how can you tell if chickens are moulting? **PICS ADDED**

[Farm Frenzy]

There is a nice lady on here called Mags Rags and she sells the saddles. It is the only thing that will work to grow the feathers back if they are being over mounted. Just search her name and it should pop up.

 

[jeanniejayne]

I thought I was alone in having hens moulting in February, in our worst coldest winter in years. So nice to hear I am not alone! They are almost to the day one yer old. I sent for feed made with fish meal in lieu of soy, thinking that they need additional protein to regrow feathers in this cold. They are also used to having a large range, and becasue our entire yard in still deep in snow they are stuck in their enclosed run. They are unhappy hens. Heck, I am an unhappy hen myself! I WANT SPRING!!!!!!! QUICK ,TOO! please let us all know how things turn out for your winter-moulting hens!

 

[rdranch]

Quote:
Our active flock is also about one year to the day and 2/3 have just finsihed and the remaning 1/3 are in the middle of it. It starts at the head and works its way down. They at worst have a rough appearance. Increasing protein certainly helps things go quicker and there are many ways of doing it. We have learned to do our best to keep them as happy and comfortable as possible and they thank us with eggs as fast as they can.

 

[QuailQT]

Quote:
I know this is an older string, but I have a hen with bald patches around her tail and bottom and she was like that when I got her. This past winter I noticed blood in the coop under the roost. While I was up there, one of my hens kept pecking at the other bald hen's bottom until it bled!

I just recently saw a post as to why they do this. I guess it's because they are lacking protein. Next winter, I'll be sure to give that a boost.

This website is just awesome for things like this! I'm new to chickens and you can find help for just about anything!

 

[zillzill401]

Would it be wrong to piggy back on this post and add some of my pictures?

 

[rancher hicks]

NO add some pics.

 

[zillzill401]

those are my beautiful (yet slightly mangy) chickens... tell me what you think. with any luck, they will just be molting...

 

[vwahlstrom]

Two of my four hens looked just like the pictures, bald a round the tail and vent, and it lasted for a year. The damage was done at night. The dominant hen (Buff orp.) only occasionally picked at them during the day. Nothing I tried worked. Until a few weeks ago, that is. Then, I did 3 things. First, I discovered to my horror that at least one of them had a severe round worm infestation. I treated them all for that. Second, a few days later, I when I changed the pine litter, which I do every 7 to 10 days, I took a chance and sprayed all the surfaces, and into all cracks or crevices, with Ortho Home Defense. I let that dry thoroughly, and put the pine litter down. (I scoop the roost every morning like a cat litterbox). Third, I hand fed the smallest hen, who was always squeezed away from the food, for a while (and her only), and set up a second feed station so she always had a one to go to by herself. This reduced the dominant hen's roughness for a while. Immediately, both Rocks began to grow feathers in the bald areas and they look normal and pretty again. Now, the trouble is, which remedy of the 3 did the trick??! Or were all three necessary?

 

[ChickieBooBoo]

One of the girls was the roosters favorite so she got beat up a lot and lost the feathers on her back. I ordered a chicken saddle for her and it seemed to work pretty good, I seperated her for awhile too so that when she came back the rooster had moved on. After the feathers had grown back in I took the saddle off and the rooster never picked on her that bad again.

 

[Jesseschickens]

All my chickens looked like that for a long time thats not molting you have a bullie who thinks feathers are fun to peck. Are they eating any feathers. Mine did that for along time if you can figure out who is being mean you might want to separate her/him.