Moulting in the middle of december??????

[chicklover16]

My light Brahma hen (almost a year old) is having her first moult! I'm really worried about her because she has lost almost ALL of her feathers and it's really cold (under 50 degrees) I thought about doing a heat lamp, but because she is the lowest hen on the pecking order the bigger hens probably wouldn't let her anywhere near it anyway

Any Idea's?

 

[WoodlandWoman]

How much of her skin is showing? Or is she just really scraggly?

 

[flowergirl60]

I wouldn't worry too much. One of mine is just coming out of her molt and one is going through hers now and it has been pretty cold here. I just added extra pine shavings in the coop for insulation. My coop is nearly all open air coop too exept for where the roost and nest boxes are.

 

[csummer8882]

I'm in NH and one of mine has a almost bald neck that is just starting to regrow in. Its been chilly here and she seems to be good!

 

[teach1rusl]

My nearly naked girl would stand there huddled and shivering outside. I'd put her in the coop and she'd stay inside for an hour or so, but come back out...to huddle and shiver some more. I stuck her inside our unheated (but insulated) garage for the better part of two days (back in the coop each night) until the majority of her quills began poking through...

She still looks like something the cat dragged in, but at least I'm not seeing all that pink skin any longer.

 

[chicklover16]

Thanks guys, if you think she'll be ok then I'll stop worrying, it's just hard to watch her sit out there looking so cold and scraggly

poor baby

 

[speckledhen]

All of them go through a sort of mini-molt around 9-10 months of age, though in most cases, it's not that noticeable. The time of year has nothing to do with it, their age does.

 

[elmo]

You could give her some extra protein (hard boiled egg is good). That can help her grow back her feathers as quickly as possible.

 

[pigcoon]

Mine always seem to moult in December and I'm in Vermont. i don't get it! It doesn't make biological sense for them to do it in Dec. I have no suggestions other than to try to keep them warm. Add some hay to the coop perhaps? And the heat lamp might still help.

 

[7L Farm]

Quote:
Yup. This will help grow her feathers back faster.She should be fine my chickens love cold weather they hate the heat.