ThenNotSoChickenMaster
Chirping
- Jul 8, 2017
- 144
- 244
- 98
Please bare with me, I know this question has been asked a lot recently, but I need help.
So here is were it all started, our leghorn decided she wanted to molt last year, at that time she was 1 year old, her first molt. Okay cool, I did some research and it turned out it was completely normal. Chickens molt to lose all the old feathers and grow new, clean feathers. Sweet! She started to molt, all seem well. Throughout the winter, she was molting, it wasn't bad, just a couple of ruffled up feathers and some noticeable bald patches here and there. As spring came I noticed she wasn't finished molting, but I remembered reading molting can take months. The summer was a different story, though. Her back was starting to get bald and her tail feathers started to fall off. I was beginning to get concerned, it was taking forever and it seemed she wasn't even growing any feathers.
During the months of fall, I wanted her to grow her feathers before the freezing winter months came. I decided to get both the flock and her feather fixer (the other chickens were also starting to molt, nothing of concern). I went through 4 bags, almost all the flock was done, accept her. We also gave her tuna, boiled eggs, and a little cat food. Then, I noticed she was growing the feathers from her chest and some from her bottom. Finally!!
But it didn't take long for her feathers to stop growing, like a delay, nothing changed from then to now.
A couple months past, and now it's December. We are having a little snow delay, but in any minute snow will be falling from the sky. Hens puff up and preserve the heat under there feathers, or something like that, but that's not the case for her. She still hasn't finished molting, its been a year now! What's going on? Oh, I'd also like to mention we have another leghorn who also took along time to molt, she was going through the same problems but she finished during the summer.
I'm making a little spot for her inside to keep her warm.
Okay here is a little more info:
-She has been laying all year round.
-She is the boss hen, so no one picks on her.
-She is 2 years old.
-I noticed she slept on the nesting box yesterday? No, not broody, but maybe it was cozy there? She is sleeping in the roost today but was trying the huddle under the other chickens.
-She eats, drinks, and poops normally.
-(Edit) I also checked for mites, nope. I deep cleaned the coop a month ago and sprinkled poultry powder in case of red mites.
Why is her molt taking forever? Why does it seem like she is having delays? I'll be posting pictures shortly.
So here is were it all started, our leghorn decided she wanted to molt last year, at that time she was 1 year old, her first molt. Okay cool, I did some research and it turned out it was completely normal. Chickens molt to lose all the old feathers and grow new, clean feathers. Sweet! She started to molt, all seem well. Throughout the winter, she was molting, it wasn't bad, just a couple of ruffled up feathers and some noticeable bald patches here and there. As spring came I noticed she wasn't finished molting, but I remembered reading molting can take months. The summer was a different story, though. Her back was starting to get bald and her tail feathers started to fall off. I was beginning to get concerned, it was taking forever and it seemed she wasn't even growing any feathers.
During the months of fall, I wanted her to grow her feathers before the freezing winter months came. I decided to get both the flock and her feather fixer (the other chickens were also starting to molt, nothing of concern). I went through 4 bags, almost all the flock was done, accept her. We also gave her tuna, boiled eggs, and a little cat food. Then, I noticed she was growing the feathers from her chest and some from her bottom. Finally!!
But it didn't take long for her feathers to stop growing, like a delay, nothing changed from then to now.
A couple months past, and now it's December. We are having a little snow delay, but in any minute snow will be falling from the sky. Hens puff up and preserve the heat under there feathers, or something like that, but that's not the case for her. She still hasn't finished molting, its been a year now! What's going on? Oh, I'd also like to mention we have another leghorn who also took along time to molt, she was going through the same problems but she finished during the summer.
I'm making a little spot for her inside to keep her warm.
Okay here is a little more info:
-She has been laying all year round.
-She is the boss hen, so no one picks on her.
-She is 2 years old.
-I noticed she slept on the nesting box yesterday? No, not broody, but maybe it was cozy there? She is sleeping in the roost today but was trying the huddle under the other chickens.
-She eats, drinks, and poops normally.
-(Edit) I also checked for mites, nope. I deep cleaned the coop a month ago and sprinkled poultry powder in case of red mites.
Why is her molt taking forever? Why does it seem like she is having delays? I'll be posting pictures shortly.
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