Helping my neighbor...

[greggooo]

I have only had chickens for 5 months now, and learned SO much online and especially through this site and forum. It's amazing.

My neighbor has just rescued 6 chickens. The rooster looks great. But the hens. Wow. She said that she got them from a shady guy who had so many in a small shed. Looks to me that they got pecked and picked and maybe they are stressed out and molting. Most are nearly completely missing their tail feathers. She got a nice coop from Brad's Barns and has a good predator apron and they are secure there now with plenty of room. What do I tell her in terms of healing? They probably need a higher protein feed, right? And since we are about to dip into the teens, I am assuming they should have heat until they regrow their feathers? Poor things. Any advice would be appreciated!

 

[17 chickens]

The first thing is to check for lice, mites, scaly leg mites and worm them. You can feed them a product called feather fixer by nutrena it's a little more money and it does help them. Or you can increase the amount of protein by feeding them warm oatmeal or fermenting their feed. Good luck to you!

 

[jane s chickens]

Look like red sex link hens. Give them more protein

 

[greggooo]

The first thing is to check for lice, mites, scaly leg mites and worm them. You can feed them a product called feather fixer by nutrena it's a little more money and it does help them. Or you can increase the amount of protein by feeding them warm oatmeal or fermenting their feed. Good luck to you!

And that as their feed for awhile?

 

[greggooo]

Look like red sex link hens. Give them more protein

Wow. There's a long way to go to make them look like the google image results for red sex link hens. Poor things.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

If the housing has good wind protection, they most likely do not need additional heat. Adding heat can create issues of it's own if not careful - not only is it a fire hazard but these birds are probably already acclimated to not being kept warm. Once heat is introduced it would need to be kept for the whole winter, also if there happens to be a power outage and no heat is available, they will suffer unless other accommodations can be found quickly.

Looks like the hens are over-mated and possibly were kept in a small area - rooster damage accompanied by getting into/out of nesting boxes, feather picking have more than likely all contributed to the feather loss and breakage. If they came with a rooster - he may need to be housed/caged separately in order for the girls to have a little peace and be able to grow in some new feathers. Broken feathers and places where the feather shaft is still intact in the skin will not grow back in until they molt. But pure bare skin, you should see new growth coming in shortly with a good diet.

The first steps I would suggest taking is to offer a higher protein feed like an all flock/flock raiser feed (18-20% protein). If all she has is layer, then offer protein like chopped egg, tuna or meat. A good poultry vitamin in the water a couple of days a week for about 2wks, then go to once a week for a while. (Poultry Nutri-Drench, Rooster Booster, etc.)
Limit treats to no more than 5-10% of daily intake. A little scratch goes a long way, they may also enjoy some fresh greens, veggies and a little fruit too.

Check them over well for any lice/mites and treat with a permethrin base poultry spray or dust. Dusting may be better in cold weather.

 

[Sunshine Flock]

Now that they've been removed from a stressful environment, they may start regrowing their feathers soon, but if mites or other parasites are involved, as suggested, that will need to be resolved first.

How old are they?

 

[greggooo]

Now that they've been removed from a stressful environment, they may start regrowing their feathers soon, but if mites or other parasites are involved, as suggested, that will need to be resolved first.

How old are they?

I will find out.

 

[greggooo]

If the housing has good wind protection, they most likely do not need additional heat. Adding heat can create issues of it's own if not careful - not only is it a fire hazard but these birds are probably already acclimated to not being kept warm. Once heat is introduced it would need to be kept for the whole winter, also if there happens to be a power outage and no heat is available, they will suffer unless other accommodations can be found quickly.

Looks like the hens are over-mated and possibly were kept in a small area - rooster damage accompanied by getting into/out of nesting boxes, feather picking have more than likely all contributed to the feather loss and breakage. If they came with a rooster - he may need to be housed/caged separately in order for the girls to have a little peace and be able to grow in some new feathers. Broken feathers and places where the feather shaft is still intact in the skin will not grow back in until they molt. But pure bare skin, you should see new growth coming in shortly with a good diet.

The first steps I would suggest taking is to offer a higher protein feed like an all flock/flock raiser feed (18-20% protein). If all she has is layer, then offer protein like chopped egg, tuna or meat. A good poultry vitamin in the water a couple of days a week for about 2wks, then go to once a week for a while. (Poultry Nutri-Drench, Rooster Booster, etc.)
Limit treats to no more than 5-10% of daily intake. A little scratch goes a long way, they may also enjoy some fresh greens, veggies and a little fruit too.

Check them over well for any lice/mites and treat with a permethrin base poultry spray or dust. Dusting may be better in cold weather.

Thank you for the advice. They are missing a lot of feathers and it's dipping into the 10s and teens next week. The coop is solid, but not really insulated. Still no heat? Until they grow feathers?

 

[sylviethecochin]

Cold stimulates feather growth, and having their body temperatures constantly adjusting to different temps hurts more than it helps. So long as there are no drafts, I would say keep them in the coop.