Molting in the middle of winter?!

[Laylashens]

Hello all! Virginia weather this winter has been all over the place, and for a while, there was a period of warm, springlike weather. Animals were mating and flowers were blooming, so I suppose that my chooks were tricked into believing that spring was here early. One of them, Rainy, decided to start her spring molt, only to discover that winter wasn’t over when she was met with a week of freezing temperatures. Being unprepared and vulnerable, she has gotten very weak and tends to spend her time sitting in the corner. She shows no symptoms of any illnesses; I think she’s just weak from molting in the cold. I fluffed up the coops with extra bedding and fed her high protein and energy treats, but she still doesn’t look so well. Is there anything else I can do to relieve some of her misery? Any help is welcome. Thanks

 

[CluckNDoodle]

Aww, my hens often decide to molt in the middle of winter but I'm in Georgia and our winters are mild. How badly is she molting? It sounds like you're already doing your best to make her more comfortable and increasing her protein, is it possible that she's contending with something else? Such as worms? I only ask because molting is much harder on hens when they're system is also fighting something else.
I would probably give her a little vitamin supplement as well. I give my girls Nutridrench for poultry when they seem fatigued during a molt and it gives them a boost sometimes within hours.
It is typically NOT recommended to put sweaters on chickens because it can hinder their ability to fluff up and warm themselves BUT with that said, if she's molting so badly that she's bare, I would probably put a sweater on her.
I hope she returns to her chicken shenanigans soon!

 

[Laylashens]

Thanks for your help! I will definitely assist her with some supplements. She isn’t bare enough for a sweater, though. I also have another who isn’t doing too well, but likely for a different reason. She sits with Rainy and like her, doesn’t leave the chicken run when we let them free range in the afternoon. It seems that she is growing some weird wart-like things on her feet. They aren’t bloody, and there is no smell. Here are some pictures.

 

[CluckNDoodle]

Thanks for your help! I will definitely assist her with some supplements. She isn’t bare enough for a sweater, though. I also have another who isn’t doing too well, but likely for a different reason. She sits with Rainy and like her, doesn’t leave the chicken run when we let them free range in the afternoon. It seems that she is growing some weird wart-like things on her feet. They aren’t bloody, and there is no smell. Here are some pictures.

This looks to me like scaly leg mites to me, which is probably the reason they aren't feeling well.

 

[Laylashens]

Ok. I looked at some pics of scaly leg mite and they look similar to what she has. I found some good treatment methods, and will treat her promptly. At the moment, she is the only one with this. Do I need to treat any of the other hens right away or should I just treat her and if the others start to get it, treat them as well?

 

[CluckNDoodle]

Ok. I looked at some pics of scaly leg mite and they look similar to what she has. I found some good treatment methods, and will treat her promptly. At the moment, she is the only one with this. Do I need to treat any of the other hens right away or should I just treat her and if the others start to get it, treat them as well?

I've never treated for scaly leg mites personally but I know that mites in general can be difficult to eradicate so I would take an approach that would treat the whole flock but treat more aggressively with the hens showing symptoms. Meaning the dips or Vaseline on the legs of the hens that clearly have leg mites. Ivermectin should also work on many types of worms so you can look at it as a deworming and de-leg-miting of your flock, lol. I would also be sure to clean out their coop thoroughly. I hope they're feeling better soon!

This is a thread I came across with others discussing treatment of scaly leg mites as well, I hope it helps!
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/scaly-leg-mites-and-dosage-for-ivermectin-1.1219615/

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Hello all! Virginia weather this winter has been all over the place, and for a while, there was a period of warm, springlike weather. Animals were mating and flowers were blooming, so I suppose that my chooks were tricked into believing that spring was here early. One of them, Rainy, decided to start her spring molt, only to discover that winter wasn’t over when she was met with a week of freezing temperatures. Being unprepared and vulnerable, she has gotten very weak and tends to spend her time sitting in the corner. She shows no symptoms of any illnesses; I think she’s just weak from molting in the cold. I fluffed up the coops with extra bedding and fed her high protein and energy treats, but she still doesn’t look so well. Is there anything else I can do to relieve some of her misery? Any help is welcome. Thanks

Thanks for your help! I will definitely assist her with some supplements. She isn’t bare enough for a sweater, though. I also have another who isn’t doing too well, but likely for a different reason. She sits with Rainy and like her, doesn’t leave the chicken run when we let them free range in the afternoon. It seems that she is growing some weird wart-like things on her feet. They aren’t bloody, and there is no smell. Here are some pictures.

Can you post some photos of Rainy?

I agree, the other one has Scaly Leg Mites, so treating her would be good. Nu Stock on the legs is a very good treatment. Ivermectin can be effective, but you would want to research the withdrawal period and throw away eggs if you feel that's something you need to do.

For Rainy, I would inspect her very well for lice/mites on the body. Molting can make them feel bad, but even mine have been naked in severe cold, they come out eat/drink, take in some sun, then go hang out in the coop. Getting a good look at her poop would be helpful and I would also see that her crop is empty in the mornings. I like to give mine a direct dose of poultry vitamins a couple of times a week if they are pitiful as well.