I don't think my chicken is sick necessarily, but I suspect that she's old and she's going through a rough molt and I'm a bit worried about her

[It_is_I_Rae]

Hi all, I have some concerns about one of my birds. She's a buckeye and I have no idea what her age is as I got her when she was an adult but I suspect she could be anywhere between 4-5ish to 8 years old. I think she's on the older side though because I have other 4 year old chickens and they look and act quite a bit younger. Anyways, I've noticed that in the past year she's been acting a little different. Resting more often, her facial features look droopier and she is more clumsy, I guess. Now, I don't think she's sick because this has been going on for a year and she still goes crazy about food and she is still the noisiest and most demanding bird in the flock, but she's not as energetic as she used to be and she's not showing any other symptoms that would cause me to think that she is ill. She also has huge spurs, which I think are also an indication of age because I think it's usually older hens that grow spurs? Anyway, it's molting season where I live and it's starting to get chilly and my chicken is going through a bad molt and in the last few weeks she's been looking really rough. She's looks scrawny and her posture is kind of droopy. I am pretty sure this is because she's molting and I think she may have been like this when she molted last year but I can't completely remember. Tonight she looked cold and sad and she was sleeping on the floor (it's fairly normal for her, she and my other buckeyes often like to sleep on the floor for some reason) so I moved one of the other chickens over to sleep next to her to keep her warm. Anyway, what I'm worried is that she may not fare well this winter when the temperature hits below 30°. Do you guys think she'll be okay or should I bring her indoors when the weather gets colder?

 

[PioneerChicks]

I think she'll be okay, just feed her as much dry cat food as her body craves every day. That is what I have been doing with my eight year old hen, Dana.

Dry cat food has lots of protein which helps with molts because feathers are made of protein.

Good luck!

 

[It_is_I_Rae]

I think she'll be okay, just feed her as much dry cat food as her body craves every day. That is what I have been doing with my eight year old hen, Dana.

Dry cat food has lots of protein which helps with molts because feathers are made of protein.

Good luck!

I will! She loves dry cat food and I give it to my chickens as a treat often. I'll be extra sure that she gets plenty.

 

[PioneerChicks]

I will! She loves dry cat food and I give it to my chickens as a treat often. I'll be extra sure that she gets plenty.

She is probably craving it. Her body knows what she needs!

 

[lbgreenfield]

My older Buff Orp is going through a rough molt this year. I try and feed her extra protein (scrambled eggs, canned tuna/chicken, small amounts of yogurt mixed with Nutri-Drench).

Have you checked her for mites or lice, just to make sure she’s not being affected by either of those things?

 

[Sammi_0411]

Think she be fine inside guessing coop got bedding? Needs extra protein treats etc and maybe vitamins but looks like u alreadydoing good job hen lucky to have a loving mama

 

[lbgreenfield]

Also, for the winter months, is your coop insulated? Or does it have auxiliary heat, such as heat panels or heat lamps? Chickens are pretty resilient during cold weather but added heat will help if it is especially cold. I turn on my heat panels if it gets below 20 degrees.

 

[It_is_I_Rae]

My older Buff Orp is going through a rough molt this year. I try and feed her extra protein (scrambled eggs, canned tuna/chicken, small amounts of yogurt mixed with Nutri-Drench).

Have you checked her for mites or lice, just to make sure she’s not being affected by either of those things?

I have seen lice on my birds. I don't think it's a full on infestation but I'm not sure what to do about it. I got some natural poultry lice spray but I'm not sure if it works and my chickens won't let me spray them.

 

[It_is_I_Rae]

Think she be fine inside guessing coop got bedding? Needs extra protein treats etc and maybe vitamins but looks like u alreadydoing good job hen lucky to have a loving mama

Yes, the coop has bedding. I'll be sure to give her extra treats! Thank you I'm trying my best.

 

[Sammi_0411]

Mine love cat food warm porridge ( made with layer pellets) and scrambled egg. Do u have any mealworms they great source of protein? X let us know how she does xx