Hen not quite herself

[dawnangel]

We had a hen go broody awhile back, maybe a month ago, she lost some weight in the process, even though we kept food and water close by. It was her first broody cycle, she's about 16 months. When we finally broke her (we do not have a rooster), it was maybe a week and a half have being in the coop, and a couple days in a wire cage. She's started being back of the flock, and has resumed laying eggs. However, she's still skinny, I've been giving vitamins, extra scrambled eggs, making sure to give plenty of layer pellets and oyster shell, but she's still looking thin. She also lost a lot of feathers too. I've checked for lice and mites.. no sign. I see new feathers coming in, those funky little quill cases. Does she just need more time, or is there something more serious going on? Does anyone have similar issues with Hens after being broody. She's a RIR, just so you know. She's also always been the runt of my hens, but is quite dominant.

 

[CMV]

Being broody is very tough on the ladies. They slim right down because they have little desire to eat. You have checked thoroughly for bugs, so she is clear there. (That is usually an unforeseen issue with broodies.) She will either go into a full-blown molt or just grow in the feathers she lost. A full-blown molt would not be unexpected. The weight loss combined with the crazy hormones can bring on a molt. She should bounce back pretty quickly as long as you can keep her off the nest. Do not worry overmuch about her in the meantime.

I have a chronic broody. She has been with me for 5+ years now, and she is pretty much useless as a layer because she spends the majority of her time on the nest. I used to get very concerned about her when she was younger because she got so skinny and molted so often after her broody times. However, she is still with me, and healthy as a horse. She is always kind of scrawny looking, but she continues to thrive. I stopped worrying about her years ago at this point because it was a waste of time.

Good luck.

 

[dawnangel]

Thanks.. I will keep an eye open for her, and not worry too much. I figured if something was really wrong she wouldn't have gone back to laying, but it's been an egg a day for a couple weeks since. She looks scrawny that's for sure. Should I continue with the extra protein? Can I give her too much scrambled egg? I figure one every couple of days was good.

 

[CMV]

The eggs should help to build her up quicker than anything else. She could use the extra protein to help grow back her feathers, too. I would keep up with the eggs for the time being.