feathers every where ... help

[traybo]

there are feathers everywhere in my hen house and around the yard... no animal has attacked them.. i have them protected. no missing birds.. they arent laying well at all.. but i dont see bare places on them.. i have treated for mites and dont see any so can they be molting in july? and if so how long will this take? thank you

 

[tammye]

could be a molt, I had one who molted in June. They don't lay, their comb gets pale and they are less social/active during the molt. You can give them some BOSS, black oiled sunflower seeds to increase their protein, which they need to grow feathers

 

[traybo]

where do i get boss and how much does it cost? do you no about how long they will be in molt? i have a company that i sell my eggs to and im not getting what i need to give them and just need to no what time frame to tell them?

 

[easttxchick]

Black Oil Sunflower Seed(BOSS). You can get it at any feed store or even WalMart.
You can also add some cat food in with their feed for protein.
Time wise, it's hard to say. Sorry.

 

[6chick*start]

Dumb question ahead ...
Do all breeds molt?

 

[traybo]

you no i have read other post and i see ppl talking of how there chickens are 3 yrs old and have never molted... but good questions.. i like to no the answer to that one my self..

 

[easttxchick]

Some molt more often and molt til their almost naked while others may only lose a few feathers, but they do molt.

 

[amberflea]

I have 3 Brahma Bantys molting now... could be late because they just got done hatching a brood of keets (which I took away).

I have some that have not molted in 2 years...

 

[traybo]

my dominickers that are loosing feathers have already grown back , the feathers look darker... I still see feathers but the big ones now, i was seeign little ones all around but now i just see the big feathers... could this mean they are fixen to start back laying again??

 

[karma]

Are you sure the others aren't picking on someone? Hens definitly have a hierchy in my coop.