*UPDATE* No new feathers after molt!*pic heavy

[1_FnkyFrm]

What is your temp up there been ?

 

[Aframechickens191]

Temp has been a humid, very stormy spring into summer, anywhere from 70 to 98 degrees on the worst days around noon. needless to say I keep that pool full of fresh cold water....and im actually wondering if they feel more comfortable without so much feathers. cooler bc of exposed skin. still, id rather they had feathers of course

 

[awesomefowl]

I heard diatomacious earth (food-quality) helped with mites.

 

[usschicago1]

You dont need a vet

Wasted money !

Okay so what seems to have happened was they started molting and the other chickens (like you said) started picking off the new growth. So heres what you do. Just in case you have mites buy 7 dust and dust your coop sparingly.
Expand your coop (you can do this temporarily), give them more things to do ( ie eat tablescraps hang cabbage or lettuce from a rope so that they can peck it) and buy some anti-pick cream, you can (if you really need to) make there coop smaller after there fully feathered out, but give them plenty to do.

This may help. it mentions beak trimming, i would advise against that.
http://www.mullerslanefarm.com/cannibalism.html

Doing all of this at most should cost you 20 $ (for the cream or spray with shipping ) and 10 minutes a day giving them food..

Pm me for any questions


Goodluck
Mark

 

[usschicago1]

I forgot to add, you need to temporarily increase protein until there feathers are in.
You can do that two main ways,
1) mix (maybe a cup or two) of catfood into there food
Or ( i like this better)
Add eggs to there food (scrambled) you can use or own , or since yours are probably too good to pass up,go to the supermarket and buy some cheap ones.

 

[Aframechickens191]

Mark,
thanks very much for the suggestions! the page was quite helpful; i dont have any cabbage or lettuce right now but a big wad of fresh alfalfa from the field next to us should get jumped at pretty good

Also thanks to everyone else! I knew if i posted at the right time id have some kind members helping me out

i so very deeply hope this all works out for my girls...i had to catch it early enough that they dont freeze in the fall or winter.

Suppose ill try the sevindust. as long as i dont find any 2 headed tree frogs or toads anytime soon lol

 

[usschicago1]

Quote:
Honestly i dont think you have mites, if you just look under there wings and vents and you see mites or anything else living there that might concern you, thats what 7dust is for, kills them. I use it just as a preventative. But if you dont see them and i dont think you will, you really dont need it. Its just for peace of mind really.

 

[Aframechickens191]

Quote:
Ironic; i just took a break to boil some eggs! ive been doing it regularly; we cant sell bc there were no customers period and we still have 13 doz. eggs in our fridge! I have snuck some cat food to them; they love it! I let them roam around the yard to clean the coop a week or so ago and the rooster found some uneaten dog food, went crazy trying to call the hens over to gobble it up! only problem: it was in the dog bowl and the roo was the only one tall enough to reach into it to pull out the kibbles!

 

[nonseq]

My hens were eating feathers off the roo and started on each other. I searched this site and determined it was a nutritional deficiency causing them to do this. They needed more animal protein in their diet. It was late fall. Not too many bugs that time of year. First I duct taped my poor roo's bald back. Then I started feeding them meat or cooked eggs every day. Last I put a big chunk of straw in the run. They love straw. They get all excited when I put some in there. Gives them something to do.

The feather picking stopped completely, and by the spring when the duct tape wore off the roo, he had a beautiful feathery back.

 

[usschicago1]

Quote:
Ironic; i just took a break to boil some eggs! ive been doing it regularly; we cant sell bc there were no customers period and we still have 13 doz. eggs in our fridge! I have snuck some cat food to them; they love it! I let them roam around the yard to clean the coop a week or so ago and the rooster found some uneaten dog food, went crazy trying to call the hens over to gobble it up! only problem: it was in the dog bowl and the roo was the only one tall enough to reach into it to pull out the kibbles!

chickens are amusing aren't they