Is Our Girl Sick or Just Molting?

[OurFineFeatheredFriends]

One of our 2 1/2 year old Lohmann Brown hens didn't look right to me a few days ago so we brought her in the garage to monitor. Her comb and bottom edges of her wattle are a bit greyish and dry and she's not as energetic as usual. Her appetite also seems poor and as a result she's not pooping much, but what's there looks normal. She and her two flock mates are all molting, but the comb and wattle are what most concern me. Her breathing seems normal, but today she seems sleepy and is yawning frequently. The others weren't picking on her like they would a sick bird, but she mostly just sat kind of hunched and wasn't scratching and pecking like normal. They all get 17% layer feed and a few dried mealworms for diet. We do add probiotics to their feed and they were all de-wormed about a month ago. I coaxed her to eat by offering some scrambled egg and she did gobble that down. She has not laid for a few months, but she's not eggbound and her crop feels normal. Please advise if you think she needs a vet or we should just continue to monitor. We don't want to leave it if she needs help -we've found that chickens can go downhill so fast!

 

[azygous]

Yes, molt can affect a chicken sometimes in drastic ways. Their appetite can fall off, they will lose weight, and some will become weak and lethargic.

When this happens, I will feed the chicken a cooked egg for a few days, and I give the entire flock canned mackerel once every two weeks. Once, some years back, I had to tube feed a hen who had completely lost all appetite to get her strength back so she would begin to eat again.

I also am generous with black sunflower seeds which are high in nutrition and most chickens can't resist them. Try special feedings for your hen, and the change should be rapid and dramatic.

 

[OurFineFeatheredFriends]

Thank you, Azygous. That sounds like good advice to me. I hadn't heard of a chicken's comb and wattle being affected by molt, so I assumed there must be something else going on. She has been enjoying the scrambled eggs and seems to have more energy now. She has always been our healthiest hen with the nicest plumage, so I sure hope she'll recover 100%.

 

[azygous]

I neglected to mention the pale comb and wattles. Molt also goes hand in hand with low hormones. Both roosters and hens may have pale dry combs and wattles during this winter interlude when days are much too short to have adequate daylight to trigger the hormones.

You will see their combs and wattles turn red and moist again after the days gradually get longer in January.

 

[OurFineFeatheredFriends]

That makes sense. I am very relieved. Thanks again!