I just got back from a ten day vacation and I'm worried. My chickens were taken well care of by a friend, so I was surprised to see my americana when I got home. All her tail feathers and wing tip feathers are gone. As well as overall neck and body thinning. My first thought was, so this is what a molt looks like. But she is terrably thin. She is a big bird, who had just gotten off the nest from being broddy a few weeks ago. I know she was plump, heavy, and solid from booting her off the nest daily. I usually give daily treats of leftovers and garden scraps. While I was gone, they got lettuce, tomatoes, and cucumber treats... but no leftovers such as pasta, yogurt, egg, toast, etc. Do you think she was starving herself because she didn't want to eat the layer feed alone? Is weight loss common with molting? She acted normal when I gave them leftover breakfast treats with eggs this morning. She actually went nuts over them. Any guesses? The rest look normal. I think my cochin is molting too, but her body condition seams the same. They are all about 16 or 17 months now.
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