phate008
Chirping
I posted about this the other day but I am worried about my smallest chicken. She is 15 months old and started molting 2 weeks ago. She lost half of her feathers. She is small and the runt of the litter. She always has to eat in secret because the middle chicken picks on her and chases her away from everything she wants. We try and feed her on the side and make sure she is getting enough to eat. She is very light and petite while the other 2 girls are stocky.
My other post was that I was worried about her with the cold weather losing all her feathers. I asked about sweaters, aprons, or something to keep her warm. I made her a little apron and she wore it for one night, when it was pretty cold out, but we took it off after reading an article about how they can be more harmful than good.
It has been a few days now and I have noticed a real decrease in her drive, energy, and eating. I know that molting slows their metabolism, but I would feel really bad if she died because I wasn't doing enough. I have read through some other posts here that have scared me.
It has been relatively warmer the last few days and the temp is going to be around 40's-50's for the next couple of days so I am not as much worried about the temp. I am more so worried about her not eating enough and becoming malnourished. I made her scrambled eggs earlier today. She ate a few bites then. Before they went to their perch for the night I made her a mix of a scrambled egg, greek yogurt, and a mix of crumble/layer feed that I soaked in water. She only ate a few bites of this. I went back inside and made a plain scrambled egg. She didn't really want to eat it. I took a small handful of dried mealworms and put it on top. She ate the worms and then ate a little bit of the scrambled eggs with it. She has never been a big eater. She is a glutton for bugs and worms though, she will eat any bug in sight. Her crop wasn't very full when she went up for the night. I am happy that she is still eating and drinking and she still gets excited when she sees mealworms though.
How long does a molt typically take?
How long till she is not in pain?
Anything more that I can do for her?
Anyone have any advice?
For the cold temperature should I get a little heating pad for her perch that she can lie on? There are 3 chickens in total and they all sleep on a board up high that is 8 inches in diameter and 6 feet long.
One last question is that I have noticed that all 3 of the chickens have been eating less. Is this typical for the winter time or cause for concern. Their crops all feel relatively less full than they would be at night a few months ago.
Any help is greatly appreciated. Thanks
My other post was that I was worried about her with the cold weather losing all her feathers. I asked about sweaters, aprons, or something to keep her warm. I made her a little apron and she wore it for one night, when it was pretty cold out, but we took it off after reading an article about how they can be more harmful than good.
It has been a few days now and I have noticed a real decrease in her drive, energy, and eating. I know that molting slows their metabolism, but I would feel really bad if she died because I wasn't doing enough. I have read through some other posts here that have scared me.
It has been relatively warmer the last few days and the temp is going to be around 40's-50's for the next couple of days so I am not as much worried about the temp. I am more so worried about her not eating enough and becoming malnourished. I made her scrambled eggs earlier today. She ate a few bites then. Before they went to their perch for the night I made her a mix of a scrambled egg, greek yogurt, and a mix of crumble/layer feed that I soaked in water. She only ate a few bites of this. I went back inside and made a plain scrambled egg. She didn't really want to eat it. I took a small handful of dried mealworms and put it on top. She ate the worms and then ate a little bit of the scrambled eggs with it. She has never been a big eater. She is a glutton for bugs and worms though, she will eat any bug in sight. Her crop wasn't very full when she went up for the night. I am happy that she is still eating and drinking and she still gets excited when she sees mealworms though.
How long does a molt typically take?
How long till she is not in pain?
Anything more that I can do for her?
Anyone have any advice?
For the cold temperature should I get a little heating pad for her perch that she can lie on? There are 3 chickens in total and they all sleep on a board up high that is 8 inches in diameter and 6 feet long.
One last question is that I have noticed that all 3 of the chickens have been eating less. Is this typical for the winter time or cause for concern. Their crops all feel relatively less full than they would be at night a few months ago.
Any help is greatly appreciated. Thanks