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

[Little Chicken's Nana.]

Help!!! My chickens look like that too, but worst, I'am very worried about them, one of my favorite one's ( RED ), she now has barely got any feathers on her neck, and they always act like there starving. There rumps are very red, and there feathers are gone off of there backs, and under there stomachs, and now working there way up there backs, towards there breast bones. I have put mite medicine in a sand box that they dust bath in, and I sprayed the inside coop, then put out the DE stuff. I always make sure the feeders stay full all the time inside and out. I feed them a high protein pellet ( 22 % ), with a crumble, thats ( 17 % ), and I mix some scratch in with it. I do this everyday, they have cut there eating down, yet there still laying everyday. My husband thought there rumps might be getting red from the poop pan, so we raised the roosting bars up higher , so that there closer to the windows too, and he tells me to keep the windows open all the way, if anyone has any thoughts on what else I can do, please help me out. Thank you.

 

[ARose4Heaven]

Little Chicken's Nana. :

Help!!! My chickens look like that too, but worst, I'am very worried about them, one of my favorite one's ( RED ), she now has barely got any feathers on her neck, and they always act like there starving. There rumps are very red, and there feathers are gone off of there backs, and under there stomachs, and now working there way up there backs, towards there breast bones. I have put mite medicine in a sand box that they dust bath in, and I sprayed the inside coop, then put out the DE stuff. I always make sure the feeders stay full all the time inside and out. I feed them a high protein pellet ( 22 % ), with a crumble, thats ( 17 % ), and I mix some scratch in with it. I do this everyday, they have cut there eating down, yet there still laying everyday. My husband thought there rumps might be getting red from the poop pan, so we raised the roosting bars up higher , so that there closer to the windows too, and he tells me to keep the windows open all the way, if anyone has any thoughts on what else I can do, please help me out. Thank you.

When you say that you "put out" the DE, does that mean that you changed all the coop bedding, spread DE everywhere and gave each bird a good dusting? That is the way to use it. Just be sure to wear a dust mask when you do it, because DE irritates lungs and sinus passages. I use a turkey baster to "poof" the stuff into, and under the feathers. Gives me a nosebleed for a day if I forget the mask on dusting day.

Also, you may need to spend a day just observing your birds to see if you have a feather plucker in the bunch.

Give them Black Oil Sunflower Seeds sprinkled liberally over thier feed. Seems like Springtime brings on a need for more protein than usual because the birds are starting to lay heavier and be outside and active more.​

 

[greenSearcher]

Little Chicken's Nana. :

Help!!! My chickens look like that too, but worst, I'am very worried about them, one of my favorite one's ( RED ), she now has barely got any feathers on her neck, and they always act like there starving . There rumps are very red, and there feathers are gone off of there backs, and under there stomachs, and now working there way up there backs, towards there breast bones. I have put mite medicine in a sand box that they dust bath in, and I sprayed the inside coop, then put out the DE stuff. I always make sure the feeders stay full all the time inside and out. I feed them a high protein pellet ( 22 % ), with a crumble, thats ( 17 % ), and I mix some scratch in with it. I do this everyday, they have cut there eating down, yet there still laying everyday. My husband thought there rumps might be getting red from the poop pan, so we raised the roosting bars up higher , so that there closer to the windows too, and he tells me to keep the windows open all the way, if anyone has any thoughts on what else I can do, please help me out. Thank you.

Your comment on their acting like they are starving jumped out at me. You are providing generous amounts of food that is high in protein (unless you are cutting it with lots of scratch which is about 10% protein.) You did not mention worming. If they have worms, they will suffer from nutritional problems and the worms will be fat and happy. Search in the first aid, jnjury topic for treatments, or just search for worming.

Another solution for pickers is pinless peepers. I am about to change the social order in my coops, besides getting rid of the extra roosters, I may move my oldest head hen out to see if the other girls do better.​

 

[Little Chicken's Nana.]

