Molting and odd behavior

[kenelsner]

Hey all. Our about 18 month old hen appears to be molting but is acting strange. She wants to lay down/sit alot. Seems to stagger a bit. Can't entirely walk a straight line. Do the pictures look normal? Should we isolate her? I'm trying not to freak out and trying to keep my wife calm. She thinks she's dying.

 

[howfunkyisurchicken]

I see nothing off about the picture as far as feather loss (I've actually seen much worse), but the behavior doesn't sound right. In the last picture, she looks like she basking in the sun, which would be normal behavior. However, the staggering and not being able to walk in a straight line are not. Have you given her a good once over to see if she has some kind of injury? That would be my first course of action for sure.

 

[aart]

Molting is hard on them, all those pin feathers are uncomfortable so handle her carefully.
I've noticed a lot more resting and walking gingerly during molts.

They need extra protein when molting so offering animal protein(scrambled eggs, meat, meal worms) might be a good idea.

Is she eating and drinking enough? Might want to isolate her in a wire cage within the coop and/or run just to offer food and water and keep a closer eye on her.

 

[centrarchid]

Isolate her pronto. Watch catches my eye involves her feet which she seems to have lost control over. Also look closely at her pupils. I have idea as to what she has and it does not directly involve molting.

 

[howfunkyisurchicken]

Also, if I were you, I'd post your pictures and her symptoms in the Emergencies section. I've never dealt with any major issues in my birds (other than general injuries and egg binding), so I'm not real sure what's going on with her either. Someone there is likely to recognize those symptoms and tell you what to do about it though.
Good luck.

 

[centrarchid]

I recognize signs reported but more follow up needed to confirm. Isolate bird.

 

[kenelsner]

Sorry for the delay in replying. Got pretty busy with life. It was simply molting. Our hen is doing just fine and her feathers have all pretty much grown back in. It was a good lesson for us when the others molt. Perhaps less stress and freaking out for Mom and Dad.