mad, angry, feather losing hen!!!! please help!!

[tatortot5]

hey i have 2 hens and 7 new chicks. one of my hens has all of a sudden begone to lose her neck feathers. just today she has pushed all the other chicks off the nesting box's railing and her feathers on her neck was up..... kinda like a dogs hair rises on his back. we had the chicks since Easter. but shes begone to get a little fiesty. she does this also when i come and get her eggs. i dont know if its her or the other hen... but one is being a little brate and isnt laying. please help

 

[rosyposyosy]

shes molting - she doesnt lay eggs at this time so it is probably the other hen - ill put a link to where i learned what molting was but ill post in a couple min. so i can find it

 

[BeckyLa]

It sounds like your girl is going broody. They get temperamental and stop laying when they go broody. I'm sure she'd rather you just leave the eggs there so she can be a mommy.

 

[rosyposyosy]

Molt
The chickens' yearly process of shedding its' feathers and re-growing new ones. During the molt, hens will not lay eggs

 

[Gracefulspice]

I have to agree with BeckyLa. I had a hen that just got over being broody, and she was acting the same way you described your hen. I didn't have any eggs for her to hatch..nor did I want peeps.

I had to keep moving her from the nest (with Gloves..she will peck you) and I had to close off the nest. It took 6 days for her to get over it.

It will be a week this Sat that she got over it and no eggs yet from her. I heard it takes 2 weeks or so for her to lay again.

But she too lost feathers, mostly on her belly. Good Luck with her.

 

[tatortot5]

lol i would agree with ya but........ shes not molting. and i would let her lay on her eggs.... but we dont have a rooster. its not the other hen because shes heathy, well i guess there all heathy, shes just moody. i think ill put her in a dog cenel with some chicken wire atached. and the thing is that the place a chose to put her... i was seting the cage up againsed the woodpile and a snake poked out and staped at me... so im helpless until it runs away or somebody kills it. any more suggestions?

 

[sara]

Do you know anyone with a rooster with hens, you can always put other eggs under her if you want to.

 

[missusduray]

Where are you, I would give you eggs. I have buff orps.
Kristyne