Fowl Pox, broodyness now molting?

[ChickenKelly]

My 6 month old hen and all of the other girls 1st came down with fowl pox.. I gained good information from the this site and I had no worries, about 3 weeks after I had one hen go broody for over a month! NOW... the same hen is molting. Will I ever start getting eggs from her again? She hasn't layed for most of the summer! How long will this 1st molt take. I only have 5 hens (City law) When lil miss broody stopped laying I am now only getting 3 eggs a day! I miss my 4 or 5 egg days!

Anything I can do to speed up the process?

 

[Den in Penn]

A good diet with high protein will help with the recovery from molt.

 

[daver]

I have to concur with Den.

Our BOs went broody during the heat of the summer, then came up with fowl pox. Laying went to nothing for a while. Broodiness and heat related I believe.

I did boost the protein since there were new chicks involved and eventually went back to layer feed this week.

However, they did start laying at their usual rate.

Dave

 

[ChickenKelly]

Thank you so much for the support, knowing I'm not the only person with non-laying chickens! How long are they typically molting?

 

[ChickenKelly]

Thank you! I will go to the feed store on Tuesday!

 

[Den in Penn]

Molts can vary in lenght of time and severity, A light molt they lose a few feathers at a time and may only slow down laying. A light molt may take two to three months, In a hard molt they lose most of their feathers at one time, and usually stop laying to concentrate on growing feathers. Hard molts can be a little more than a month. Molts can range in their severity. Each bird is a individual and factors can vary. Most of mine are going through a slow molt now. My rooster has lost his primary flight feathers. He likes to jump/ fly up to the day perch and crow, its three feet up. Well the last couple of days he's had to work harder to get up there. The puny new feathers just don't give him the lift he expects.