I think this is my black sex link girl, she’s having a really heavy bolt whereas my those island reds are going through it much slower and don’t exactly have baked spots. It is 15 degrees f (-9 C) outside right now and we’re supposed to get snowed in on Thursday (12 inches) with temperatures at 3 f (-16 c), you can’t tell from the picture but her underside is almost completely exposed, should I bring her indoors for on these two days. She’s practically completely bald.
Thanks in advance!
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I’m outside right now, she’s the only one who’s staying in the coop and her comb is turning white and black. I’m bringing her in. Thanks for the reply!
Show photos of her comb turning white and black.
What's your coop like - photos?
The problem with bringing in a molting bird is they will have a hard time acclimating going back outside.
It would be better to add extra bedding, wind protection, etc. in the coop than bringing her in.
It's not that uncommon for birds to be in full molt in deep winter, it's just their timing.
I've had naked birds, way worse than yours in temps like that, they were fine.
They did stay inside the coop for the most part on cold/windy/bad weather days, but I provided deep straw where they liked to hang out, they snuggled in. Roosted at night between their flockmates staying warm, etc. Yes. I did check on them frequently and made sure they were eating/drinking.
Chick starter or flock raiser are both good to provide during molt or you can leave them on their normal feed and give a small amount of protein a few times a week. Egg, meat, fish are all nice supplements in moderation.
Keep in mind that handling birds that are in molt can be painful for them, so less handling the better.
