I'm a new and excited home chicken raiser and would like to know the best way to keep my flock of 20 birds clean and healthy. How do I provent disease and keep the coop relativily clean?

One thing is to have good ventilation. Make sure they get plenty of fresh air. Another thing, which is really obvious, is to clean up droppings often. My coop has a cedar bed, and every day I scoop up poop by simply putting a plastic bag over my hand and taking out the soiled cedar. Works really well. Another thing is to keep an eye out for vermin. I had a mouse problem, which I'm still trying to solve. Also, chickens can get this sort of lice. My birds weren't infested so much as the coop itself. Big red patches of these little bugs. UGH. But I Lysoled the heck out of it, and cleaned it 5 times over. I also dusted my hens with this special powder. No more lice.

If you haven't already choosen your bedding (or feel like changing it) sand, like sandbox sand, may work for you. You can just rake the droppings out of the sand. Plus, I know from experience that chickens LOVE a good dust bath!!

We find that by keeping a lot of straw down and weekly mixing it up with a pitch fork it tend to compost. We throw scratch feed down and the chickens also turn it over to keep it dry. In the spring we'll clean it all out, put it in the garden and start over again.

i have a mouse problem. any tips on how to keep them away?

You can't keep them away--they are waiting for feed all the time!!!Ketchem Alive traps in your coop--remove feed at night to a mouseproof location. I had mice exploding out of the feeders after dark-- finally had my coops mouseproofed (except open doors during the day.) This meant 1/2" hardware cloth built into the window openings. Floor of one house had cracks, which mice chewed to gain entrance from below,at night. Laid 1/2" hardware cloth on the floor and covered it with sheets of 1/2! plywood--tight seams!!! Only mice that ever get in, come in through the front door, open on nice days. This is rare and few. There is no real hiding place inside and the traps get any that do find a hiding place. (I can smell them instantly, if there are any there!!--and see the little turds in the feed hoppers!). They can carry disease, pull feathers of birds while roosting and in general are unclean, unhealthy. I do not use poisons--too risky for all animals!! Go get them! CJR

what are Ketchem Alive traps? won't they also trap the chicks and chickens? what do you use for bait? thanks

These are metal repeat mouse traps that you wind up-use no bait- mouse goes into the holes on each side-only catches mice, tosses them into a compartment, up to 6-8 on one winde, where you decide how you will dispose of them (ideas given). They are found in Feed Stores, catalogs for Poultry Equipment, Garden Supply catalogs. I have a number of them--in my Poultry houses, basement--feed room (feed is kept in garbage cans, but mice know it is there.) They really help! CJR

I was just reading through the comments and Cjeanr stated on August lst, that mice were pulling the feathers off of chickens while they roost. One of our chickens have just started in the past week or so loosing her feathers and looks like she has been plucked quite well. There are feathers everywhere but the most concentrated are in the coop where they roost. Are there any other reasons that my chickens might be losing there feathers in such a manner.

It may be a regular moult, in which case your coop will also be full of feathers for the next week or so--tailless birds, scruffy necks and bodies! So while they are "plucked", at night, look them over for lice or mites. New feathers will grow in and the birds will look as good as new within a month. CJR

I'm new to chicken raising - and, as of yet, have neither chickens nor coop. I would like to know how people usually clean the coop - and how often. Also, is it dangerous to use detergents for cleaning walls, windows, etc.? I don't want to poison the birds!

does anyone know a way to keep they straw/hay in the chicken coop houses?? I get 1-2 cracked eggs weekly because the hen pushes it out.
Beth

Use detergents or a bleach solution to clean coops. I usually do this only when changing flocks and introducing new birds to the coop. I clean everything out and wet the entire inside of the coop with the bleach water solution and leave the building closed tightly, then air it out to dry thoroughly. I then repeat the process and wait a few days before introducing the young birds.
Re the broken egg question, does the hen push the egg out of the nest? If that is the case, the fronts of your nests need to be a little higher. In general, if you have doors on your coop and they are closed, they will keep the straw (don't use hay for bedding because it tends to go moldy) in the building. For deep bedding in the winter, I have to put a board across the bottom of the doorway to help keep the deep litter in when I open the door. We deep bed for warmth in the winter time, allowing the straw to get as deep as 12-16 inches before removing it and starting again. We do this a couple of times during the winter in our northern climate.

