Never-ending Molt????

[sab]

Have any of you had a chicken molt and never fully recover? As my girl had a very bad molting - as in a walking rotisserie chicken. Now she is feathered but not fully. Tail didn't come back - few wing feathers. Her face is normal and her comb is bright red. I don't think she is laying. I haven't found her in a nest yet and I have cameras on the nests. Do we just have to wait till the next molt to have her body re-set? Anyone??? Thanks in advance.

 

[azygous]

Yes. I have one six-year old SLW that got halfway through fall molt and quit. She's a frightful mess. She looks more like a frizzle, but a tattered one. She hasn't laid since.

Yes, our hens will have to wait until next molt and try to get it right this next time. Age and poor nutrient absorption is likely the cause.

 

[sab]

Interesting. Another poster on another board thinks worms. I need to research this a little more. Thanks for your input!

 

[centrarchid]

Interesting. Another poster on another board thinks worms. I need to research this a little more. Thanks for your input!

High worm burden can impact nutrient absorption.

 

[chickenychicken]

If your chickens seem to have a never ending molt it could mean that they have mites, lice or even worms which can all cause this.
If you have all ready checked for all of those and they don't have any of those they may be stressed. Is it very hot or cold where you are?

 

[enola]

Poor diet or overload of internal or external parasites all have a bearing on how your chickens look and act. A chicken that does not look healthy is not healthy.

 

[TXchickenchick]

I had one who did this. She is a red naked neck. Started a molt and just didn't re feather. She looked horrible for well over a year. I checked her for everything and there was nothing I could find going on (she even remained a healthy weight) and the rest of the flock was fine, including my other naked neck who started her molt at exactly the same time. She didn't lay a single egg that entire time. Then all of a sudden, feathers started growing in, she got gorgeous, and one morning I got an egg from her. She has been perfectly normal since.

 

[centrarchid]

Hen in poor feather may be thermally stressed except when weather is vary warm. Mine shut down egg production when really cold even when in good feather.

 

[TXchickenchick]

Hen in poor feather may be thermally stressed except when weather is vary warm. Mine shut down egg production when really cold even when in good feather.

I don't think that is what's going on. There absolutely has to be something that causes a problem during molt that just stops it mid process, inclding them not returning to egg laying. I live in South Texas so there is no way mine wasn't laying because she was cold.

 

[centrarchid]

I don't think that is what's going on. There absolutely has to be something that causes a problem during molt that just stops it mid process, inclding them not returning to egg laying. I live in South Texas so there is no way mine wasn't laying because she was cold.

Nights and rain events can be stressful if bird half naked.

I have never had a bird fail to complete a molt so this is beyond my experience.