Help....Changed food. Losing Feathers & stopped laying.

[vgl42]

Help.,

I was unable to get the same food as normal and my 2 RIRs have not been eating. This has been going on for just over a week. Egg laying stopped and now they are starting to lose feathers.

I tried to supplement with vegetables and other seeds, etc, and they seem to eat it, but not sure it they are getting enough.

They seem to be lethargic the last few hours....

Any ideas?

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

Quote:
How old are they? New layers? Could it be coccidiosis if they are very young hens? Normal poo? Losing feathers would be normal at around 18 months.

Do they have respiratory symptoms? Have you checked for mites and lice? Have you ever wormed them?

 

[vgl42]

I got them this year and was told they were around a year old. That would make them at least 18 months old.

I just noticed that they are both in the nest huddling. I did not see lice, etc. Not sure about the worming.

The poo I do see seems normal..

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

Did they spring back or are they still sick?

 

[vgl42]

So they did not lay again today. It appears that one of them is really losing her feathers, because I am starting to see bare patches. The other may not be losing them.

I bought some pigeon feed (just to see if they would eat something) and them seem to be eating that a bit, but not too much.

I noticed they have a bit more energy today compared to yesterday.

I usually get their feed at a place where I got the chickens, but that is about 2+ hours away. I am unable to get back there for the next little while, so I bought the different chicken feed nearby and this seems to have triggered it....they really do not like eating it....didn't know I had such picky high class birds...LOL.

Could this be normal molting?

 

[Kittymomma]

You know, it really sounds like they may be going into a molt and the change in feed might just be coincidence. It's the right time of year and they're the right age for their first big molt. Giving them a higher protien feed can get them thru a molt a bit faster though so you may keep that in mind when you go to buy feed next time.

 

[Lady Dre]

I wouldn't be worried. It just sounds like they are molting. Everything you mentioned seems to indicate normal molting symptoms.

 

[vgl42]

This group is awesome

I am feeling a bit better. Hopefully they will get back to themselves soon.

So it is normal for laying to stop during the molt?

 

[Kittymomma]

Yep, they either slow way down or stop alltogether and it can go on for weeks. On the bright side when they do start laying again the eggs are likely to be huge--not as many, but jumbo size.

 

[Lady Dre]

Yes, it is. Most of my hens molt all at once, hopefully yours will too. My one poor hen, Leedy has been molting for almost a year. She molts in small short spurts. Everytime she starts, she gets moody and lethagic, then stops laying. They should be back to normal in about two weeks.