Molting?

[rockiemtchix]

Is it possible that all my girls could be molting at the same time??

My 4 EE are the same age, so I could understand that. BUT, I also have two Australorps that are a bit younger plus a bantam Buff. I've only gotten 1 or 2 eggs a week since March 25! And those eggs are from the same girl!

Maybe stress? I went out of town for spring break and left my girls in the care of a man from the neighborhood. I also started them on a new feed about the same time (didn't really think about it being a prob, but maybe!??)

At a loss- 7 chix w no eggs!

It has been a very bitter, cold, and surprising LONG winter in the Rockies...IDK, but I'm hungry for eggs...

Guess I'll try. Higher protein feed and see if that helps...other suggestions?

 

[chooks4life]

If something major changed in their routine, it can stop them laying and possibly trigger moulting, so it's one possibility. If you just put them onto a higher protein or more nutritious feed than what they were previously on, they may go into some sort of opportunistic 'rehash' wherein they immediately begin replacing their proteins like feathers, muscles, etc with the better form of protein available, because with the new diet they've got a chance to replace feathers without suffering protein starvation while they do it. Sometimes their bodies hold off until their diet is supportive enough. Most commercial layer feeds are designed to keep them at that stage of laying only, by not providing enough proteins or fats to do anything else, because research behind the formulation of those feeds showed that hens fed more protein/fats etc were likelier to take an earlier moult or go broody or lay less eggs.

I used to take in older layers from random places and once they were on my place, on the new diet, they immediately rehashed everything. I had some white-eyed, white-feathered, white-beaked/legged/clawed and white-eggshell-laying hens, who on the new diet rehashed so completely they changed color, everything from skin to eyes to beak/claws to feathers to eggshell color. They were over 2 years old at the time and they developed yellow, black, red etc pigmentation all over the place just because they were getting better nutrition. It took months but you could swear they weren't the same hens afterwards. They were not by genetic inclination pure white, as they were when I got them --- that was how their body repressed expression of true phenotype in order to save on nutrition, because there was not enough nutrition in their previous diet, and production of pigmentation like black, brown etc requires more copper, sulfur, iron etc than other pigmentation like white or very pale colors.

Another thing to consider is that no matter what people say about how they'll follow your instructions about tending to animals, chances are most will do their own thing according to their own understanding. That man may have been feeding them sneaky treats, or less or more than you asked, or altering any part of their care to suit his own beliefs, with or without malicious intention (usually without any harm intended) and these additions or subtractions may have been healthier or unhealthier. My own experiences with getting others to tend to your animals is that just about nobody will do it how they said they would.

In your case I think it's likely just the dual stress of dietary and circumstance changes.


Best wishes.

 

[rockiemtchix]

Dear chooks4life,

Thanks for the advice, and WOW, what a story about your older hen adoptions. Who would've thought!

My girls are used to getting table scraps daily, too...so maybe that week of just feed had something to do w it. I just don't know. Something is definitely wrong, though. I hope that one day I jus walk out to the run and find a box full of eggs...but until then, I'll just try to give them extra protein and scraps.

Again, appreciate the help!

 

[chooks4life]

You're welcome, I would bet you will get eggs soon anyway.

The main reason the hens I adopted colored up the way they did, I expect, is because of kelp being fed in the diet, as it's known to influence the endocrine system and pigmentation. I use it to cause the chooks to breed true as otherwise they tend to show an adapted, repressed phenotype which will only express correctly on total nutrition which most so-called 'complete' feeds do not possess. You can influence your breeding as well as give them better health in general with feeding kelp; otherwise gene inheritance and expression is more irregular, in my experience.

I forgot to mention, it's also a laying promotant, if you give them a pinch of kelp per hen per day it will get even older non-layers into lay, even many of those who have never laid, as well as making them more disease resistant. It acts as a carminative, so their crests, wattles etc will all be redder due to better circulation which obviously is great for every part of the body, as better circulation means more oxygen and faster tissue repair. Contrary to some popular lines of thought it's not a sign of total health for a hen to have a pale face and pink wattles and crest.

It's also helpful with fertility and makes them more peaceful, because when nutritional needs are met, even antisocial animals will be happy to socialize in large numbers. They will also, next moult, produce very strong, shiny, beautiful feathers, none of that rough, dull, raggy stuff most layer hens live with. Kelp regulates the endocrine system so thyroid imbalances will be corrected as well, and in general feeding kelp is shown to raise I.Q.s by several points whatever the species. Most of this sounds like steep claims to some people, but this is all actually just how the body responds to good nutrition. Not magic, just science.

Best wishes.

 

[ladyarabella]

Kelp! Indeed gettin that stuff

I recently adapted some chooks who prev weren't laying I'm obviously getting most nitrition right but hav somehow bin unable to get my flock two small flocks to accept each other
I'm not sure if my drake did this or my cranky light brahma

 

[chooks4life]

Well, that does look like she's going into moult, but the total bare patch looks like repeated removal of feathers. I would think any bird that attacks her regularly would most likely be to blame there.


Best wishes with them.

 

[tantricdragon13]

Wow that kelp does sound great! I've heard it's good nutrition for us, but never thought about feeding it chickens. Where do you find it?

 

[chooks4life]

Wow that kelp does sound great! I've heard it's good nutrition for us, but never thought about feeding it chickens. Where do you find it?

My local feed or produce stores all have it. You can buy a kilo for 6 dollars, which will do a flock of 100 chooks for about 6 months, or bulk bags of 25 kilos which are cheaper because they're bulk, not sure of the price there because I never bothered with that. I use it for dogs, cats, and all animals, more or less.

Best wishes.

 

[tantricdragon13]

Thanks for the info, Chooks4life.

 

[chooks4life]

You're very welcome, I hope it helps.