Sunken breasts

[Greta A]

None of which provide the protein that a molting bird requires.

View attachment 3285719

You are describing a condition 1 bird -- seriously undernourished. She needs protein.

I do get what you are saying but spinach is a high protein veggie. They also live bananas that are high in protein and I gave her meat and she did not eat much. I fended off the other birds I am not keeping her alone because she does not eat at all when alone. The other birds do not pick on her She pecks on the new birds some. but everyone gets along fine

 

[3KillerBs]

I do get what you are saying but spinach is a high protein veggie. They also live bananas that are high in protein and I gave her meat and she did not eat much. I fended off the other birds I am not keeping her alone because she does not eat at all when alone. The other birds do not pick on her She pecks on the new birds some. but everyone gets along fine

"According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture Nutrient Data Laboratory, 1 cup of raw spinach provides less than 1 gram of protein. In fact, spinach only contains 7 calories, 1 gram of carbohydrate and almost no fat in each 1-cup portion"

This is not high protein. It's SALAD.

You need to be giving your molting ladies feed that's at least 18% protein, preferably 20% or even 22%.

Or supplement them with things like cat food (26-30% protein), tuna, eggs, various dried insects, and other like items (being careful about excess fat.

 

[Greta A]

"According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture Nutrient Data Laboratory, 1 cup of raw spinach provides less than 1 gram of protein. In fact, spinach only contains 7 calories, 1 gram of carbohydrate and almost no fat in each 1-cup portion"

This is not high protein. It's SALAD.

You need to be giving your molting ladies feed that's at least 18% protein, preferably 20% or even 22%.

Or supplement them with things like cat food (26-30% protein), tuna, eggs, various dried insects, and other like items (being careful about excess fat.

So dried insects??? Ok I will stop with the live insects and go wil the dried …. Bless your heart …. Thanks so much for setting me strait

 

[mchickies]

You know, another problem I have during molting is that the hens actually go off their feed because they just don't want to eat or they're bored of their regular feed. I guess it's kind of like when you're feeling down, only something different is going to peak your interest.

I had just this year a 5-year-old hen, during her molt, who would eat in the morning and in the day but refused to fill up her crop at night. Weirdest thing! She was perfectly healthy and perky but WOULD NOT eat at night. So, we actually fed her by opening up her mouth and putting meat in. We would do small pieces at a time (it helps to grab them by their wattles to open the mouth...slightly less invasive) until her crop was filled. We were really at a loss as to what was wrong with her until she just up and decided she was going to fill her crop herself at night. Turns out, she was coming back into lay so I guess those little hormones of hers finally kicked her butt into gear!

Now, if she's just uninterested in her feed, try feeding her a mash. Mix some water with layer (or chick starter for extra protein ) until it's like a thick oatmeal and offer that to her. Sometimes, all they need is something to interest them!

Your hen is very skinny though, so I would definitely try everything to get her to eat! Scrambled eggs, over-easy eggs with the yolk still runny (sometimes they like a messy meal), cooked ground beef, tuna... Heck! If she's really not eating, anything is going to help! If you have to garnish her scrambled eggs with a little cheese (calories to burn) and blueberries to get her to eat, just do it!

Edit: I wouldn't normally recommend giving cheese but it seems to be something they reeeaaaalllyyy like, even if they don't feel great. Because she's so skinny, I would say it is not going to hurt her!

And my 5-year-old wouldn't eat anything either when she was alone 'cause she wanted the competition. A great trick I tried was getting a hen who was waaaayyy lower than her in the pecking order and putting that hen with her to eat. My 5-year-old would actually get so jealous and eat the scrambled eggs because she didn't want the lower hen to get it.

P.S. Be careful with spinach and bananas though. My hens love it too but bananas can be too high in sugar for them. I speak from experience 'cause we were giving ours bananas every day. Also, spinach is high is oxalic acid. Too much can prevent proper calcium absorption and cause egg/reproductive problems. Just a heads up .

 

[3KillerBs]

So dried insects??? Ok I will stop with the live insects and go wil the dried …. Bless your heart …. Thanks so much for setting me strait

You've got a hen with problems and you want to reject all advice?

Seriously?

What is the actual percentage of her diet that consists of live insects?

BTW, dried insects actually do contain significantly more protein by weight.

 

[SourRoses]

Agree with @3KillerBs ...
OP, I get that it's unpleasant to be told you are doing something wrong. It's not fun.
But dealing with the consequences of a longstanding issue no one will tell you about isn't a recipe for happiness either.
That's why the experienced folks around here will tell you when you're doing something wrong. So that you can fix it and move on.

