11 month hen acting odd, molting or something else

[Mjwaker86]

Good morning

I'm looking for some advice really.

I have an 11 month hybrid hen who went off her food about two weeks ago. She was interested in porridge (wet layers feed) treats and free ranging. But ignoring pellets. She stopped laying around this time.

I switched one of my feeders over to layers mash, same brand as my pellets and she seemed to eat more but still not at her baseline.

I've been checking her over. Her crop seems sluggish, but is emptying most mornings. No sour crop. No lice. Recently wormed (preventative).
She's very slim, prominent keel.
She's never been a large lady. She almost looks like a bit like a runt. Very small for her breed, short neck.
Her droppings having always been on the runnier side, with firm ones in between but currently the only way I can describe them is like baby poo. Normal colour.

Her abdomen is soft. No signs of water belly. No signs of bullying. She is the towards bottom of pecking order. But have multiple feeders and water dispenser and I've never seen her been chased away from food. When treats are at hand she's first there to take and will even tackle my top hens for some.

Over the past week she's been having some private dinning time with extra protein eg egg, meal worms, sun flower seeds.

Have access to grit and shell. They are currently have poultry multivits in water.

She started molting about 4 days ago and it's a very heavy molt dropping feathers like no tomorrow. Some of my other hens are molting but slowly.

This morning her crop still has feed in. Not solid, I could feel grit. She hasn't eating (been out for about 45 mins) and has drunk loads.

So I guess my question is, is this all do to her molting ?

I've read and experience hens going off layers feed prior and during a molt. But I've also just read a heavy molt can be induced due to malnourishment?

Drinking more can also be sign of molt as can sluggish crop, so I've read.

She is slightly off, but withdrawn. But yesterday was free ranging. Will let out to free range in about a hour or so after school run. She is a gentle hen and likes cuddles and fuss but obviously doesn't want that at the minute I'm assuming as new feathers are painful and she feeling rotten.

Is her crop slow because of the molt? Or is this something else? Would a crop bra help (no obvious pendulous crop).

Any suggestions/ recommendations/ thoughts.

I appreciate these are hard questions to answer. Abit of a chicken and the egg situation? I've gone down a lot of rabbit holes trying to figure this one out. This hen is a precious hen as she is my 7 year olds and he loves her dearly.

Additional information: flock size, 7 hens. 3-4 molting. Eggs have reduced in keeping with seasons. UK based. Free range daily.

Thankyou

 

[Debbie292d]

Boy, this is a tough one and you've sure covered all of the bases.

I was going to suggest vitamins in their water every other day, but you've got that covered. I thought of higher protein and making mash for her, but you do that already, too.

They usually don't lay eggs when they're molting, and she might have started molting back when she stopped laying eggs; she just wasn't showing signs at the time.

Since you mention a possible slow crop, I'm going to paste the best two articles about crops. You can read through and see if anything sounds familiar and try a few suggestions in them.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...w-to-know-which-one-youre-dealing-with.73607/

https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...ntion-and-treatments-of-crop-disorders.67194/

To get some weight on her, there's one thing I've got that can be mixed in the mash or feed, Kaytee Exact Baby Bird Feed High Fat or Plus Fat. It comes in different forms, mines the powder. For ailing chickens, I make up some wet chick crumbles, add a raw egg yolk, and a teaspoon or so of the Kaytee, then make balls like pea size or a bit larger, open their beak, and pop one in. Sometimes that makes them peck for more. If they're too weak, I just keep going and give several.

Another thing I wondered, since you said she avoids the pellets, give her some chick crumbles and see if she goes for those.

I hope she gets better!

 

[Mjwaker86]

Thankyou.

I've experienced impacted and sour crop and it doesn't seem to be either.

Unless I'm dealing with a partially impacted or slow crop ? Some mornings it's empty, others ranges for small amount to moderate. I've tried crop massaging but now she is reluctant to let me hold her which I'm kind of taking as a good sign ie if she was really unwell I'd be able to catch / hold without fuss.

