molting and being a brat!

[KatyTheChickenLady]

My oldest hen (she's 6) is molting along with everyone else. She always looses more feathers than most and all at the same time (she has a naked baboon butt right now) But this year she is also being a total B!@#. Is this normal? she doesn't seem sick, zero symptoms, other than hating EVERYBODY and wanting to be left alone.
Is there anything special I can give her to make it easier on her? A little st Johns Wort??? LOL! she gets good food and probiotics and vitamins and whatever the heck else she demands . . . I'm worried age is catching up with her.

 

[gumpsgirl]

My hen that is molting the worst right now is also being a real grouch! As a matter of fact, she bit me a little bit ago when I was out checking for eggs.

From what I've read, it just goes with the molting.

 

[KatyTheChickenLady]

oh thanks for telling me that! I feel much better about it!

 

[Year of the Rooster]

If I even touch my EE right now she screams like a banshee! It's like i'm the bloody ghost of Christmas Past!

 

[elmo]

Imagine having all those growing feather shafts poking through your skin; must be itchy. And imagine you don't have any fingers to scratch, just a beak that doesn't reach every itchy place on your body. We'd all be grumpy if we had to go through this.

 

[gumpsgirl]

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Very true!

 

[KatyTheChickenLady]

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that's what mine is doing! she's been a pain in the past but MAN is she overdoing it this year. . .
In a way it's kind of funny, she's old and she's starting to look it and right now her whole but is truly naked and bright red, she looks like an old lady bending over in the garden!

 

[damselfish]

We have a Buff that's in just the same condition right now. We actually picked her up yesterday to take advantage of this fine opportunity to look for mites (there were none). Boy was she ticked!