My molting hen keeps TIPPING OVER! What's wrong?

[FlyingByTheSeatOfMyPants]

I found the polyvisol in a pharmacy. No iron. I mixed the liquid vitamin with crushed acidophilus pills and squeezed a few drops into her mouth. (She went ballistic when I tried to catch her. I had to chase her all around the laundry room where I have her holed up. I hated having to stress her further.) As for food, she ate some chopped boiled egg this morning with a bit of her Layena crumbles. Is that a complete enough food? She's not eating as much as yesterday. Her crop is not very full.

I think she hates me now.

 

[Eggs4Sale]

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Three drops per day along the side of the beak.

Make sure it has no iron.
(Edited to say I see you already did!)

 

[threehorses]

I don't know about zooming in - more like stumbled in...?

On the polyvisol, what Eggs4Sale said.

 

[mypicklebird]

I agree with all of this except for the quills hurting-- I think they probably itch and if and if tweaked might hurt, as they are a living thing until they are grown in and no longer have a blood supply. A feathers, just like hair, is a structure growing out of a follicle. A follicle has a hole at the top for the structure to grow through, so the pin feather is not really poking through healed or sealed skin. When hair or feathers are growing back, and the follicle is normal/healthy- the process should not be painful. Parrots, who also molt, allow bonded humans to preen them and their pin feathers. They like people to twiddle with their pin feathers and seek it out.
Keep her warm, and give her good quality supplements including extra protein.



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[FlyingByTheSeatOfMyPants]

I just left some Greek yogurt (the thick "Fage" stuff) on a dish by her and she seemed to be eating some of it, so that's some extra calcium and protein and good bacteria. Tonight I noticed that some of her quills are just starting to open. Hopefully, this will go faster than is usual....

I'll give her the vitamin drops again tomorrow morning. Thanks again for all the sage advice!

As for the hurting quills... I don't know which it is, but the hen goes ballistic when I touch her. So, something sure isn't normal there.

 

[Eggs4Sale]

I fed my hen yogurt by mixing it with lay crumbles and hard-boiled egg yolk. I cheated and put the poly-vi-sol in this and just stirred it up well. It left a mess of the bowl, but she ate it all.

I've never been able to see pin feathers open. That is so neat!

 

[FlyingByTheSeatOfMyPants]

Do chickens get depressed? This morning, Violet(the Hen), didn't struggle when I pulled her from the cat carrier. i thought she was on her last legs! She let me smooth her quills for a while without complaint, and then eventually she took some crumbles I offered her. Then she brightened up and wound up eating four small handfuls. Then, she took a turn around the laundry room, did a terrific poop, and when back into her crate. I don't know what to make of it.

 

[Chickenmaven]

It sounds like you are taking great care of Violet. Good job!

 

[gibbychicks]

I am so glad I found this post. I have a hen, Rhode Island Red ,who is experiencing the exact same thing!!

She dropped all her feathers very quickly and now this morning she is wobbling all over.

I have had the heat lamp on for her this week in the coop because it has dropped into the thirties at night this week.

Now that I read this, I'm going to go get her and bring her in the house so Ican keep an eye on her better.

 

[FlyingByTheSeatOfMyPants]

Latest update on Violet... I took Eggs4Sale's and Threehorses' advice and mixed up crumbles, boiled egg, PolyViSol drops, and I added some water (she's not drinking that I can see). Violet was chowing on this mix last time I looked at her. She's still huddling in the crate and can't walk without stumbling, but she's hanging in. The feathers are also making more progress.

I wish I could post a photo so you could see her condition, but I forgot how to do it. Any photo people out there?