I have a small flock of three hens and one rooster. Their coop is very small. We live in Colorado. It is snowing today. Should I let the chickens out in their run while it is snowing or keep them shut up in the coop? I worry about them getting sick because of no fresh air and having their droppings in such a small area all day. My Rooster is wheezing and breathing hard. He also has what I think is lice. How do I keep them healthy in the winter? I use straw in the coop and change it every month or so. I put fresh straw in every so often between changing. For the first time I caught on of my hens eating the egg of another. Boy all these problems all of a sudden.

Is your coop insulated or protected against the Colorado cold? Your birds need four square feet of floor space each, as a minimum. They need air without drafts, and a window for light. If you put your roost up in the upper part of the coop, it should be warmer up there, and you might try to keep heat in the top if you can. For bugs, offer them a bath box of sand, soil, clean wood ashes, and diatomaceous earth. They will take dust baths in this and eliminate the lice problem. Try putting in fresh bedding whenever the air in the coop tells you it's not fresh anymore. This will likely be every day, and you can sprinkle some scratch on the bedding to encourage them to move it around and help it dry out. If your rooster is wheezing because of an infection, you will probably need to treat him. Consult the Merck Veterinary Manual at your library or nearest veterinary office for the specific symptoms he has to get an accurate diagnosis, so you can get the right meds for him. Good luck.

This past spring we purchased 19 hens (various breeds) and two roosters. Things were going along really well until these past few weeks. All of our hens and both roosters seem to be molting (in the middle of Dec??) and everyone is pecking at each other. I haven't seen lice (may need to look harder) and remove all the old bedding from the coop & laying boxes, scrape down the roosts and clean the run replacing the bedding every Sunday. We live in NM and this past 1 - 11/2 months it has been very cold. We have installed a light in the coop to keep them warm at night and shut them up in the evenings. We are still getting from 4-7 eggs a day. Should my flock be molting now? If not, what things should I be looking for? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

How old are your hens and what time of the year were they hatched? If they are moulting, they should be lacking feathers across the back and may even be bare there, and should look a little rough otherwise. If they are still laying well, the odds are they are not moulting. If all the feathers are gone off their necks, or other specific places but not on their backs, they they may be picking. Try adding a dusting bath with sand, soil, clean wood ashes, and diatomaceous earth. This will eliminate bugs and should take care of one worry for you. With two roosters, they may, in their enthusiasm, be working your hens harder than they should, but if you sit in the coop and observe them for a while, you should be able to observe this. Make sure the protein level in their feed is at least 16% so they are not protein starved. Hope this helps.

Getting back to the original question of coop litter and cleaning: Straw is wonderful! It smells good, it's cheap, and it turns into great compost. In the warm months, try to keep it low; it's good to rake it out every 2 weeks (or less often if they spend most of their time outside.) I prefer to remove all the litter and start over each time. It gives me a chance to mop the floor and let them dry out regularly. In the winter, I've been told to turn the litter, pack it down, and then add a new layer on top, until the height exceeds 1 foot. Then it should be removed and replaced. Apparently, a thick layer of bedding (1) increases the humidity of the coop during the dry winter months and (2) provides good insulation. As far as cleaning goes, stick with your comfort level when it comes to your choice of cleaners. Diluted bleach is good. I recently went to West Africa, where they use a potassium permanganate solution (usually used to purify water) when bleach is not available, I've heard of people using a Bt solution, although I'm not sure which strain is appropriate. Sunshine is the best of all cleaners - if it's possible to open your coop. I have a neighbor who makes a thin paste of sevin powder and water and literally paints the inside of his coop with it every spring and fall. I hope this helps. -liza

Is this forum still active? I hope so.

I have a problem with my chickens. It started with one hen andf is spreading. She picked awasy her own feathers (we think) on her back just above the tail in an area about 4 inches long and an inch or maybe more wide. She's down to bare skin, as is another. We suspect lice, since Damerow's Chicken Health book mentions they can occur (and apparently stay) in different areas of the body.

I've just added some food grade diotomaceous earth in the holes they've carved out for dust baths in their run. Does anyone know of a good source for foodgrade DE? (I presume it has to be food grade,right?)