Ya'll are so right, I have been giving them, 3 scoops of crumbles, 2 scoops of pellets, and 1 scoop of scratch, all mixed together, then divided into there feeders, 3 of them 2 outside and 1 inside the coop. I have noticed that there's more on the ground that they could have ate, but havent. I did today give them some black oiled sunflower seeds. And they did start eating those right away. I sometimes give them warm oatmeal when its really cold outside, then I sometimes give them yoqurt with apples and bananas. They like that, and then I give them lettuce and cabbage. But I dont give all of this all the time are everyday, just maybe once a week, a treat. And when I put the DE in the coop I put it in the nest boxes and in the shavings that are in the floor, and in the sand box thats in the run, but I have never put it right on them. I have 2 rooster's but they are not in the coop are the run with them. I think I have been giving them to much scratch, and they are not crazy about the pellet feed, at least not the tucker brand, when I was giving them the Layfena brand from tractor supply they really liked it, but it was'nt as high in protein than the tucker so I switch brands. Thinking the higher protein was what they needed, but I dont know anymore. I know I have enough room in the coop, for 26 chickens, I did have 3 roosting bars, and I took 1 down because they never sit on it, now there all on 2 bars at night. There 8 feet wide a piece, but the run is 10 feet by 20 feet, maybe its not enough room for 26 of them.

 

[Hensamongus]

I am new to this business of raising chickens and have learned a lot from reading the post that are here. I recently purchased a few hens from the local auction while my chicks are growing and have noticed this same symptom on one of the hens. We have named her Speckles since the name seems to fit. I read the post that mention DE. I am not familiar with this product and would like to know if I walked into the local feed store and asked for some DE if the clerk would know what I am speaking of or if there is a proper name for the product. I do see a dominant hen that will peck at the newest hens and run them away but not to the point I feel would cause this symptom. The hen was like this when I got her two weeks ago and I am not sure of her age. She is not laying at this point so I would assume she could be moulting. I will pick up the sunflower seeds today and start them on that. Can't post pictures yet, too new to the site! Thanks for all the great info folks, happy egging!

 

[sgtmom52]

Quote:

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Congratulations on your new chicks and hens. Your new hen may be just molting or there is a possibility that she is taking time to get adjusted on her new home and will lay soon. A third possibility is that she is an older hen which was taken to auction as she has slowed down or quit laying and she may never lay for you. Did they list her age at the auction?

DE is Diatomaceous earth. Many people use food grade (not industrial - like for swimming pools) to dust their chickens for parasites or put in the food to worm them. The jury is split on this as to how effective it really is.

If yoiu could post pictures of your girl, perhaps someone could help figure out her problem. Whole Black Oil Sunflower Seeds are always appreciated by chickens!

 

[Sommerbys]

When mine get like that, they take dust baths. Is she range free and have access to grass/dirt....maybe wet a spot, they like the dirt damp. Looks like she definetly has some sort of bug/skin irritation. The sun may be making it worse by burning the raw skin. Does she have cover during the day? Is feed and water in the shade? Try some corn starch...but she will probably pick it off? Make a chicken saddle for her? Hope she is OK!

 

[Hensamongus]

I have seen them take a dust bath a few times. They actually have a pretty good crater going for them to roll in. I did notice today that one of the two hens that had not laid yet actually produced an egg before I left for church this morning. I will go by and pick up a bag of the sunflower seeds and offer them as a treat. The hens have become rather used to me showing up with a treat of some sort for them. They really love blueberry muffins! Thanks for the info, this is the best way to learn a lot of information if you just take the time to ask. Thanks for sharing. I hope to be able to post pictures one day. Site restrictions prohibit me since I am a newbie. Maybe a few more post will take care of that!

 

[Scarlett and Melanie]

I have three hens approximately 1 1/2 years old. They started to lose feathers - opened the coop, and it looked like someone had had pillow fight. How long does molting last? It has been over one month - no eggs.

 

[greenSearcher]

The molt can last anywhere from 6-12 weeks depending on how heavily they molt. It averaged a 2 month break from laying when they molted. When my girls molted, they did not have the huge bare spots like in the pictures first shown, rather they looked think and scraggily until the new feathers grew in. When they molt this next time, I expect it to be a hard molt, my head hen has been brutal in the feather picking, one poor girl looks nearly naked, but still lays and is loved by the roo. I had saddles on them until they figured how to get them off. The saddles didn't help with the picking, she simply changes the spot she picks. I am putting the pinless peepers on her today.