PULLET-HARD MOLT IN SINGLE DIGIT WEATHER!

[Fawn and Fam]

One of my 10 month olds is going through what appears to be a hard molt. She quit laying about a week & 1/2 ago and there were some feathers about. Yesterday I found 90 some, today 130 some and that was just in the coop, who knows how many in the run.

I am surprised this is happening because she has continuous artificial light. I don't like having to do that but I started it a couple months ago when temps became so frigid to help w/ heat (a soft white 100 watt incandescent bulb). I am concerned because I live in Michigan and they are only in an uninsulated tractor coop though the run is wrapped in plastic. Also I only have one other chicken and they don't cuddle. We have been covered in deep snow all Winter. Most of our Winter it has been teens in the day and single digits at night w/ no change foreseen in the near future. I give her additional protein everyday for feather growth and them a handful of cracked corn at night for heat. What else should I/ can I do to help? Can she survive this?

 

[FarmGirlForLife]

When in doubt, take it somewhere warmer. I live in northern Iowa. During this winter I've had chickens in the garage, isolated a portion of the chicken coop and had them in a cage in our animal greenhouse under a heat lamp. I am currently brooding five chicks in the basement. Some may say I have too many chickens, but I don't think you can have too many. You must also factor in they type of chicken she is. Some breeds are much more cold tolerant than others, but without feathers it would be pretty hard to keep warm. The extra protein should help with new feathers, and if you keep her warm enough she should do fine.