Molting…Again?! Help Please

[ANiceKaren]

Hi friends! So I’m a bit concerned about my girl Hazel. She has been molting for what seems like forever… months?! A few weeks ago she began molting and then just recently I felt like she was growing back feathers and doing better BUT now I’m noticing more feathers on ground and on floor of her coop. Almost as if she is molting again? I’m especially worried because we’re in a cold snap.. high teens at night and low 30sF during day. I’ve provided vitamins in water (afraid to administer directly due to asphyxiation) and I’ve been giving her more protein treats. Today I noticed for a brief minute her standing with head down to ground. Other than that one moment she has been walking around, chasing younger girls eating and drinking normally. Should I be doing anything different? Should I be worried? Is it normal for them to molt again? Why would she lay her head down for a few seconds? Here are some pics of her. The first one is from a few weeks back and the others from today.

 

[The-White-Elephant]

@MysteryChicken @azygous I had this once, but sadly my hens feathers NEVER grew back. She always stayed like that, missing a bunch of feathers, and I don’t know why. Everybody else was fine. But I hope it’s not that!

 

[MysteryChicken]

Hi friends! So I’m a bit concerned about my girl Hazel. She has been molting for what seems like forever… months?! A few weeks ago she began molting and then just recently I felt like she was growing back feathers and doing better BUT now I’m noticing more feathers on ground and on floor of her coop. Almost as if she is molting again? I’m especially worried because we’re in a cold snap.. high teens at night and low 30sF during day. I’ve provided vitamins in water (afraid to administer directly due to asphyxiation) and I’ve been giving her more protein treats. Today I noticed for a brief minute her standing with head down to ground. Other than that one moment she has been walking around, chasing younger girls eating and drinking normally. Should I be doing anything different? Should I be worried? Is it normal for them to molt again? Why would she lay her head down for a few seconds? Here are some pics of her. The first one is from a few weeks back and the others from today.

What do you feed, including treats?

 

[ANiceKaren]

What do you feed, including treats?

I feed my girls organic layer feed but I’ve been mixing in starter crumble since she has been molting. I’ve also been giving them fermented feed that she seems to enjoy. For treats they get meal worms, scratch, eggs and in the evening sometimes before bed tomatos or other veggies and plain spaghetti (hopefully to help them stay warm).

 

[MysteryChicken]

I feed my girls organic layer feed but I’ve been mixing in starter crumble since she has been molting. I’ve also been giving them fermented feed that she seems to enjoy. For treats they get meal worms, scratch, eggs and in the evening sometimes before bed tomatos or other veggies and plain spaghetti (hopefully to help them stay warm).

What's the protein content of both? I feed 20% All flock pellets to all my birds.

How often are the treats given exactly?

 

[azygous]

How old is Hazel? You say she's been molting for months but started a few weeks ago. You need to clarify that.

If she is older than eighteen months, and if she began molt in fall and it was incomplete, then she would probably pick it up again to finish. Sometimes, molt can be postponed or prolonged if the chicken isn't getting plenty of protein. This can also cause lethargy and poor appetite. Additional protein is a big help to chickens in this state.

 

[ANiceKaren]

I feed my girls organic layer feed but I’ve been mixing in starter crumble since she has been molting. I’ve also been giving them fermented feed that she seems to enjoy. For treats they get meal worms, scratch, eggs and in the evening sometimes before bed tomatos or other veggies and plain spaghetti (hopefully to help them stay warm).

How old is Hazel? You say she's been molting for months but started a few weeks ago. You need to clarify that.

If she is older than eighteen months, and if she began molt in fall and it was incomplete, then she would probably pick it up again to finish. Sometimes, molt can be postponed or prolonged if the chicken isn't getting plenty of protein. This can also cause lethargy and poor appetite. Additional protein is a big help to chickens in this state.

Hazel is a little over a year and half. I would say she started molting in early November, maybe a little late October. I was just surprised to see her losing more feathers again after

How old is Hazel? You say she's been molting for months but started a few weeks ago. You need to clarify that.

If she is older than eighteen months, and if she began molt in fall and it was incomplete, then she would probably pick it up again to finish. Sometimes, molt can be postponed or prolonged if the chicken isn't getting plenty of protein. This can also cause lethargy and poor appetite. Additional protein is a big help to chickens in this state.

Hazel is a just over a year and a half. I would say she started molting early November. She never had any major bald spots just losing a lot of feathers. Her tail does seem to be growing back. I was just surprised to recently notice more of her feathers again in coop, especially during such a cold spell! Thanks for the help! Here she is today. You can see her tail growing back. I just worry with temps being so low. I don’t heat coop either.

 

[chickenmomandmygirls]

What's the protein content of both? I feed 20% All flock pellets to all my birds.

How often are the treats given exactly?

I have 11 girls. 1/2 of them molted in Spring and the others are 1/2 way through their molt. Winter feeding: I mix warm, moist starter pellets (they range 22-28% protein in their layer pellets with scratch grains.

I learned to give small portions at snack times.. No more than 2 TBSP per chicken per. day.

Snacks: scrambled eggs, cooked oatmeal, squash, berries, cabbage, lettuce.

 

[ANiceKaren]

What's the protein content of both? I feed 20% All flock pellets to all my birds.

How often are the treats given exactly?

They get treats daily. The organic is 16% and starter is 20%. I mix them together. I also provide calcium on the side if needed.

 

[azygous]

Do not worry about Hazel being cold. She will be fine. If you make sure she's eating quality calories to provide body heat, she won't get cold. At night, she will huddle closely to her pals and get heated that way, too.