Any other suggestions? I'd rather stay away from chemicals, so I'd prefer natural solutions, if possible. Tho I'd resort to chemicals if it were the last resort. I don't want the problem to worsen. Several other chickens are not affected.

Also, I presume this means we have to clean out the whole coop -- ?? Do we have to do anything about the run?

Thanks for any help.

Eloriel

How old is your hen who has the bare back?

I have about 27 chickens in all. They have not layed eggs all winter, we live in Indiana.. I have noticed the roosters being very rough with the hens and some of them look pretty rouch. They have bare spots. They absolutely poop everywhere. We have a roost in the house, but it seems some of them want to roost on the sides of the boxes for eggs and they are filling the boxes with poop. It is so nasty. I try to clean the coop every month. But what about getting Hystoplasmosis? I usually just shovel the old straw and poop out and replace with fresh straw sometimes, even use hay when straw isn't available. Can anyone tell me if I should be doing something different!! And how can I stop them from pooping in the nests? We just took old army ammunition boxes and nailed them to the walls. Thanks

You should discourage your birds from roosting on the nests for long enough to break them of the habit. Your regular roosts should be adequate, sound, and attractive to them so they will be inclined to roost there first. Set them off the nest boxes at night, or put up covers to keep them from getting up there. Make sure you uncover the nests early in the morning. Of course, if they aren't laying at all, you can just cover the nests and break the habit, then when they start laying eggs on the floor, you can open the nests again.

How old are your hens? Do you have a timer light on them now,or have you had one during the winter? Depending on their age, they may just be moulting.

How many roosters do you have? Part of the rough treatment may be that your rooster/hen ratio is out of balance. One rooster for that many hens would be plenty for most folks, me included. Two or more always seem to make the girls part of the battle ground.
It's not good to use hay for bedding. It tends to mold easily. Dry, clean straw or shavings work best. Add to this bedding based on smell. When the henhouse doesn't smell fresh any more, add bedding. You will probably need to add bedding every other day or so if you use straw.
There was a good series of messages about histoplasmosis on this site recently. Try using the word search box on the left to find it to help answer that question for you. Good Luck.

Dr. Smith, are you like a vet. or something... You seem to know an awful lot about chickens. Well, not sure how old the hens are, they are laying though. Or i should say they have laid before, hehe... Also, my husband just thinned the roosters from the hens. We had 13 hens and my goodness, I will guess and say about 10 roosters. We had bought some last year as babies and the lady said they were hens.. They were NOT!!.. So, maybe the problem will get better. And as far as covering the nests, do I just cover them with anything? Won't they just stand on top of it? The chicken house always stinks. It never smells fresh... How often should it be cleaned out? If those chickens are moulting, they sure have been doing it a looonnnng time.. Did get 5 eggs today tho.. As to where we were getting none. Thanks for all of your advice. It is much appreciated........

Hello, I have sick chickens and also would also like to inquire about how to clean out my run. I recently got some chickens about 5 to 6 months old and notice they have lice or something. My son was checking them out and noticed around the vent that they are there. Small flea shaped and either cream colored or a rust color. THey scatter when you look to see if they are there. I am fixing to get some DE to mix in their sand for dust bathing. Will this help? How much do I mix in there? Also, several are sneezing and there was a little blood in the stools of one. I can't figure out which one it is but the one that is sneezing the most has a very runny nose also. I have read about poultry diseases and it seems it could be many things so I am stumped. Any help is much appreciated. Regarding the run. Since they are sick I worry about them picking at their droppings and getting worse. Currently sand is the floor of their coop with grass here and there. I was putting down wood chips but find that is harder to keep clean than to rake the sand. Any comments on that and can you treat the sand with anything or do you even need to?

THank you,

MBelle

I use woodchips and the deep litter method in my coop (a converted playhouse)- it never smells except for the wood smell. I scoop out the clumps and keep the level of litter around 4"-5". I haven't seen any evidence of mice or rats yet, but I've started leaving the ramp open at night so they can get out early in the morning-I'm afraid they will get too hot in this Texas weather if they are cooped up. How hot can they stand it? I'm going to look into those Ketchem Alive traps-sounds good. So far (keeping my fingers crossed) my hens have been very healthy; I give them layer mash, oyster shells, grit, and a little cracked corn, and every day they get a bowl of lettuce and bread with whatever else I have on hand - bananas and peels, cantalope rinds, vegetables, grated apple, etc.and of course, fresh water every day-very important! A little side note: On gloomy cold and rainy days, I put a radio in the window with classical music playing; they jump right up on their perch and seem to love it-gives them something to do.

