Hen gets sick when molting?

[Chold05]

Hi all
Curious if anyone else has experienced a hen getting sick every molt? Like clock work every year… green loose poo, weight loss, excessive drinking.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Some hens seem to struggle during molt.

The excessive drinking - is her crop emptying overnight? I'd check that.

Green poop can be from not eating well. Often a molting hen goes off feed, so you can try enticing her with a bit of wet feed with buttermilk stirred in, bits of scrambled egg or some other tasty something like sardines or tuna.

 

[My Very First 6 Chickens]

Hi all
Curious if anyone else has experienced a hen getting sick every molt? Like clock work every year… green loose poo, weight loss, excessive drinking.

I noticed the following:
* eating less/less enthusiastic during feeding
* standoffis
* more cautious/insecure
* less vocal
* less energy
* loose poop and one with bright yellow uria
* Sleeping in nest to avoid roost drama
* going to roost earlier
* 2 hens developed a single swollen eye. One I treated and 1 I did not. Both hens recovered.

I have 5 18 month old hens that i observe more often than i should. All of these changes i mentioned above; I have noticed, seem to be of minimal concern as long as certain other behaviors are present.
If said hen doesnt except a favorable treat, or doesnt hang with the flock, i think would be cause for concern. All above symptoms have come and gone with 3 of the 5 i have seen molting. They always will except treats and respond expectedly no matter the symptoms. I think if there is a healthy environment in the run/coop with ample space, as well as fresh water & feed and some healthy fresh veggies, safe, free range time, and extra protein for the molters things seem to work out for those resilient fluffy butts! Good luck to u and you flock

 

[My Very First 6 Chickens]

I noticed the following:
* eating less/less enthusiastic during feeding
* standoffis
* more cautious/insecure
* less vocal
* less energy
* loose poop and one with bright yellow uria
* Sleeping in nest to avoid roost drama
* going to roost earlier
* 2 hens developed a single swollen eye. One I treated and 1 I did not. Both hens recovered.

I have 5 18 month old hens that i observe more often than i should. All of these changes i mentioned above; I have noticed, seem to be of minimal concern as long as certain other behaviors are present.
If said hen doesnt except a favorable treat, or doesnt hang with the flock, i think would be cause for concern. All above symptoms have come and gone with 3 of the 5 i have seen molting. They always will except treats and respond expectedly no matter the symptoms. I think if there is a healthy environment in the run/coop with ample space, as well as fresh water & feed and some healthy fresh veggies, safe, free range time, and extra protein for the molters things seem to work out for those resilient fluffy butts! Good luck to u and you flock

One of my molters shows no interest when i do our morning feed so to see where shes at, I offer her some from my hand on the side away from the general flock and she gobbles it all up, so to me, its an indication that shes standoffish rather than not having an appetite. Shes holdin' her own and currently has zero tail feathers. Free range time is like a therapeutic reprieve for them and such an important part of a healthy flock in my opinion.

 

[Chold05]

One of my molters shows no interest when i do our morning feed so to see where shes at, I offer her some from my hand on the side away from the general flock and she gobbles it all up, so to me, its an indication that shes standoffish rather than not having an appetite. Shes holdin' her own and currently has zero tail feathers. Free range time is like a therapeutic reprieve for them and such an important part of a healthy flock in my opinion.

That's a great point.... I took her aside from the others this morning and gave her options between wet mash and some scrambled egg. She ate about 1 whole scrambled egg, so at least that's something. Last year I spent hours trying to bribe her with food and the only thing she would eat was Honest worm meal worms... So I stocked up on those and have them ready just in case!

 

[Chold05]

Some hens seem to struggle during molt.

The excessive drinking - is her crop emptying overnight? I'd check that.

Green poop can be from not eating well. Often a molting hen goes off feed, so you can try enticing her with a bit of wet feed with buttermilk stirred in, bits of scrambled egg or some other tasty something like sardines or tuna.

I checked her crop this morning and sure enough it was full and firm. This exact thing happened last year when she was molting and isn't a problem any other time. She does have ascites, so I'm thinking it has to be linked.

I gave her some coconut oil and massaged it. It loosened up really well, but didn't fully empty. Last year the vet gave us some shots to help her GI tract move along. Not really sure how much it helped. I seemed to have success with a crop bra (albeit, that was my last resort. We had tried everything under the sun from antibiotics, GI shots, soft food diet, labs and xrays up until that point)

SOOO in the bra she goes! Hate to put that on her while she's molting but.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I would start with the coconut oil and wet soupy feed first to see if it starts to empty.

Some molting birds, ime, do struggle, so if you can help them with symptoms (supportive care) for a few weeks, then they do much better.