I think it was just last week there was a thread about molting and mood changes. All sixteen of my girls are just finishing molting. Even the four pullets decided to have a juvenile molt, presumably to fit in. I've never seen such a complete bunch of grumpy, cranky, fickle, touchy hens. Even the ones that are normally always commandeering my lap didn't want to be touched. A few have lost an alarming amount of weight. It's been a rather tense six weeks.
I've boosted their protein intake by significant amounts to encourage feather development. They get yogurt, cottage cheese, canned tuna, cat food, BOSS, and flock raiser instead of layer feed. Not all at the same time, though, in case someone is about to criticize the menu.
They all molted at different rates in different ways with different behaviors. By all means, make sure your isolated one gets extra rations if she'll eat without permission from the others. You might need to put her in a crate to eat out of sight of the others.
It was also pointed out on that other thread that as the new feathers are coming in, it's terribly uncomfortable for them to be bumped and jostled by the others, so many will choose to stay apart, even sleeping in the nest boxes rather than being squeezed tightly together on the roosting perch. It's all normal molting behavior. Kind of like chicken PMS, and in my case, times sixteen.