I hope that someone can help me with our chickens. All were hatched on Mar. 4 but some are so much bigger than the others. Also some of them seem very weak and don't move a lot. Could it be a problem with pasting or not enough vitamins? Is there a need for antibiotics to combat any suspected problem? I have not seen any lice or abnormal feather plucking. I am very concerned about them. Thanks.

would dead/dried grass be ok as bedding? also, i will not have a coop per se, but a night shelter, as this flock will be out doors chicken, so the night shelter will have an open bottom(chicken wire covered) and elevated a little bit off of grass. this is so i can move it, mow/clean the grass and give the chicken a new bit of yard to peck around in, is this ok? she is a sebright bantam, and has about 8 square feet of yard, and a 2 1/1 foot by 2 1/2 foot by 4 feet night shelter., is this ok? i am new to chickens, so help will be apreciated. thanks! sarha

I have 6 cross breed laying hens and one rooster. We recently took 6 chicks hatched for the kids at nursery school. These turned out to be meat hens, large and slow and rather stupid. Only two left after 6 months due to accidents. The two left have got pink bald patches around the vent about the size of a tennis ball or so. A local chicken expert said this was normal for meat hens who don't perch, but I am worried. They also have have constant diarrhoea. They are still pretty fat and eat alot. We have wormed all ducks geese and chooks, but these two are still scouring. Now our two year old rooster suddently is forlorn, listless, and seems thin (although he has never been big). The other hens are ok and laying 2- 3 eggs a day. They are fed layers pellets, and they free range and have house scraps (and quite alot of dog and cat food). I am emailing from AUstralia, it is the end of winter going into spring here. Thanks.

I have acquired six chickens from a friend. I made a cow barn, small one, over into a house for the "Ladies" as I call them, since they are all hens. I built a pen for them, enclosed chicken wire top and bottom with a door for them to go outside from the barn to the pen. The barn is about 12'by 12' and the outside pen is six wide and six feet deep. There is no door to close, rather just an opening from the barn to the coop. Should I put straw down for them inside and outside, or use sand outside? They have a dirt floor in the barn. What advice does any one have for a new chicken owner?

Cleaning run after sick flock... I am new to this. My entire flock was sick but with antibiotics they are all doing much better. I got new birds (silkies & bantams)recently. We have them away from the older flock. We sanitized the area with a bleach solution before even getting them. We are planning on building a bigger coop for them but we want to sanitize everything before we turn them out. My question is, what is the ratio of bleach to water that is safe for the flock. How long should I wait to clean out the "old" coop after the flock is better? Should I spray the ground also? My flock is free range but they stay very close to their coop.

I live in northeast texas and have a bedding question.
I have been using hay for bedding in my coup. an 8x8 coop (looks like a play house) with an 8x20 foot run in the back. There's lots of ventilation. An old farmer at the feed store said I should be using wood chips instead of hay. I also use hay for the nesting boxes. (I have 10 hens, 2 roosters) What should I use as bedding. This guy also told me I need to worm the chickens. Your opinion?
Lastly, can you recommend a book on raising chickens. I'm new at this. Thanks.
Sincerely,
Krudedog

Hay is not good for bedding because it tends to draw moisture and mold, making for respiratory problems. I use straw as my main bedding because it's cheap and abundant here, but you may have to use what's available in your area. Depending on the area, worming is sometimes recommended. A vet should be able to tell you about local practices, or find out whether you should or not. A vet can also do a fecal sample analysis under the microscope and tell you whether you need to administer a wormer.
For health and diseases, there's no better book than Gail Damerow's The Chicken Health Handbook. The Merck Veterinary Manual is also helpful for technical information and medications. There are many practical books about raising chickens in general. I prefer to pick and choose the most suitable ideas from all of them when starting or maintaining a flock. Older books are also helpful, since they tend to be geared more toward backyard and small flock practice. I like the books published before 1950 for lots of good ideas. Of course, there is a wealth of information here at the Coop, too. Hope this helps.

