need major help please-i've got a severe molting/illness issue*UPDATE*

[Kelly FG]

one of my buff orps(she'll be two in march) had crook neck as a chick & has always been slow with things. She is a great layer & even went broody over the summer. Well now that the weather has dropped to the teens she decided to go into a HARD moult. She is COMPLETELY bald under both wings & wrapping all around under her tail, plus she's missing some feathers other places. Its so dang cold here & she is really starting to act sick, today she could hardly walk. I thought it was because she was holding her wings funny to cover her bald spots but when DH got home from work he said she looked terrible so he brought her in the house to warm her up & feed her. He said she was stumbling around, as the sun started to set she was getting very upset-calling her sisters so he put her out in the coop to go to bed. We had the heater on in there to warm it up.

Please tell me what I can do for her, is there something I can add to her diet to help her???
I will be devasted if she dies, what can I do???

She is doing much better, four days in the house, high protien diet & her feathers are growing back & she's walking pretty normally. Her appetite still seems small, so i working on giving her things she loves.
tHanks again for the help!

 

[rooster-red]

Increasing the amount of protein in her diet will help her feather out a little quicker.

 

[Kelly FG]

can a chicken die from moulting?

 

[Tuffoldhen]

Yes, they can stress out from a hard molt and die...up her protein...canned cat food is wonderful for this...even dry cat food moistened or dog food...sometimes I throw in alittle goldfish pellet food even...scrambled eggs back to her....

 

[CarriBrown]

Give her scrambled egg for protein (along with her regular feed) and four drops of Poli-vi-sol a day. You can find the Poli-vi-sol vitamins in the pharmacy section of any drug store. It is a children's liquid vitamin.
Canned cat food will work in a pinch but it can be hard for them to digest.

 

[Tuffoldhen]

I've fed mine canned cat food for 4 years during their molts.....never had a problem....

 

[HenHaven]

If she was staggering, something is wrong. I would keep her in the house where she can regain some strength. Basically, you don't want her to have to use all her energy just to stay warm.

Fortifying her diet with egg would help add in protein. If you have any Avia Charge, I would use that, the PolyViSol vitamins are a good idea too. Basically, warmth and good nutritious food should really help.

Good luck with her, keep us posted!

Lynn

 

[Gonzo the Great]

Quote:
Do the neighborhood strays come around when she poops?

Just wondering what brand? Cheapo Wally-world brand ok?

 

[panner123]

Sounds like more than just moulting.
With the lose of feathers, I would also give her more cracked corn. This will help keep her body temperture up. I know some don't like to give them corn, but this helps her keep warm. I have seen a person give a chicken ensure to help build her up.

 

[Kelly FG]

thanks everyone, I'm off from work today so I'm heading out to the coop now to bring her in the house. She was on poly vi sol for a few months as a chick, that's how we cured her crook neck. I'll get her back on that & start feeding her eggs. She seems sort of distressed when she stays in the house for a while calling for her sisters, then they come to that back door & call back to her. I guess that's still less stressful than freezing!
Thanks everyone, I'll update later!
Kelly