Molting and Lost Place in Flock

[Disheygirl]

I have a girl who was middle of the flock who just about lost all of her feathers. It was getting chilly so I brought her inside for two nights. During the day, I’d put her back out, but she would run directly into the coop and not come out - ever. Her energy has changed - at first she acted like she was a bit sick - slower. Then she started dropping feathers in handfuls and the pin feathers started showing up. Probably lost 3/4 of her feathers. When that happened, she started with the hiding and acting like a flighty roadrunner. I put her in the run, and she runs as fast as possible to the coop.

Now I bring her in twice a day and make sure she eats and drinks, but leave her in the coop at night because she’s more feathered. If I don’t, she will not do either - just stays in the coop 24/7. She’s thin. I give her all flock, mealworms, scrambled eggs - she’s hungry, but what’s the best bang for the buck since she needs to gain weight back?

The other problem is that she’s acting terrified of her flock mates. Chickens are social, but she will literally sit alone in the coop all day and night if I let her (I have two coops - she likes the one that nobody sleeps in). How do I re-integrate her? When I went to lock up, she was being picked on (she had run to the popular coop this afternoon and was with everyone else tonight) and screeching so I brought her inside. Help?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Give her the Flock Raiser, a bit of eggs and go easy on the mealworms.
She's going to feel lighter since she's in molt and lost feathers (weight).

Provide multiple feed stations outside, so everyone has access to food free choice.

Molting birds can be very standoffish. They can and often do avoid their flock during molt, they seem to be more vulnerable, and molting seems to be uncomfortable when touched or handled.

Do you have plenty of space in your coops? Sounds like she's being plucked. Sometimes others discover that those new pin feathers coming in are tasty, so picking can be a bad habit.

Hard to know how to re-integrate her, you know your coop setup and flock better than any of us. If there's a way to leave her out with her flock during the day protected that usually is best.

 

[Mrs. K]

I almost never separate my birds, it tends to cause more problems than it cures. But that is hind sight. I would let her stay where she wants.

As for the feed, not only is it important to have multiple feeders, but to set the feeder up behind mini walls or a box or something so that a bird eating at one station, cannot see a bird eating at another station. I try and have a station for every 3-4 birds that I have.

Adding clutter to the run can also help birds get away from each other, either behind things or on top of things. When molting, that is what they want to do.

If you find one bird plucking her, or a couple, I would try the pin-less peepers. It is an ugly habit to cure, if it gets entrenched.

Mrs K

 

[Disheygirl]

I almost never separate my birds, it tends to cause more problems than it cures. But that is hind sight. I would let her stay where she wants.

As for the feed, not only is it important to have multiple feeders, but to set the feeder up behind mini walls or a box or something so that a bird eating at one station, cannot see a bird eating at another station. I try and have a station for every 3-4 birds that I have.

Adding clutter to the run can also help birds get away from each other, either behind things or on top of things. When molting, that is what they want to do.

If you find one bird plucking her, or a couple, I would try the pin-less peepers. It is an ugly habit to cure, if it gets entrenched.

Mrs K

I have three food and three water with 12 birds…I think the problem is that I don’t keep any in the coops and she won’t leave so maybe I just move some in there for the time being. Totally agree on separating…it’s always a struggle between not humanizing them (she’s shivering, too cold, she needs to be inside) and letting them be birds (she’s shivering, but she’ll get heat from other birds if she needs it and it‘s not freezing cold - just chilly).

I haven’t caught any plucking her and her skin isn’t pink and the pin feathers look normal. The bird who was picking on her was pecking in a dominant way on the back of her neck and head. I need to get a video of her - her energy is causing the problems I think. Do they ever go a little nuts from the pain of a hard molt?

 

[Disheygirl]

Give her the Flock Raiser, a bit of eggs and go easy on the mealworms.
She's going to feel lighter since she's in molt and lost feathers (weight).

Provide multiple feed stations outside, so everyone has access to food free choice.

Molting birds can be very standoffish. They can and often do avoid their flock during molt, they seem to be more vulnerable, and molting seems to be uncomfortable when touched or handled.

Do you have plenty of space in your coops? Sounds like she's being plucked. Sometimes others discover that those new pin feathers coming in are tasty, so picking can be a bad habit.

Hard to know how to re-integrate her, you know your coop setup and flock better than any of us. If there's a way to leave her out with her flock during the day protected that usually is best.

I can leave her out and separate her…I’ll get a video. I have a lot of room in the runs and coops…much more than what’s necessary and I let them out in an electric chicken fence during the day when I’m with them for a while so they can scratch for bugs and use their chicken brains.

She was such a calm bird before and now she’s cuckoo. I don’t see any sign of injury or feather picking…they’re growing in nicely but she has seriously lost her mind. I’m going out to video and I’ll post.

 

[Mrs. K]

Yes they can get a little crabby. I think you are worrying over something that will work itself out.

 

[3KillerBs]

it’s always a struggle between not humanizing them (she’s shivering, too cold, she needs to be inside) and letting them be birds (she’s shivering, but she’ll get heat from other birds if she needs it and it‘s not freezing cold - just chilly).

Molting is the only time I'll let a non-broody sleep in a nest box.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

If she's shivering and it's chilly, then supply her with some deep bedding of straw to snuggle in to. I've had naked molting birds when temps were in the teens. They did mainly stay in the coop but came out for food/water. I did make sure they had an area inside the coop where I placed an extra bale of straw to block wind/drafts and deep straw for them to snuggle in to.