Chicken feathers breaking at the base

[mccaffertyln]

Hi all!

I have something wrong with one of my barred rock chicken. She is about 1.5 years old and up until now has had no problems.

3 days ago I woke up to a ton of her feathers in the run, and since then almost all of them have broken off. We have checked her for lice and mites, in the day and at night, and nothing! I have checked all the other chickens as well and no sign of bugs. No other chicken is having a problem with feathers. It’s to the point where her skin and everything is VERY visible so I’m certain it’s not a bug problem. But what else could it be?

She is eating and drinking ok but a little shaky. I’m questioning though if that is from being cold with no feathers. This is a very sudden thing, just three days since it started.

I’m puzzled and don’t know how to help her!

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Hi, welcome to BYC!

Sounds like she is molting, which is completely normal for a hens second winter. All will do it, they will vary when it happens by individual. Some will have a harder molt than others many losing more feathers. And it will happen every year after that, as it is how they get new feathers that will work better than old ragged ones. During this time they should not lay eggs as feathers are made of 90% protein and it's amino acids. So all of their energy goes into regrowing feather. You can help by providing a little extra protein. They usually return to lay after daylight starts increasing again. They don't technically need the extra calcium of layer either. Some people switch to a flock raiser or grower (18-22% protein) and put oyster shell on the side for those still laying.

I use flock raiser year round with OS on the side since I have dual purpose birds that are varying in age from just hatched to juvenile, layer, broody, molting, rooster...

Also should note this a barred rock we are talking about... 16% protein is the minimum need to sustain light bodied layers like leghorn. Dual purpose breed like Rocks, Wyandotte, and Marans will do better with more protein than that. Plus it's been shown to give better hatches and chick vitality which to me says better nutrition in the eggs my family is eating. Show breeders know that it gives fuller/shinier feathers as well. it cost a little more because protein is pricier than OS, but I save by putting the OS on the side. I think it even out.

Give high protein snack to your molting girl like eggs, tuna, meal worms, chicken, beef, peas. While making sure you don't give more than 10% total daily value in low quality treats like corn and lettuce type stuff as they have no nutritional value.

Usually during molt they are uncomfortable so their behavior may be a little different than normal, maybe not as friendly.

That being said, sometimes the stress of molting can bring out illness that you didn't know they had. So keep your eye out, but currently I think you don't have a problem!

Hope this helps.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Forgot to include my link with nutrition stuff. One misprint says 5-17% protein and should say 15-17%...
http://ucanr.edu/sites/poultry/files/186894.pdf

 

[mccaffertyln]

Thanks! I had a couple of my other chickens molt in the fall, late sept-early October, that’s why I didn’t think this was molting. It seems so late!!

Hi, welcome to BYC!

Sounds like she is molting, which is completely normal for a hens second winter. All will do it, they will vary when it happens by individual. Some will have a harder molt than others many losing more feathers. And it will happen every year after that, as it is how they get new feathers that will work better than old ragged ones. During this time they should not lay eggs as feathers are made of 90% protein and it's amino acids. So all of their energy goes into regrowing feather. You can help by providing a little extra protein. They usually return to lay after daylight starts increasing again. They don't technically need the extra calcium of layer either. Some people switch to a flock raiser or grower (18-22% protein) and put oyster shell on the side for those still laying.

I use flock raiser year round with OS on the side since I have dual purpose birds that are varying in age from just hatched to juvenile, layer, broody, molting, rooster...

Also should note this a barred rock we are talking about... 16% protein is the minimum need to sustain light bodied layers like leghorn. Dual purpose breed like Rocks, Wyandotte, and Marans will do better with more protein than that. Plus it's been shown to give better hatches and chick vitality which to me says better nutrition in the eggs my family is eating. Show breeders know that it gives fuller/shinier feathers as well. it cost a little more because protein is pricier than OS, but I save by putting the OS on the side. I think it even out.

Give high protein snack to your molting girl like eggs, tuna, meal worms, chicken, beef, peas. While making sure you don't give more than 10% total daily value in low quality treats like corn and lettuce type stuff as they have no nutritional value.

Usually during molt they are uncomfortable so their behavior may be a little different than normal, maybe not as friendly.

That being said, sometimes the stress of molting can bring out illness that you didn't know they had. So keep your eye out, but currently I think you don't have a problem!

Hope this helps.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Thanks! I had a couple of my other chickens molt in the fall, late sept-early October, that’s why I didn’t think this was molting. It seems so late!!

Ah yes. It varies for my girls and have even had some molt in January. If you've seen molt before and this doesn't look like that, then maybe it is something else. But if it's just because the timing seems off, then probably still molt.

My Rock and Marans are pretty close to done and have started laying again just not as often. But I have an Easter Egger that is mid molt right now and looks a fright.

The other thing that would cause an explosion of feathers would be a predator. But that isn't indicated by your post.

 

[mccaffertyln]

The timing was throwing me off but also the fact that she lost a TON of feathers practically overnight, from head to tail. Tail feathers gone, soft down feathers gone, head, neck, everywhere! I thought molt was more head to tail. My others I couldn’t see her skin unless I lifted her feathers still remaining but this one I can see her skin from 5 feet away.

No predators. She’s still acting normal. Maybe it’s molt?

 

[EggSighted4Life]

The timing was throwing me off but also the fact that she lost a TON of feathers practically overnight, from head to tail. Tail feathers gone, soft down feathers gone, head, neck, everywhere! I thought molt was more head to tail. My others I couldn’t see her skin unless I lifted her feathers still remaining but this one I can see her skin from 5 feet away.

No predators. She’s still acting normal. Maybe it’s molt?

Yes, sound more like a hard molt. Overnight is often how it happens. Each bird will be a little different.

Since I have raised in excess of 100 birds, I have seen lots of things I wouldn't expect. This does sound completely normal.

Hopefully she will recover quickly. And she probably will, since the rate at which they grow back is often relative to the rate at which they lost them. Just don't make the mistake that a lot of people do, claiming feeding corn keeps your birds warm as it simply isn't true. A calorie is a calorie and the birds body produces it's heat the same, better to give nutritious calories than empty ones. And as noted by my previous posts corn will not benefit feather growth.

Making it through molt can be a little challenging but since everybody goes through it, I'm just glad your girl is actually well!