I have 7 Rhode Island Red hens approximately 1 1/2 years old and one of them is having extreme difficulty with the moulting process. She has lost feathers all over her body, but the new feathers are only little prickly things with a small feather shaft in the middle. She sits in the chicken coop all day unless I force her outside. I have a bowl of water in the chicken coop and have been feeding her adult crumble, Cheerios in the coop, and as of yesterday I started feeding her canned chicken as I read they need more protein at this time. She cries as if she is hurting. What else can I do to help her get her feathers to grow out? I can't afford to take her to a vet. Is this an unusual moulting problem?
Thank you,
Shirley
Thank you,
Shirley