I am starting currently! And it gets easier as days get longer. They need a break BAD! Thank you!