I have 10 Rhode Island Red hens and a rooster. I have a 12X12 hen house (coop) with 3 nests. I clean the straw often from the nests because there is a hen or two that during the time they are in the nest they are pecking holes in the other eggs. Is this a mineral deficiency or what are they lacking in their diet? We have tried to feed them oyster shell and they do not like it, or it seems that they don't. Will they only eat it if they know they need it, like the hens that are pecking the holes in the eggs?

The oystershell will disappear. It is important. Feed it separately in a container, and you will find it needs refilling now and then. They will not choose it mixed in their lay ration. Egg eating is a habit (eggs are delicious). Suggest you darken your nests by hanging a burlap or something in front, with a slit for them to enter. They like sitting in the dark place while awaiting that precious egg! They are less apt to eat it in a darkened situation. Some people place a golf ball or two in the nests to deter egg breaking. And for a while, gather eggs often, so there are no extras in the nests. Good luck, CJR

Ihave went all out and built a chicken house with a concrete floor. Lock up or close up thr chickens every night and open up to run area in morning. Chickens have the good life here but I am very concerned with some loosing feathers. I want to know good type of mite or insect dust safe for chickens. By the wat I use sand on the floor that they seam to love. Easy to rake clean and add to when needed.Have a mix of different breeds and a total of 12. In warmer weather get 10 eggs a day and now in cooler Southeast Texas weather,I get 4 to 6 a day. I also put proxide in the water for health reasons. Table spoon to 5 gallions.

By the way I have 11 hens with one duck that thinks it is a chicken and also one male rabbit. They all go to the hen house every night and the duck and rabbit will roost on the self with the chickens. The chickens,rabbit and duck were all raised together from the time the wife purchased them from the feed store last Easter.I have found one real problem as I see it and am ready to kick the rabbit out to fin for him self in the woods. The rabbit is mounting the chickens. The chickens drop down when the rabbit jumps on the back side as they would if I had a rooster. Who wants a male rabbit.I am keeping my eyes open for any odd looking eggs. (Joking about the eggs) but I don't like the rabbits actions.

Have you considered having your rabbit castrated, as cat owners do? You may be able to keep him without hatching any chickrabs. . . CJR

Or would they be called rabbicks? Or rabbens?

I would't worry about the rabbit, He shouldn't hurt anything. If it realy bothers you though and you have a roo or get a roo he will beat the rabbit like an old rug (not enough to kill him if he gets off) if he mounts one of his hens and if your rabbit has half a brain he should lern to leave the hens alone. He proubly won't beat the rabbit but at least chase him.

About having the rabbit castrated, most vets don't work with rabbits for surgery because they are tricky to put under anestisia because they have a small heart for the size of their body. So if you do decide to get your rabbit castrated be prepared to have a hard time finding a vet to do it.

Ah say, that's a joke, son! A joke, d'ya hear me?

I have six hens. I am new to chicken raising. I have a two story coop, nice ground space, upper chicken wire with feed and such and box of alfalfa, then a perch, another level with nesting boxes, and a higher perch above that. After six months time, raising them from chicks, I noticed feathers gone and assumed "oh it must be this moulting thing." Needless to say, I came out one day and saw blood on one and found out about chickens being carnivores. I bought Anti-pick and now built a separate caged area known as the "hospital." I did dust and have no lice situation. I keep the coop pretty darn spotless, and add and change bedding, etc. I let them roam in the mornings as I watch them while tending to my ponies. My problem is that the two hens that lost feathers, really due to the other hens eating on them, aren't growing their feathers back. Even another chicken lost all of her feathers underneath on her back belly. What is a girl to do? I have tried to reacquaint all six back together, and the four from one pen now even beat up on the other two. Help!

Welcome to chicken personality and temperment. Feather growing takes up to 6 weeks--sometimes longer. You may not have enough room to keep 6 birds in your coop. Once a bird has been removed, for almost any reason, it, or they, are no longer one of the gang, and may not be welcomed back under any circumstances. Some birds are congenial, sorry that you got some that are not! Be creative, but don't let them damage each other! CJR