Kathy Golla
Crowing
Hi Everyone,
Sorry to post this question in the more emergent issues forum and take up valuable space, but I’ve seen similar threads here and this is a bit of a complicated question.
All of my birds are 10 months old, so the only experience Ive had with molting is one broody hen molting, and it took her about 3 weeks for all of her feathers to fall out then about 3 more weeks for her new feathers to grow in.
This situation is with a 10 month Black Australorp, she has been losing her feathers for close to four weeks and shows no signs of stopping. I can feel new pinfeathers growing in.
I am making the assumption that because of her age, her molting is about her being broody, and she’s a minimal sneaky broody. She likes to go in and sit on others’ eggs, but only sporadically (like every other day) and not for more than 30 mins. I think shes afraid of the top hen chasing her out. I also catch her feathering the nest with her breast feathers when she’s sitting on these eggs. She’s molting, but still sitting on eggs (very sporadically) and picking a few breast feathers for the nest box. She’s not eating well, I feel like she is thin, and I feel like she is cold at night, although cold is relative as its been about 37 degrees at night. Her comb is slightly paler than normal, but that might be because she’s not laying, and the color hasn’t become more pale in four weeks. For about three weeks, Ive been feeding her about 4 times a week a serving of egg, ground beef or cat food to help her feathers can grow in faster. Of course now she is waiting for her “treat” in the afternoon and she eats a pretty large serving right up, nothing wrong with her appetite there. If I give them a little scratch she’s eating that right up too.
Shes been tested for worms, no mites or lice, crop is fine, with the little she’s eating its empty in the morning. She is up and about and active in the pen all day, she just doesn’t eat much.
My question is, can anyone give me an idea how long this is going to go on and what I can expect? Do I just let it play out?
Sorry to post this question in the more emergent issues forum and take up valuable space, but I’ve seen similar threads here and this is a bit of a complicated question.
All of my birds are 10 months old, so the only experience Ive had with molting is one broody hen molting, and it took her about 3 weeks for all of her feathers to fall out then about 3 more weeks for her new feathers to grow in.
This situation is with a 10 month Black Australorp, she has been losing her feathers for close to four weeks and shows no signs of stopping. I can feel new pinfeathers growing in.
I am making the assumption that because of her age, her molting is about her being broody, and she’s a minimal sneaky broody. She likes to go in and sit on others’ eggs, but only sporadically (like every other day) and not for more than 30 mins. I think shes afraid of the top hen chasing her out. I also catch her feathering the nest with her breast feathers when she’s sitting on these eggs. She’s molting, but still sitting on eggs (very sporadically) and picking a few breast feathers for the nest box. She’s not eating well, I feel like she is thin, and I feel like she is cold at night, although cold is relative as its been about 37 degrees at night. Her comb is slightly paler than normal, but that might be because she’s not laying, and the color hasn’t become more pale in four weeks. For about three weeks, Ive been feeding her about 4 times a week a serving of egg, ground beef or cat food to help her feathers can grow in faster. Of course now she is waiting for her “treat” in the afternoon and she eats a pretty large serving right up, nothing wrong with her appetite there. If I give them a little scratch she’s eating that right up too.
Shes been tested for worms, no mites or lice, crop is fine, with the little she’s eating its empty in the morning. She is up and about and active in the pen all day, she just doesn’t eat much.
My question is, can anyone give me an idea how long this is going to go on and what I can expect? Do I just let it play out?
