Chicken Stopped Laying and Losing Feathers

[cchin]

Good plan we will try free range too...just have to work on our dog! I am going to switch them to a higher protein feed to see if that will help.

 

[JulieAGill]

I have 5 hens: one is a bantam (came from the wild neighborhood chickens), an americauna, three that are supposedly maran's,(not sure if spelled right two are black and one looks more like a rhode island red. I also have a 6th one that was also from the neighborhood chickens, she is almost 4 months old.
Of the 5 my bantam lost her tail feathers, some wing feathers and other random feathers throughout her whole body. She now has little white feathers poking through her other feathers and has not laid an egg since March or April. She went broody on me (not the first time). The other times she went back to laying (she is also the only one who lays tan eggs). This time she hasn't gone back to laying. The 5 are a year old this week.
One of the black ones also lost her tail feathers and my americauna is now randomly losing her feathers and not in any one particular place. I picked her up the other day and about 10 feathers fell off of her. The other day I looked in the hen house and there were white feathers everywhere. The run itself looks like her and a black one got into a fight there are black and white feathers everywhere.
I am in Sacramento and our weather goes from the 80's to 100's.
They are all eating somewhat during the day and a lot at night before they go to bed. I check to see if their crops are full. I know with the heat they tend to eat less just like we do. They have been going through water like crazy and I have two water containers for them each a gallon. so they are drinking at least a gallon a day.
I have been giving them feather fixer (which they love) along with their layena food. Yesterday I actually bought layena pellets since the feather fixer is in pellet form and I mixed some feather fixer in with the other food so they weren't just eating the fixer.
I have checked them all for any type of bug and don't see anything. They are acting perfectly normal, just losing feathers, one not laying at all and the others I get from 1-3 eggs a day but since the rest lay different shades of green eggs I'm not always sure who is laying them and who isn't.
Any suggestions or thoughts are greatly appreciated.

 

[cchin]

Hi @JulieAGill based on the advice people gave me on this question I would say molting. My americauna laid one egg the day I asked this question and then hasn't laid one since. So it's been about a week. Our other birds that are losing feathers are still laying as normal. I have switched them to a higher protein diet to help. My birds are the same age as yours and seem to be doing similar things.

 

[JulieAGill]

Okay, thank you cchin, at least they aren't doing this when it's colder. Today there were no eggs, not sure if it's the heat or molting. They do seem to be picking on each other more too. I may end up having to put blinders on them because it's more than one doing it now. One of them even pecks me if I'm not careful. Have three bruises on my legs where she got me the little stinker.

 

[cchin]

@JulieAGill sounds like our Rhode Island Reds haha. They actually scare the crap out of me! Always in my face.

One thing that was suggested to us to get them to stop picking on each other and just make them all around happier was to make a cabbage piñata. Literally hang a cabbage so they have to jump up a little to grab at it. Gives them a few hours of fun.

We have been giving our girls a lot of vegetables to keep them busy and to get our reds to stop picking on our others. Maybe try giving them a few heads a lettuce and a cabbage piñata when you can to keep them off of each other.

We just changed ours to a higher protein feed so I will update in a week and let you know how they are coming along and if we start getting any more eggs. Let me know how things work out with you.

 

[JulieAGill]

I've given them cabbage but I will hang it higher. It's their birthday week so I got them a special treat block. I think I will get a suet block holder and put the treat in it and hang it up. I will be home all next week. I am actually thinking of setting up my video camera to record which ones are the stinkers. I think it's at least 3 out of the 5. I have one who was sick for awhile and is real tame and sweet. Her little back end is bald from being pecked and feathers haven't grown back yet. I am thinking of putting her in with my little hen who is 4 months old. I really want to acclimate them all together so I can open up the smaller area we wired off for Star. Anyway, yes, please keep me posted and thank you for the feedback. It makes me feel much better. Oh, I am also giving them food with higher protein mixed with their layena. I also give them meal worms.

 

[cchin]

Hello. Just wanted to update. My chicken I wrote about in this post ended up passing away yesterday. Not sure why but she just continued to go down hill. Her feathers came back but she stopped laying, got thin, and then passed.

 

[JulieAGill]

Oh, I'm so sorry for your loss. Even though they are chickens we get attached to the silly things and it's still hard to lose one. My little bantam has still not laid an egg (the last one being maybe in March), but, she is acting perfecting normal. I am beginning to think she dried up in there. They are going through a molt but it's not in the way others describe and they started at around a year old. I have read on this site that molting doesn't necessarily occur in the fall, it can occur in the spring and summer. Mine did not lose all their feathers except their long tail feathers. My americauna is molting now and is very cranky, picking on some of the others quite aggressively I might add. I am going on vacation for a week and have a friend coming over to take care of them, but she can't be there all day. I may end up putting blinders on all of them at least while I'm gone. It might do them some good. Again, I am sorry about your hen.

 

[cchin]

Thanks so much. I know its silly but it is sad when they pass...the girl in me sheds a few tears every time I lose an animal...I make a terrible farmer! But I will miss her! She was my favorite hen in the group.

A friend told me that often his hens will stop laying in the summer. Apparently the heat can cause that. We have been getting less eggs but she was the only one that stopped laying completely...that I know of. Was easy to tell with her because she was the only one laying blue eggs.

Good luck with your hen! I hope she starts laying again for you soon.

 

[JulieAGill]

It's not silly. I had a baby that I tried to save for three days. I bawled my eyes out. Then I had one with a severe crooked beak that I had to have put down and again I bawled. I get so attached. Even to the ones that aren't in my possession, they run free in my back yard. There are 23 new babies running around with their two moms right now.

The one hen that isn't laying is the only one that lays tan eggs. The others are laying but very seldom do I get 3 a day. The average is 1-2. I try to collect the eggs from the free ranging wild hens, that is when I can find them. Obviously there were nests I didn't find, thus the 23 babies. Our weather has been in the high 90's up to 106 the last month. Could be a factor, I'm not sure. Oh, the tan layer went broody on me, then started the molting. So, we will see if she starts up again. If not and as long as she is healthy I'm not going to worry about her. I actually do have a 22 week old hen that should start laying soon. We can't eat the eggs fast enough. I give them away sometimes.