Molting, less pooping?

[Birdsong 82]

Juvenile molts are the ones they have as they grow from chickhood.
From the first set of feathers you see in the first 6 weeks that push the down out,
then one or two more before onset of lay(I seriously don't know if they grow 2 or 3 sets of feathers in this time)<scratcheshead>
Then the first full adult molt at about 18 months.
But sometimes a bird between ~7-12 months will have a partial molt their first fall/winter.

Wow. Never knew that. I always thought of molting as the crazy feather filled run all the sudden when their older. That’s what I like about BYC... learning something new

 

[Birdsong 82]

Whether she’s doing a bit better or not do definitely check her out thoroughly. Crop stomach vent ad everything.

 

[oakhavenmama]

Okay I’ve never heard of a 7 month old chicks molt. Let alone 3 times.
Malnutrition? Parasites?
They poop less when they eat less.
Broody? I’m thinking while you thought she was broody (not laying eggs) she was in the box because she was ill.
How’s her crop feel?
Does it empty at night?
Have you checked that?
It’s not justa rub it with your fingers kind of thing.
Isolate her monitor her intake of food and water and her crop. Best wishes

Well, they (my two younger hens, of which she is one) molted when they were six weeks old, then they molted when they became adults, right before they started laying.

Now it's fall, and isn't that when they are supposed to molt?

I really hope she's not malnourished because I lie awake at night worrying about their feed. My older girls don't like commercial feed, while the younger ones will eat it. They all have access to Nature's Organics Layer feed and Scratch and Peck Layer feed. I supplement with greens, some kind of ground meat, and they also receive fermented feed and sprouts. For the sprouts, I use Garden Betty's seed recipe. They also get black soldier worms from a Biopod. I put vitamins in their water. I'm exhausted just thinking about their nutrition!

I haven't felt her crop, but it is not noticeably big. I went through an impacted crop with one of my hens, and it was big and stuck out. I can't even see Barney's crop. I will check it tonight though when they go to roost. I looked for parasites this morning and didn't see any, but it was still kind of dark. We've been getting tons of rain. I'll look again tonight or tomorrow.

When I say she was broody, she was squawking and carrying on to get in the nest box. She would sit in there for hours. The other hens wanted to lay too and Barney wanted to be in there all day. They have access to four nest boxes but only want one. For the first couple of days during this behavior, she did lay, but sometimes she'd stay in the box until after dark. She exhibited the broody behavior where when I approached her on the nest she would screech and raise all her feathers. After I returned home from my trip, she was quiet and has been for the last week and a half. She's very vocal, generally, and especially when she was broody, but she's been quiet since I came home.

I am keeping a close eye on her. Am considering taking her to a specialist vet tomorrow. Thanks for your reply!

 

[MissChick@dee]

They can be malnourished if they have an obstruction in the crop. It doesn’t necessarily mean the crop will look big. It will just be rock hard in the morning when it should be empty.
Pull up all the food tonight and check the crop before you give any feed. That might answer a lot of questions for you.

 

[oakhavenmama]

Here are some pics. Sorry for the poop and dirty patio, that is their favorite place to poop.

Notice feathers everywhere. Some of the ones I am seeing now, the fluffy ones and even longer ones are lighter, so I think some of the older girls are starting to molt too. Where they were all laying and I had eggs coming out the wazoo, now only a couple are laying.

That's Barney, the bird in question, laying under the chair. That is not unusual behavior for her, she feels securest under there. But notice how pale her comb is compared to the others. When one of my older hens molted last winter, her comb became almost white. I was beside myself.

 

[oakhavenmama]

They can be malnourished if they have an obstruction in the crop. It doesn’t necessarily mean the crop will look big. It will just be rock hard in the morning when it should be empty.
Pull up all the food tonight and check the crop before you give any feed. That might answer a lot of questions for you.

Thank you, I will do that. I read about someone whose hen's crop was infected and she died. I am thinking about taking her to the vet tomorrow. I am tired of worrying about her! Worth the peace of mind, I think.

 

[MissChick@dee]

Funny the two in pic two looks just like mine. Guess I have a different definition of molt. They continue to grow and loose feathers when they are young seems like all the time.
The difference between a hard and a soft molt.
I’d would check her crop. If it feels hard. You could try squeezing one of those gelcap laxative’s onto something she likes. Dont use any that have Stimulates in the laxative.
Do you have a lot of grass in your yard?

 

[MissChick@dee]

Well awesome if you can get her to the vet.
Do you have a lot of grass in your yard?
Learning some basic hands on stuff about chickens comes with the territory. Some folks take to it better than others. I live in the middle of nowhere. To me it’s just practical. The more you learn the the more you practice the more confident you get.
BTW wasn’t kidding when I said they look just like mine. Best wishes

 

[oakhavenmama]

View attachment 1560504 Well awesome if you can get her to the vet.
Do you have a lot of grass in your yard?
Learning some basic hands on stuff about chickens comes with the territory. Some folks take to it better than others. I live in the middle of nowhere. To me it’s just practical. The more you learn the the more you practice the more confident you get.
BTW wasn’t kidding when I said they look just like mine. Best wishes

They really do look the same! That is a great photo too. Are you a professional photographer?

 

[oakhavenmama]

View attachment 1560504 Well awesome if you can get her to the vet.
Do you have a lot of grass in your yard?
Learning some basic hands on stuff about chickens comes with the territory. Some folks take to it better than others. I live in the middle of nowhere. To me it’s just practical. The more you learn the the more you practice the more confident you get.
BTW wasn’t kidding when I said they look just like mine. Best wishes

Thanks for all of your help and suggestions. And no, I have practically no grass in my yard after a hot, dry summer, and CHICKENS!!! I am trying to get seed to grow, but they are eating it all up. I try keeping them out of an area, and they weasel their way into it. They are smart birds!