Broody Hen loosing feathers and weight...chicks now over month old

[momma chickie]

I noticed she was dropping alot of her feathers around sides and legs....not how she usually molts. I have been letting her out from the nursery pen to run with the other hens during the day and yesterday I got a hold of her and noticed that she was very skinny! She is usually pretty stout! She is acting normal and eager to eat. I started supplementing with whole milk yogurt and eggs along with fresh power greens and spaghetti squash.
Did she lose weight because she was only getting off of her nest once a day? I also noticed she would wait for her chicks to eat before she would eat....which is why I have her out of the baby pen during the day now.

Is this normal or shojld I be really concerned.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

I would be concerned but probably fixable. Are you in the US/Canada?
It isn't unusual for a broody hen to lose weight since they only eat once a day or less.
At over a month old, there isn't a reason not to let them range and live with the rest of the flock. I usually put them all together at a week or two of age.
Personally, I would lay off the greens, squash and yogurt, the eggs are ok but the other things, as healthy as they are, don't contribute to a balanced diet. She needs protein and a complete array of amino acids to put on muscle. greens and squash are pretty low in protein.
I would switch the whole flock to a chick starter about 18-20% protein, with oyster shell in a separate container for the layers.
It isn't uncommon for a broody to start molting, expecially this time of year or if the 'nursery pen' is on the dark side.
What breeds are they?

 

[nchls school]

She may need to be wormed, deloused, and dusted for mites.

 

[momma chickie]

She may need to be wormed, deloused, and dusted for mites.

I check my chickens frequently for mite/lice...and give them DE ocassionally as a natural dewormer...considering growing up we always had chickens and never wormed them, they survived just fine...I think our animals are becoming very pampered.

 

[momma chickie]

I would be concerned but probably fixable. Are you in the US/Canada?
It isn't unusual for a broody hen to lose weight since they only eat once a day or less.
At over a month old, there isn't a reason not to let them range and live with the rest of the flock. I usually put them all together at a week or two of age.
Personally, I would lay off the greens, squash and yogurt, the eggs are ok but the other things, as healthy as they are, don't contribute to a balanced diet. She needs protein and a complete array of amino acids to put on muscle. greens and squash are pretty low in protein.
I would switch the whole flock to a chick starter about 18-20% protein, with oyster shell in a separate container for the layers.
It isn't uncommon for a broody to start molting, especially this time of year or if the 'nursery pen' is on the dark side.
What breeds are they?

She is a Golden Laced Wyandotte...I can't let the chicks out yet because we have crows and hawks (they don't bother the hens but the little ones are dove sized and they go after them. I also don't want them perching this young because our neighborhood has a rat problem (lots of fruit and nut trees) and I know rats will go after young chicks...
They need the greens because they have eaten all the foliage in the yard and are going after anything green...they need the greens for that reason. I also give meal worms for more protein and have been supplementing with chick starter. I just had a hen recover from sour crop and she is still light eating, she likes the spaghetti squash so I mix it with the yogurt and eggs to encourage her to eat more.
I also bake the egg shells and crush them up finely and put them in the yard for them...so they are getting calcium that way. The majority of the diet is still their lay feed and chick starter. I was thinking since it doesn't look like her normal molt that she may have been under nourished from brooding and not eating much...
I will keep an eye on her for sure.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

I'm assuming the chicks don't have access to the layer feed.

 

[centrarchid]

Check for lice again. Feather loss will not correct for this season. I like to make so the birds have frequent access to dust bathing area. DE OK in dust, but will not impact worms in digestive tract.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Hi there.

I have deleted my response to all of the things that would be considered crazy ignorance here (at my house).. realizing we all have different ideas (or concerns) whether I agree with them or not, so I can share some support that might get received instead... in the spirit of a friendly and caring BYC!

Anyways.. Yes, nutrition has heavy impact on feathers AND several of my (excessively) broody hens in the past would essentially have mini molts near the end of brooding.. and return to lay in their normal broody time frame... NEVER experiencing a full fall/winter molt. I never saw any fallout to make me consider it a truly negative thing and even figured that lacking a full molt cycle helped counteract the lack of eggs when allowed to brood.. which is often not less than 8 -12 weeks. Yes, I also have had to treat for lice but these mini molts were very different and did correct right away within the same season.

Personally, I would lay off the greens, squash and yogurt, the eggs are ok but the other things, as healthy as they are, don't contribute to a balanced diet. She needs protein and a complete array of amino acids to put on muscle. greens and squash are pretty low in protein.

Agreed 100%.. noting that supplementing eggs from a flock eating the same feed stuff may be missing the same nutrients needed! Also, eggs are 64% fat and 34% protein by energy. Meal worms are also higher fat.

Something that is fair in protein and might be a fun treat is peas.. frozen peas are a great cool me down in summer and I hear some folks freeze smaller amounts inside ice cubes so the birds work to get to them.. increasing overall enrichment value at the same time.

DE OK in dust, but will not impact worms in digestive tract.

