Stressed chicken

[Jverdian]

My poor chicken (Marigold) molted recently and quickly last month during a big snowstorm. She’s only 10 months old. I don’t see any mites on her. She has a pale comb and seems stressed all the time. At dusk, she hides every day because she doesn’t want to go into the coop with the other 5. I’m been putting her in there with them but not sure if this is the right thing to do. I don’t see them actively pecking her. She does hang back and seems nervous. It’s been over 3 weeks. Her feathers are growing in but still seem to fall out. What can I do to help Marigold?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Can you post some photos of her and your coop?
How large is it?
The other 5 are all hens/pullets?
Have you checked her over for lice/mites?
Was she laying eggs before the molt?

 

[U_Stormcrow]

and what are you feeding her???

 

[Jverdian]

Can you post some photos of her and your coop?
How large is it?
The other 5 are all hens/pullets?
Have you checked her over for lice/mites?
Was she laying eggs before the molt?

The picture is from a couple weeks ago. Her feathers have filled out some but I saw some new down fly off today. She looks better but not good. I have looked for mites but don’t see any. The others are all pullets. She was laying until early December. She was fully feathered and fine then. She is eating Dumor 16% layer pellets. She gets mealworms and black oil sunflower seeds a 2-3 times a day as treats. She’s the only one who flies, so she gets private treats on top of the coop. She has a huge appetite, I haven’t noted any signs of worms. Ive peeked inside the coop when they are all in there. It doesn’t seem crowded, the generally huddle together.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

Longterm, the boss and mealworms are a health concern, both are very high in fat. Cut back.. Short term, you might want to wipe a paper towel on the roost after dark. If you get red streaks, there are mites hiding in the coop. A new pic of the bird might help.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

She is eating Dumor 16% layer pellets. She gets mealworms and black oil sunflower seeds a 2-3 times a day as treats. She’s the only one who flies, so she gets private treats on top of the coop. She has a huge appetite, I haven’t noted any signs of worms. Ive peeked inside the coop when they are all in there. It doesn’t seem crowded, the generally huddle together.

She looks to be molting to me.
I would cut the mealworms and boss back to 1 time a day. A small amount of treats are fine, imho, but too much, dilutes nutrition.

Coop space may be a bit tight, especially during molt. Molting birds like to be standoffish and it's uncomfortable for them to be right up against another bird, this may be why she's hanging back.

I'd keep watch on her, see that she's eating mostly her regular feed. You can also give a little egg, fish or meat instead of the BOSS to give her a boost.

It's not uncommon for a bird this age to molt.

 

[Jverdian]

I will do that. I was thinking if it was mites they would all be affected but the others all look and act very healthy. What would better treats for her be? Also, I have an old coop out there. Should I put her in there alone at night until her feathers grow since she seems to not want to go into her current coop? Can stress be causing this? It started when we had a huge snowstorm and the were in their coop with small attached run for several days. The snow was pretty deep and we could barely get to them just to give food, water and a little clean-up. It was stressful for all of them. Generally, the are all in a 200 sq foot run.

 

[Jverdian]

She looks to be molting to me.
I would cut the mealworms and boss back to 1 time a day. A small amount of treats are fine, imho, but too much, dilutes nutrition.

Coop space may be a bit tight, especially during molt. Molting birds like to be standoffish and it's uncomfortable for them to be right up against another bird, this may be why she's hanging back.

I'd keep watch on her, see that she's eating mostly her regular feed. You can also give a little egg, fish or meat instead of the BOSS to give her a boost.

It's not uncommon for a bird this age to molt.

Thank you. I’ll give her some high protein treats!

 

[neo71665]

Chickens don't need treats. They need a complete balanced diet. Treats are to make the owner feel good not the chickens.

 

[aart]

That coop is way too small for 6 birds.