Need advice from those more experienced

[maidenwolfx80]

I think giving them what you are feeding and some special treats is great. The scrathc will help warm them up too but I sometimes treat mine with moistened feed. I put some one a large bowl and add some oats and warm water stir until it is all moist but not soupy and they love it.

 

[Kuntry Klucker]

I think giving them what you are feeding and some special treats is great. The scrathc will help warm them up too but I sometimes treat mine with moistened feed. I put some one a large bowl and add some oats and warm water stir until it is all moist but not soupy and they love it.

Ok, thanks. I will try your recipe and see how the girls take to it. Thanks.

 

[Kuntry Klucker]

They are probably still recovering from their molt. It takes time to get their body weight back up. Vitamins/electrolytes never hurt though.

Ok, that is good to know. Can you give me an idea of how long it takes them to get back to normal after a hard molt?
This is our first round with a molt like the one we just had.

To give you any indication of how hard it was for them they
stopped laying for about 2 months and just started laying a few weeks ago. Out of 15 hens I am getting about 3-6 eggs
a day now. They took it pretty hard, I felt so bad for them. Their coop and pen looked like a huge pillow fight
took place.

Right now they look great, just about fully feathered, although a few of them still have some pin feathers coming in.
They just seem kind of spent. I am sure that the cold weather is not helping much.

Thanks Again

 

[Happy Chooks]

Average is around 3 months. Some of mine molt quicker, some slower. My EE just started back up and it had been 4 months since her last egg. (she's 4 years old though)

 

[Barrdwing]

My birds crave greens like crazy when going through a molt. Do you have any grass you can give them? Or will the local grocery store give you old wilty greens? My birds go nuts for collard greens, broccoli, and bok choy, and they even like green cabbage (didn't much like the red, though). Depending on where you live, there may also be edible weeds coming up. Mallows (cheeseweed), filaree (heronsbill/clocks), dandelions, and sometimes plantain are popular with our birds. We've had a mild winter so far, and the filaree and mallows are already eight inches tall.

I'm not sure if Sulmet would work for upper-respiratory illness. Much of the upper-respiratory stuff is caused by some very tough little bugs. Sulmet is, I believe, a sulfa antibiotic; it is labeled for some respiratory bugs such as infectious coryza. But it's not labeled for mycoplasmas, and mycoplasma is more common than coryza. On the flip side of the coin, with either disease you would definitely be seeing respiratory signs by now, and since you aren't, I think we can lay the respiratory thing to rest. Thank goodness!

Food-wise, I'd offer a good-quality layer feed, a little scratch, and add in some greens, especially if they aren't able to range due to weather or if there isn't much green out there. You can also try fermenting some layer feed and offering that as a supplement; I've been trying it out, and the chickens go ape for it. There's a good thread on fermented feed here: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/644300/fermenting-feed-for-meat-birds Yes, it talks about feeding meat birds and feeding only fermented feed, and that may be a little over the top. But I've found that offering the fermented stuff just twice a week has benefited our birds: they're molting more smoothly and not getting as worn out by the molt. Plus they really look forward to it. One hen tries to dive-bomb the bucket off my arm when I'm bringing it in!

 

[luvmigrls]

Ditto on the cabbage. The girls love it. I shred a bunch at a time and freeze it in small quantities. Or you can hang a whole head outside the coop at their head level. It keeps and is self serve.

 

[Kuntry Klucker]

My birds crave greens like crazy when going through a molt. Do you have any grass you can give them? Or will the local grocery store give you old wilty greens? My birds go nuts for collard greens, broccoli, and bok choy, and they even like green cabbage (didn't much like the red, though). Depending on where you live, there may also be edible weeds coming up. Mallows (cheeseweed), filaree (heronsbill/clocks), dandelions, and sometimes plantain are popular with our birds. We've had a mild winter so far, and the filaree and mallows are already eight inches tall.

I'm not sure if Sulmet would work for upper-respiratory illness. Much of the upper-respiratory stuff is caused by some very tough little bugs. Sulmet is, I believe, a sulfa antibiotic; it is labeled for some respiratory bugs such as infectious coryza. But it's not labeled for mycoplasmas, and mycoplasma is more common than coryza. On the flip side of the coin, with either disease you would definitely be seeing respiratory signs by now, and since you aren't, I think we can lay the respiratory thing to rest. Thank goodness!

Food-wise, I'd offer a good-quality layer feed, a little scratch, and add in some greens, especially if they aren't able to range due to weather or if there isn't much green out there. You can also try fermenting some layer feed and offering that as a supplement; I've been trying it out, and the chickens go ape for it. There's a good thread on fermented feed here: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/644300/fermenting-feed-for-meat-birds Yes, it talks about feeding meat birds and feeding only fermented feed, and that may be a little over the top. But I've found that offering the fermented stuff just twice a week has benefited our birds: they're molting more smoothly and not getting as worn out by the molt. Plus they really look forward to it. One hen tries to dive-bomb the bucket off my arm when I'm bringing it in!

Hi, thanks for your post. I have never hear of fermenting feed before. I will have to try that. Does is smell bad do you know?

I will look into getting them some more greens. When I go grocery shopping tomorrow I will get a head of cabbage and put it in
their treat basket and see if they will take to it. I give them scratch twice daily on the colder days. They get 22% layer pellets, I usually
give them warm oatmeal daily during the cold months and warm water in their watered in the mornings. They are spoiled to say the least.

I do not think that they have an upper-respiratory infection or anything like that. I would spot that pretty fast I would think.
I am beginning to think they they are just beat up after their molt. I had not idea that a molt could take that much out of them.
This was our first hard molt, so I have no prior experience with it.

Thanks again

 

[maidenwolfx80]

My birds love the fermented feed. It doesnt smell bad. It smells sorta like bread starter. You dont want it to go "bad" just ferment. It helps alot on so mant levels.

 

[aoxa]

My birds love the fermented feed. It doesnt smell bad. It smells sorta like bread starter. You dont want it to go "bad" just ferment. It helps alot on so mant levels.

I just love when people start mentioning the fermented feed.

Best thing I ever did. My birds have never been so healthy and FF (Fermented Feed) has saved me a whole lot of money!

It does smell, but not bad. It smells like sourdough bread. Sometimes a little stronger than that.. but not until you take the top off. I like it myself.
I use 100% fermented feed. Scratch in the bedding for the DL and they get leftovers. No dry food (unless you count the scratch).

 

[Kuntry Klucker]

What is it about the fermented feed that makes them healthier? Just wondering, this is the first I have ever hear about fermented feed.