Dixie Chicks

[Amberjem]

Lol i checked on this thread and your all talking about eating flowers. You scare me some times. Alaskin how are the d'anvers?

 

[Amberjem]

man my chickens are looking like nuke victims... everyones molting feathers everywhere

 

[Beer can]

My other older group never hard molted, none of them, weird, never saw that before. Must have grew feathers back as they molted. Broody EE when she was done setting was the only one I noticed missing her tail feathers, none of them ever had bald patches. RIRs I used to have looked like they got chased by a weed wacker when they molted.

 

[Beer can]

Gunna get chicken poop on me cutting firewood I just know it..

 

[perchie.girl]

Gunna get chicken poop on me cutting firewood I just know it..

What you are cutting down their Bleachers To they hold up score cards after you work in the yard?

Awwk I give him a 5.5 how about you Buffy?

deb

 

[Alaskan]

Lol i checked on this thread and your all talking about eating flowers. You scare me some times. Alaskin how are the d'anvers?

Actually, their laying prowess was greatly overrated.

From the three females I kept, I so far have gotten maybe 4 eggs TOTAL, EVER.

At least they are cute -sigh- and the kids like them.

My 3 and 2 year old d'uccle aren't laying yet either.

I think people should pay crazy top dollar for regular ol' Dominiques and Leghorns. Those breeds have awesome vigor and actually lay eggs.

 

[Alaskan]

Gunna get chicken poop on me cutting firewood I just know it..

Gorgeous birds there.

As to molting, I think it is a breed thing. Some look like zombie chickens, some do a stealth molt.

 

[Austinspoultry]

Thats weird maybe there just mad at you or the snows got them delayed.

 

[Alaskan]

Could be

 

[getaclue]

When I began with chickens, I got 2 production hens, and a rooster. When I expanded, I got a couple more production hens. The newcomers were quarantined. They had worms, so I wormed them. I dusted them too. The one hen was bare backed, but during her quarantine, her feathers grew back out. When I finally put them in with the others they looked good. It wasn't long, and the newcomer that had the bald back, was bald again. I couldn't understand it. They were all being fed the same thing, and had plenty of free choice oyster shell, and none of the others were having feather problems like her. She was not the rooster's favorite, nor was she his least favorite, so he was not being rough on her. It didn't affect her laying. She laid good, and her eggs were fine. Fast forward to her first molt.

All the other hens molted, but over time, and regrowth of feathers was normal. She lost all but 2 feathers, all at once, and I didn't see any telltale nubs or signs of regrowth. I wasn't worried about her health, but she was getting sunburned. I put her in a big dog crate on my screened in porch. She had quit laying. I added some canned cat food to her diet for the protein. Everything seemed fine, but no eggs or feathers. The next time I went to the feed store, I got Manna Pro Gamebird/Showbird feed, and began feeding that to her. The next day she laid an egg. I continued with the new diet for her, and in less than two weeks she was covered with nubs. Commercial feeds usually have vegetable proteins, but during molt I find that they also need animal protein. Instead of cat food, I began buying Mackerel, and treating all of them with it at least 3 times a week. Everyone was fine, and she had new growth everywhere, but I kept her on the porch until her feathers had almost completely grown back in. When I put her back with the others, she didn't get a bald back like before. Her feather quality was fine. Her next molt was normal, not all at once.

Now, at the first sign of molt, I get Purina Flock Raiser (it's cheaper), or Manna Pro Gamebird/Showbird feed, and mix it in about 50/50 with their layer feed, and treat them with canned Mackerel, or canned cat food. They seem to regrow their feathers a bit faster, and the feather quality is great.