Concerned about one of my chickens

[vweers]

One of them decided to molt in the cold weather. She is clearly cold, she is shivering. Her feathers are coming in and she has feathers but she is cold. You can feel it when you hold her. We tried to put a sweater on her, I didn't want to but I also don't want to lose her to being so cold. That didn't work, she kept getting her feet caught in it plus she wouldn't walk in it much and acted like she had no balance either. We can't and don't want to heat the coop. Any suggestions to helping her so she doesn't get sick. We have another night or two before it starts get above freezing but then we realize that this is just the beginning of winter so not sure how cold it will be. WE typically have fairly milld winters as usually in the 40's and 30's during the day. Just seeing if there is anything else I can do to help her. She isn't sick but she is small but she is eating. We give her scratch grains right before bed (all of them). Any ideas?

 

[Mrs. K]

Don't worry about it. Several of mine look terrible, bare spots, new feathers coming in, tufts hanging. This is one of the questions I would like to ask mother nature, "Why at the beginning of winter?" However, that IS the time of molting, and they should come through it with 'flying colors' pun intended! I do think the cold weather makes the feathers come in quicker.

If you have a fairly decent set up, as in they can get out of the wind, and get dried off, good ventilation, she and any others will be fine. Did not make above 20 degrees here today, and snowy. Mine were out and about pecking and a scratching.

Sometimes those new feathers are a bit tender, so the sweater probably was pretty uncomfortable. Really it is better to just let nature take its course.

Mrs K

 

[vweers]

Don't worry about it. Several of mine look terrible, bare spots, new feathers coming in, tufts hanging. This is one of the questions I would like to ask mother nature, "Why at the beginning of winter?" However, that IS the time of molting, and they should come through it with 'flying colors' pun intended! I do think the cold weather makes the feathers come in quicker.

If you have a fairly decent set up, as in they can get out of the wind, and get dried off, good ventilation, she and any others will be fine. Did not make above 20 degrees here today, and snowy. Mine were out and about pecking and a scratching.

Sometimes those new feathers are a bit tender, so the sweater probably was pretty uncomfortable. Really it is better to just let nature take its course.

Mrs K

Thanks. I figured it was just suggested. So I tried it but she was not happy about it at all. So I will just do what I can and watch her.