Maine

[striperon]

The privy roof is used galvanized steel over tar paper covered OSB plywood. I had to trash my old 5' wood stepladder that was so sloppy and rickety from years of use. Purchased a fiberglass 8' that is much safer. The roof is done, the gables are sided, and some diagonal braces to hold it square, I moved it to its permanent spot and leveled it on concrete blocks. I will be able to finish the siding without using a stepladder.

 

[dowgirl71]

Bucka, that's good to know. She does act OK for the most part, but sometimes I'll look out and see her just standing there, while everyone else is scratching around. I was trying to remember if she was standing in the sun the other day. It almost seems like she's cold. I did notice a couple of small piles of feathers. Poor girl-with this cold snap coming up!

Should she become our "house chicken?" Thanks!

Izzy, I'll check her comb and waddles a little closer tomorrow, but they looked fine, from a distance. I'll also check her crop. I did check for possible "egg bound," but couldn't feel anything. Thanks!

 

[buckabucka]

Don't worry too much about the cold snap. I had my slimmest chicken (cross-beak) molting in January last year, when it was below zero at night. She looked cold, but she pulled through just fine.

 

[IZZYBELLA]

Bucka, that's good to know. She does act OK for the most part, but sometimes I'll look out and see her just standing there, while everyone else is scratching around. I was trying to remember if she was standing in the sun the other day. It almost seems like she's cold. I did notice a couple of small piles of feathers. Poor girl-with this cold snap coming up!

Should she become our "house chicken?" Thanks!

Izzy, I'll check her comb and waddles a little closer tomorrow, but they looked fine, from a distance. I'll also check her crop. I did check for possible "egg bound," but couldn't feel anything. Thanks!

It seems so wrong that they lose feathers right when it's getting cold! Poor things!

I've got a girl who is doing the same thing you describe... sometimes just standing puffed up by herself but then other times she's scratching with the others. Her coloring has gone paler than normal and her crop is squishier than others. I thought she was done molting, so I was worrying about sour crop. However, I noticed that she is still losing feathers. I'm hoping her problem is just the molting. Nobody seems to be picking on her, which is a good sign. Still not sure why her crop feels different...

Hope your girl turns out to be fine.

 

[dowgirl71]

It seems so wrong that they lose feathers right when it's getting cold! Poor things!

I've got a girl who is doing the same thing you describe... sometimes just standing puffed up by herself but then other times she's scratching with the others. Her coloring has gone paler than normal and her crop is squishier than others. I thought she was done molting, so I was worrying about sour crop. However, I noticed that she is still losing feathers. I'm hoping her problem is just the molting. Nobody seems to be picking on her, which is a good sign. Still not sure why her crop feels different...

Hope your girl turns out to be fine.

Thanks for the encouraging words, Bucka and Izzy! It was funny, tonight. I noticed that she was the first one to go to bed. It was just starting to get a little dark and all the others were out still picking around, but she was not with them. A little later, I went out and checked her crop. It felt fine, but bare of feathers. For the most part, she seems covered but has some bare patches. I did notice the new feathers coming in are much richer in color-very pretty!

 

[mlowen]

I was just "roaming the internet" and found this article. It's pretty good.
http://www.extension.org/pages/6617...mall-and-backyard-poultry-flocks#.VGNDob6przI

 

[TAMMACLEAN]

I'm with you guys, my chickens are molting as well. We are only getting a couple of eggs a day out of 15 hens. Some are bantams and some are larger. Every now and then I go out and it looks like a pillow exploded in the coop, poor babies. At least it's now and not in the dead of winter. I've been feeding then some scraps of tuna and chicken and anything else that has some protein in it for them.

 

[CoopChick719]

Thanks for the encouraging words, Bucka and Izzy! It was funny, tonight. I noticed that she was the first one to go to bed. It was just starting to get a little dark and all the others were out still picking around, but she was not with them. A little later, I went out and checked her crop. It felt fine, but bare of feathers. For the most part, she seems covered but has some bare patches. I did notice the new feathers coming in are much richer in color-very pretty!

Hey dowgirl, I have a banty cochin who I thought was done moulting. Poor girl lost a spot of feathers on her back and they grown back in but now she's losing from her neck.

I'm going to echo Tammaclean. Maybe a little more protein, whether that's meat or sunflower seeds, is in order. If you can sneak them to just her, even better.

I'm with you guys, my chickens are molting as well. We are only getting a couple of eggs a day out of 15 hens. Some are bantams and some are larger. Every now and then I go out and it looks like a pillow exploded in the coop, poor babies. At least it's now and not in the dead of winter. I've been feeding then some scraps of tuna and chicken and anything else that has some protein in it for them.

I am not liking these weird temperature swings!! Last night it was 60 in the coop but the night before it was 48!

 

[buckabucka]

I enjoyed the article, mlowen.

It looks like our warm temperatures will be coming to an end.....

 

[suzMEchicks]

My second white leghorn is molting like crazy! White feathers everywhere.I haven't had a white egg in a while. The RIR has been slowly molting. She got ragged looking.Dropped some feathers. Been going on for weeks a little at a time. The other 4 seem stable. I have to say I feel bad for them that they are facing another winter but I did learn a lot from last year.And that was brutal! They actually did fine.The most important thing WAS ventilation not heating the coop. I still have some weatherization to get the coop winter ready to make sure as much weather as possible stays outside. Hope I get to it before our first snowstorm .