Molting hen?

[Kendratn]

so I have a Rhode Island Red. Not sure if her age given to me. Losing feathers but spotty. Mostly on back. But most all her feather just look old. Bleached out kinda. She’s lost weigh and her legs have went very pale. She is also being broody. I make her eat as often as I can. I have to remove her from a nesting box. I checked her and she is not egg bound. I forgot to mention not laying.
She eats and drinks and poos when I bring her out of nesting box. So am I doing enough? Is she molting and this is normal? New to chickens

 

[Silkylover12]

Hello. Welcome to the forums. You're doing everything right! Chickens go through a natural molt in fall to get newer feathers for the winter. As long as she's eating, drinking, and (when you let her run around) moving/running, then she's fine.

Take care!

 

[Kendratn]

Hello. Welcome to the forums. You're doing everything right! Chickens go through a natural molt in fall to get newer feathers for the winter. As long as she's eating, drinking, and (when you let her run around) moving/running, then she's fine.

Take care!

Thank you yes she is free range. But won’t leave nesting box until I make her. I just am new and worry so thank you

 

[lazy gardener]

so I have a Rhode Island Red. Not sure if her age given to me. Losing feathers but spotty. Mostly on back. But most all her feather just look old. Bleached out kinda. She’s lost weigh and her legs have went very pale. She is also being broody. I make her eat as often as I can. I have to remove her from a nesting box. I checked her and she is not egg bound. I forgot to mention not laying.
She eats and drinks and poos when I bring her out of nesting box. So am I doing enough? Is she molting and this is normal? New to chickens

Do you have a rooster? Has she lost feathers around her neck? Usually, in a molt, the neck feathers are the first to go. Look her over carefully, do a day time and a night time inspection for mites and lice. Do a thread search so you will know what you are looking for. Is she getting picked on by other birds? Do you know what a broody hen looks and acts like? If she's getting pecked on, she very well may simply be hiding, especially if she is molting. IF she is broody AND molting, IMO you've got a problem on your hands b/c either condition can cause a hen to rapidly loose condition. Both conditions together: not good! How long has she been acting broody? Has she been sleeping in nest box? My suggestion is that you break her from her broodiness. This involves seeing to it that she can't hunker down in ANY bedding for as long as it takes to break her. A dog crate with wire bottom, held up off coop floor on bricks, or some such set up will do the trick. The longer a hen has been broody, the harder it is to break her. I broke a broody hen by: blocking the nest boxes every night (so she was forced to go to roost) and putting her and a friend in a tractor all day long every day. It took less than a week to break her.

 

[Silkylover12]

Do you have a rooster? Has she lost feathers around her neck? Usually, in a molt, the neck feathers are the first to go. Look her over carefully, do a day time and a night time inspection for mites and lice. Do a thread search so you will know what you are looking for. Is she getting picked on by other birds? Do you know what a broody hen looks and acts like? If she's getting pecked on, she very well may simply be hiding, especially if she is molting. IF she is broody AND molting, IMO you've got a problem on your hands b/c either condition can cause a hen to rapidly loose condition. Both conditions together: not good! How long has she been acting broody? Has she been sleeping in nest box? My suggestion is that you break her from her broodiness. This involves seeing to it that she can't hunker down in ANY bedding for as long as it takes to break her. A dog crate with wire bottom, held up off coop floor on bricks, or some such set up will do the trick. The longer a hen has been broody, the harder it is to break her. I broke a broody hen by: blocking the nest boxes every night (so she was forced to go to roost) and putting her and a friend in a tractor all day long every day. It took less than a week to break her.

Good point. I had one of my chickens have severe broodiness, and it caused her some problems (to say the least). It doesn't help that your hen is molting either. Just watch out for her.