Is "fluffed upnormal during a hard molt ?

[Fluster Cluck Acres]

Hi all,

My silver-laced wyandotte is the last of my girls to molt, and the one having the toughest time. I think she had a hard molt as it looked like a massacre happened in the coop just the other day. Now the poor thing has a bare bottom, no tail feathers to shake, and she leaves a trail of feathers everywhere she goes. She is eating, pottying regularly, and mostly foraging with the other girls. But, she is a little "off" from her normal behavior. She is slow to come out of the coop in the mornings. And while she'll run around with the other hens for part of their free-ranging time, she will also spend part of that time by herself hanging out with her feathers fluffed up. I know this can be a sign of sickness, but would it also be normal with the molt?

Just before the molt I she started limping. i was able to pull a plug out of her foot, but am pretty sure there is still infection in there. But her foot isn't bothering her anymore, and I'm not in a rush to mess with her anymore than I have to since she is having a tough time and doesn't take well to being handled.

Here are some pictures of her 4 days ago. She no longer has a tail. [Edit- I just realized her butt is also my profile pic because it's the fluffiest. I miss my fluffy butt with her pretty striped panatloons.]

 

[sourland]

'Fluffed up' is an attempt to conserve body heat, and as such it may be a result of the molt. Just keep an eye on her and make sure she is eating adequately.

 

[aart]

Normal for a molting bird to be a bit lethargic and to isolate a bit too.
As long as she's eating/drinking/pooping/moving around OK, I'd not worry.

What all and how exactly are you feeding?
Some extra protein can be good during molting time.

 

[MissE]

Wow! Okay. That sounds like I'm way overfeeding them with treats. I'll cut back on the volume. But I assume I should keep up with the high protein treast during the molt, right?

If you're going to give them treats, high protein is better. Hearing what they've been getting, just cutting out the treats may get them to eat enough of their regular feed and help with the molting.

Side story- Mine were in a pretty heavy molt this fall. Its was raining, cold, windy, and gross out. They were all standing in the door of their coop, wet and mad and cold. I spent an hour getting soaked to the bone gathering night crawlers from the driveway for them. Do you think they appreciated it? Sure, for two minutes, then they went back to thinking it was my fault the weather sucked. Morel or the story- so long as they have a full food dish, they really won't care if you bring them treats.

 

[Fluster Cluck Acres]

Yes.



Yes.
Really they don't need any 'treats', nutritious or not.
Especially 3 times a day.
Their feed has all they need.

Thanks for the feedback. I'm cutting back on the treats.

 

[MissE]

Maybe give her some plain Greek yogurt or cottage cheese now and then, or even an egg, just so she gets some extra fat and protein so she can stay warm and grow her feathers back sooner. A little cracked corn will help her generate heat too, but just as a small treat. You don't want her to fill up on that since its low protien.

 

[Fluster Cluck Acres]

Maybe give her some plain Greek yogurt or cottage cheese now and then, or even an egg, just so she gets some extra fat and protein so she can stay warm and grow her feathers back sooner. A little cracked corn will help her generate heat too, but just as a small treat. You don't want her to fill up on that since its low protien.

I have been rotating through Greek Yogurt, mealworms, eggs, and high-protein table scraps. And since we have a construction project going on, I've been salvaging the grubs and worms that are getting dug up in the yard and saving those for her. Poor girl is still losing feathers, and still looking a little miserable, but her arse-end is now covered in little pin feathers, so I think thiat's a good sign that they're staring to come in!

 

[aart]

They get treats 2-
3x a day and I generaully rotate through scratch, mealworms, oatmeal, eggs, Greek Yogurt, suet-treats, and meat and veggie table scraps.

Too many treats, IMO.

All Flock,

20% protein?
I'd just put a feeder full of only that out.

 

[aart]

Do you think it would help her to just do All Flock during the molt since the protein is higher?

Yes.

Does that still sound like too much for the treats?

Yes.
Really they don't need any 'treats', nutritious or not.
Especially 3 times a day.
Their feed has all they need.

 

[Fluster Cluck Acres]

If you're going to give them treats, high protein is better. Hearing what they've been getting, just cutting out the treats may get them to eat enough of their regular feed and help with the molting.

Side story- Mine were in a pretty heavy molt this fall. Its was raining, cold, windy, and gross out. They were all standing in the door of their coop, wet and mad and cold. I spent an hour getting soaked to the bone gathering night crawlers from the driveway for them. Do you think they appreciated it? Sure, for two minutes, then they went back to thinking it was my fault the weather sucked. Morel or the story- so long as they have a full food dish, they really won't care if you bring them treats.

My chickens are a bunch of ingrates, too, haha! And they also blame me for bad weather. Thanks for sharing the story. I'm glad to hear I'm not the only crazy chicken person who goes worm hunting for their girls.

I guess I fell into this habit of giving all the treats a couple months ago when my girls went from free ranging all day to being contained all day because of a jerk Cooper's Hawk that started stalking them, and was not deterred by my presense or my dogs'. He doesn't come around quite as often so now I get them out when I'm not working (before work, lunch, after work - hence the 3x a day routine) and can supervise. I do need treats to lure them back in to the run, but I will certainly cut back on the volume of those snacks so they're eating more of their feed.