You can debate the philosophy of chicken feeding some other day. Right now, the evidence says the diet is not right. Right now, you can take steps to address that problem.

 

[Greta A]

Agree with @3KillerBs ...
OP, I get that it's unpleasant to be told you are doing something wrong. It's not fun.
But dealing with the consequences of a longstanding issue no one will tell you about isn't a recipe for happiness either.
That's why the experienced folks around here will tell you when you're doing something wrong. So that you can fix it and move on.

You can debate the philosophy of chicken feeding some other day. Right now, the evidence says the diet is not right. Right now, you can take steps to address that problem.

I am not poo pooing your advice. I have looked at her decide and I do not see anything weird. I am not sure on the breast feel. I think it feels hard but she is not one to be held. And is very neevous when held She does eat when with the others. Just not when alone so I do not separate her I tried to feed her eggs this morning but she wanted the grain Perhaps she is just molting and I need to watch her and be patient

 

[mchickies]

Hens do naturally lose quite a bit of weight when molting. It depends on the individual hen but some of mine lose only a little bit and others lose a lot, despite eating. Give her complete access to her feed, and try to encourage her to eat more protein.

It's tough when you really don't know what's going on but if she seems to be acting fine (preening, dustbathing, foraging for greens, standing up for herself in the pecking order, coming for treats, etc.) then the best you can do is just make sure she eats, and eats well. Again, complete access to feed is very important for them at the molting stage!

If you're having trouble holding her to examine the breastbone, molting will actually make them even more unfriendly! All of the pinfeathers are very sensitive and it hurts to be caught and held! I always check the more unfriendly hens at night when they've gone up on their perch. The darkness kinda puts them in a stupor because they really are blind at night, so I can pretty much feel everything. I always check their crop to see how much they ate, their breastbone to see if they've lost any weight, and their abdomen as well.

Don't feel bad! It's all a learning process and I can see you're trying your best to understand what's going on! If you think you can safely rule out parasites and/or infection, then this is probably a molt. The best bet is extra food and TLC .

P.S. Also, hate to be nosey...but what feed do you give them and is it cold where you're at right now? If it's cold, then a molting hen will need A LOT more food to make up for all the calories she's burning trying to molt and keep warm at the same time. I know! It's all so complicated but once you get it down pat, you're golden!

 

[Greta A]

Hens do naturally lose quite a bit of weight when molting. It depends on the individual hen but some of mine lose only a little bit and others lose a lot, despite eating. Give her complete access to her feed, and try to encourage her to eat more protein.

It's tough when you really don't know what's going on but if she seems to be acting fine (preening, dustbathing, foraging for greens, standing up for herself in the pecking order, coming for treats, etc.) then the best you can do is just make sure she eats, and eats well. Again, complete access to feed is very important for them at the molting stage!

If you're having trouble holding her to examine the breastbone, molting will actually make them even more unfriendly! All of the pinfeathers are very sensitive and it hurts to be caught and held! I always check the more unfriendly hens at night when they've gone up on their perch. The darkness kinda puts them in a stupor because they really are blind at night, so I can pretty much feel everything. I always check their crop to see how much they ate, their breastbone to see if they've lost any weight, and their abdomen as well.

Don't feel bad! It's all a learning process and I can see you're trying your best to understand what's going on! If you think you can safely rule out parasites and/or infection, then this is probably a molt. The best bet is extra food and TLC .

P.S. Also, hate to be nosey...but what feed do you give them and is it cold where you're at right now? If it's cold, then a molting hen will need A LOT more food to make up for all the calories she's burning trying to molt and keep warm at the same time. I know! It's all so complicated but once you get it down pat, you're golden!

I live in central oregon and I usually feed what is available. Plus meat, greens, other grains. Etc for more protein and sip laments. And it is generally moderate this time of year. This year is hotter then normal

 

[mchickies]

Sorry I'm late! Didn't see your reply last night... Yeah, the heat this year has been really intense! I'm in Florida so I'm waaayyy across the country from you and this summer was one of the worst in years! Chickens thrive wonderfully in moderate temps so your hen should be ok. Too much cold or too much heat is where you have problems.

As for the feed, if you can, I would try to stick with one brand of pellet. But, I do understand that there have been a lot of supply problems lately, so again just do your best! I think your hen is probably alright, she just needs the extra food! Hopefully, her molt is almost done, but if this is the beginning of her molt, she's in desperate need of food! I can't tell from the pics so you're the best judge of whether or not this is the start or the end of her molt.

Again, I would monitor her poos to make sure nothing seems off and try to check her crop (right side of breastbone) at night to see if it is full when she goes to bed. If everything seems pretty normal, just pamper her.