I'm not sure about pendulous crop. Never experienced. But from the images via Google search it doesn't look that. When she's eating throughout the day (on a normal day) it's larger than my other hens at times, but doesn't appear to hang low.

But could she still have an element / loss of muscle tone?

I have a crop bra on hand and was going to try it but then she started with the molt and I was worried it would cause discomfort if new feathers came through ?

 

[Mjwaker86]

Boy, this is a tough one and you've sure covered all of the bases.

I was going to suggest vitamins in their water every other day, but you've got that covered. I thought of higher protein and making mash for her, but you do that already, too.

They usually don't lay eggs when they're molting, and she might have started molting back when she stopped laying eggs; she just wasn't showing signs at the time.

Since you mention a possible slow crop, I'm going to paste the best two articles about crops. You can read through and see if anything sounds familiar and try a few suggestions in them.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...w-to-know-which-one-youre-dealing-with.73607/

https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...ntion-and-treatments-of-crop-disorders.67194/

To get some weight on her, there's one thing I've got that can be mixed in the mash or feed, Kaytee Exact Baby Bird Feed High Fat or Plus Fat. It comes in different forms, mines the powder. For ailing chickens, I make up some wet chick crumbles, add a raw egg yolk, and a teaspoon or so of the Kaytee, then make balls like pea size or a bit larger, open their beak, and pop one in. Sometimes that makes them peck for more. If they're too weak, I just keep going and give several.

Another thing I wondered, since you said she avoids the pellets, give her some chick crumbles and see if she goes for those.

I hope she gets better!

In addition to my second message above (forgot to click reply). I have just seen her at the feeder. I checked the camera I have in the set up and could see a hen feeding, unfortunately I have another red hen and couldn't make out who it was so I walked down. It was definitely her but she stopped as soon as she saw me. So I know she has eaten something today at least.

I have some of this at hand. This might help with weight gain ?

 

[Debbie292d]

In addition to my second message above (forgot to click reply). I have just seen her at the feeder. I checked the camera I have in the set up and could see a hen feeding, unfortunately I have another red hen and couldn't make out who it was so I walked down. It was definitely her but she stopped as soon as she saw me. So I know she has eaten something today at least.

I have some of this at hand. This might help with weight gain ?

It certainly would be nutritious but as far as putting on some weight, I'm not sure of the calorie/fat content vs what her food is. I was suggesting the Kaytee merely as it was not only nutritious but high-calorie. Here's the basic fat content. See what yours is.

 

[Debbie292d]

Thankyou.

I've experienced impacted and sour crop and it doesn't seem to be either.

Unless I'm dealing with a partially impacted or slow crop ? Some mornings it's empty, others ranges for small amount to moderate. I've tried crop massaging but now she is reluctant to let me hold her which I'm kind of taking as a good sign ie if she was really unwell I'd be able to catch / hold without fuss.

I'm not sure about pendulous crop. Never experienced. But from the images via Google search it doesn't look that. When she's eating throughout the day (on a normal day) it's larger than my other hens at times, but doesn't appear to hang low.

But could she still have an element / loss of muscle tone?

I have a crop bra on hand and was going to try it but then she started with the molt and I was worried it would cause discomfort if new feathers came through ?

I think a crop bra would be very uncomfortable for her.

 

[Mjwaker86]

I think a crop bra would be very uncomfortable for her.

Thankyou. That's what I thought and why I've been reluctant to do so

 

[Mjwaker86]

It certainly would be nutritious but as far as putting on some weight, I'm not sure of the calorie/fat content vs what her food is. I was suggesting the Kaytee merely as it was not only nutritious but high-calorie. Here's the basic fat content. See what yours is.

View attachment 4233515

 

[Mjwaker86]

So the fat contents is less. Protein about the same. Unfortunately I can not kaytee, well I can but it's £40 ( not sure how much you pay) but wouldn't get for a few weeks. Which I'm more then happy to do if it would help. But I'll also look see if anything else I can get quicker

 

[Debbie292d]

A few meal worms would make up the difference in fat. Those are very high fat.