I wasn't sure if I should put there her or in the diseases section-- really, molting is natural and not an emergency so I figured to put it here.
My head hen-- a pet barred rock named Moa-- started a really bad molt last week and I am somewhat concerned. She's lost huge tracts of feathers and is lacking both the down and covert feathers on her neck, breast, underwings, back and her entire rear end. I can confirm that it's a molt and not pecking or bullying, and she is growing in healthy pinfeathers. My concern is the timing-- of course, it's been very cold here and our temperatures have been in the single digits with a brisk wind. I have a thermometer in the coop and the other night it was 1°F... outside the windchill had to be -12 or less.
I know barred rocks are cold hardy and indeed my other hens are doing great and I don't provide any heat in their coop (I just keep it draft free). My concern is that Moa has dropped so many feathers she seems miserable and very cold. She stands in place all day, shivering visibly, nearly entirely inactive. I am especially concerned because the other hens push her outside (which is unusual, since Moa was THE bossy mean top hen until now) and she is then subjected to negative temperature wind chills... and she's missing most of her feathers. I'd simply close her in the coop but she seems cold even in there with extra bedding, and if I did that I'd have to lock everyone inside as that's where the food and water is.
I was alarmed that she was ill, but once I brought her inside my house and she warmed up she was as active, sassy, and happy as ever.
Am I doing any harm by bringing her in when it is bitter cold? I put her back outside when the temperature is above 30 and she seems fine-- active, bossy, normal. She only acts lethargic and miserable when it is very cold.
I'm giving her extra protein to help her in her feather growth.
Thank you for your insights!
My head hen-- a pet barred rock named Moa-- started a really bad molt last week and I am somewhat concerned. She's lost huge tracts of feathers and is lacking both the down and covert feathers on her neck, breast, underwings, back and her entire rear end. I can confirm that it's a molt and not pecking or bullying, and she is growing in healthy pinfeathers. My concern is the timing-- of course, it's been very cold here and our temperatures have been in the single digits with a brisk wind. I have a thermometer in the coop and the other night it was 1°F... outside the windchill had to be -12 or less.
I know barred rocks are cold hardy and indeed my other hens are doing great and I don't provide any heat in their coop (I just keep it draft free). My concern is that Moa has dropped so many feathers she seems miserable and very cold. She stands in place all day, shivering visibly, nearly entirely inactive. I am especially concerned because the other hens push her outside (which is unusual, since Moa was THE bossy mean top hen until now) and she is then subjected to negative temperature wind chills... and she's missing most of her feathers. I'd simply close her in the coop but she seems cold even in there with extra bedding, and if I did that I'd have to lock everyone inside as that's where the food and water is.
I was alarmed that she was ill, but once I brought her inside my house and she warmed up she was as active, sassy, and happy as ever.
Am I doing any harm by bringing her in when it is bitter cold? I put her back outside when the temperature is above 30 and she seems fine-- active, bossy, normal. She only acts lethargic and miserable when it is very cold.
I'm giving her extra protein to help her in her feather growth.
Thank you for your insights!
