Is my silkie molting?

[Matt0chick0love]

We have a white silkie named salt, she has no feathers on her head and neck because a turkey got her, but now all I see are her feathers everywhere, and when I pick her up, more feathers. I thought it was my other silkie peppa that was pulling them out but she's just loosing them.

Is she molting, or something else. Yesterday night I put a few fertile mille fleur eggs under her because the mille fleur was pecking at them like it was food, and I didn't want her to eat them, because she wasnt broody yet. Will salt continue to sit on the eggs, or do the same thing as the mille fleur?

 

[BantamLover21]

How old is she? She is probably molting. However, I would check the feathers near her vent, under her wings, and under her neck feathers for any mites/lice, as those can cause feather loss, too.

In answer to your other question, is Salt broody? If she is, then she will most likely accept the eggs, at least temporarily. If not, she could very well do the same thing as your Mille Fleur. Silkies may make great mothers, but if they aren't broody, they will not sit on and hatch chicks properly.

 

[Matt0chick0love]

She's about a year old

 

[Matt0chick0love]

And she accepted the eggs...my mille fleur layed another egg today (she's a great layer! She's layed almost everyday, she skipped one day though) and I put it under her. I put her in this large bin inside because is cold outside, and all I have are pine shavings in there, and she's with another silkie that hasn't layed yet, and their both protecting the egg. Soon we're going to get straw because we ran out, but she's picking up the shavings trying to make a nest, but she's been sitting on the eggs, but yeah I'll check for mites.

 

[Dartanion]

She sounds stressed,so separate her and feed her high protein foods.Like a little high quality cat food.Just a hand full for 3 to 5 days.Post pics it would help.

 

[Dartanion]

My silkies do the same thing when I add to the flock or something strange happens.So I say stress,but you could try changeling her bedding.

 

[Matt0chick0love]

I would add pics to the post but the only place I have pics of her are on my iPad, and I don't know how to add photos to a thread, but I have the most recent pic of her in my album, if you could see her from there. I'll definitely try new bedding, and right now she's eating crumbles, but she does seem quite stressed now that I think about it.

 

[Dartanion]

I do hope it helps and if you have anymore problems I will help if I can.