Hi I’m hoping you all have suggestions for me. I have a beautiful white Cochin who each year struggles with her moult. She loses her appetite and goes completely off feed for five to six weeks. She only relies on insects in her yard during this time for nourishment. She is not free range and therefore cant get enough of her needs through insects. She’s known for doing harmful things during this time to herself. In 2018 she ate gobs of poke berries and made her sick with her liver (face turned jaundice etc). In 2019 she ate leaves from a Japanese yew shrub and same thing. I’ve got her fenced out of everything bad but today she was after a bug I guess and hooked her beak on hardware cloth and cracked the tip which will no doubt fall off and also damaged the top beak right as it meets the comb. I have ordered her some crickets online to help get her through this but can anyone explain why a hen would feel bad with a moult? I’ve been around chickens as my pets for over 20 years and I’ve never seen this. I am unsure of her age but probably 4-5. I got her in 2017 after her moult that year so no idea how she got through it or maybe I just have bad luck. Should I just let her be? She loses so much weight. Last year her breast and leg muscles were so thin at the end of her moult. It’s not a bad moult either. I can’t for the life of me understand why she goes off feed during this time. I’m hoping to understand a bit more.
Of note I do my own fecals and she does not have parasites as of this morning. They get natures own starter which she doesn’t eat. She is currently in good physical condition but it won’t last for long.
Thanks
Of note I do my own fecals and she does not have parasites as of this morning. They get natures own starter which she doesn’t eat. She is currently in good physical condition but it won’t last for long.
Thanks