Yep, it even states on the package that it does NOT work in wet environments (not hear say).. which everything inside a chicken IS wet.

I check my chickens frequently for mite/lice...and give them DE ocassionally as a natural dewormer...considering growing up we always had chickens and never wormed them, they survived just fine...I think our animals are becoming very pampered.

Parasite control and nutrition is a matter of health to me and not a matter of luxury to be considered pampering.

Check your DE package and see what it says about wet environments, please. Share it with us!

As an American I feel so thankful for the knowledge and tools available to me to not have to face all the blight that so many still developing countries are facing.. even their people deal with internal parasites and just access to clean (poo and parasite or bacteria free, not meager dirt or algae) water. Thank God I don't have to do things the same way parents did! Get a group fecal float and confirm your internal parasite load whether it needs to be treated or NOT and if so treat with the correct medication... or treat with DE and report your numbers after a follow up fecal float! Only round worms will ever be seen in droppings. All others stay inside the intestines and only the microscopic oocysts (eggs) will pass to never be seen by the naked eye.

Save yourself some time and maybe gas/electricity, don't bake the eggs shells.. just let them dry out. Then crush coarsely instead of fine as it needs to be large source calcium for them to absorb it. Too fine and it goes through the gizzard to fast is my current understanding.

After working with tons of breeds, I'm just starting my Wyandotte adventure. Please, post a pic of your lady and her brood if you are able!

 

[momma chickie]

Hi there.

I have deleted my response to all of the things that would be considered crazy ignorance here (at my house).. realizing we all have different ideas (or concerns) whether I agree with them or not, so I can share some support that might get received instead... in the spirit of a friendly and caring BYC!

Anyways.. Yes, nutrition has heavy impact on feathers AND several of my (excessively) broody hens in the past would essentially have mini molts near the end of brooding.. and return to lay in their normal broody time frame... NEVER experiencing a full fall/winter molt. I never saw any fallout to make me consider it a truly negative thing and even figured that lacking a full molt cycle helped counteract the lack of eggs when allowed to brood.. which is often not less than 8 -12 weeks. Yes, I also have had to treat for lice but these mini molts were very different and did correct right away within the same season.


Agreed 100%.. noting that supplementing eggs from a flock eating the same feed stuff may be missing the same nutrients needed! Also, eggs are 64% fat and 34% protein by energy. Meal worms are also higher fat.

Something that is fair in protein and might be a fun treat is peas.. frozen peas are a great cool me down in summer and I hear some folks freeze smaller amounts inside ice cubes so the birds work to get to them.. increasing overall enrichment value at the same time.


Yep, it even states on the package that it does NOT work in wet environments (not hear say).. which everything inside a chicken IS wet.


Parasite control and nutrition is a matter of health to me and not a matter of luxury to be considered pampering.

Check your DE package and see what it says about wet environments, please. Share it with us!

As an American I feel so thankful for the knowledge and tools available to me to not have to face all the blight that so many still developing countries are facing.. even their people deal with internal parasites and just access to clean (poo and parasite or bacteria free, not meager dirt or algae) water. Thank God I don't have to do things the same way parents did! Get a group fecal float and confirm your internal parasite load whether it needs to be treated or NOT and if so treat with the correct medication... or treat with DE and report your numbers after a follow up fecal float! Only round worms will ever be seen in droppings. All others stay inside the intestines and only the microscopic oocysts (eggs) will pass to never be seen by the naked eye.

Save yourself some time and maybe gas/electricity, don't bake the eggs shells.. just let them dry out. Then crush coarsely instead of fine as it needs to be large source calcium for them to absorb it. Too fine and it goes through the gizzard to fast is my current understanding.

After working with tons of breeds, I'm just starting my Wyandotte adventure. Please, post a pic of your lady and her brood if you are able!

Thank you for the info...question, what is a fecal float?

Here is my Goldie...she was a surrogate mommy

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Thank you for the info...question, what is a fecal float?

Here is my Goldie...she was a surrogate mommy

Wow, that truly brought a joyful smile to my face. Thank you for sharing, they're lovely!

Surrogate mumms seem extra special too.

A fecal float just means collecting a sample of droppings (poop) and have it tested by a lab, usually your local vet but there are some mail in companies that may be more affordable. I bought my own microscope since I have a wide array of animals. Group (same species only, ie: dog, chicken, cat) sample would be taking as many fresh samples as you can into one test to get a broad picture of the overall flock (herd, pack, etc) condition while diminishing how much we spend.. at one time my flock was 82 birds strong and testing each individual is simply not feasible. The labs use a solution to soak the sample, some spin it, and then place a portion on a slide to look under the microscope to count how many eggs they see and which different species are there. If the egg or species count is consider high, according to parameters set within the industry, then they would suggest treatment. They are usually looking at protozoa (coccidia) as well as worms. I haven't started running my own "floats" yet, but when I do I intend to still have the professional one done to test my results against to ensure I'm getting it right. That's just a general description though that should give you good basic idea and very likely not the exact steps. Thank you for asking!