What can it be?

USMCorps782

In the Brooder
12 Years
Mar 11, 2007
10
0
22
Lynchburg,VA
I have a R.I.R. hen that finished her first molt 2-3 weeks ago. Yesterday I noticed her feathers are dull and darker brown than red. Her comb and waddles are pale, shrunken, and dry looking (like severe dry skin on humans). The back of her head has pin feathers with white tips. She has a patch, about the size of quarter, of missing feathers at the rounded part of each wing. Her poop is runny but the right color. She is active and eating as normal. I have a total of 5 hens and the other four (R.I.R., Plymouth Barred Rock, Araucana, and a bantam of some kind) show no signs of ill health Any thoughts? Thanks
 
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It could be a lack of protien due to the molt. Try adding some dry cat food or even canned tuna to her food and also feed some active cultured yogurt for all of them.
 
Scratch has very litte nutritional value so it's not a complete feed, it's better as a treat.

Her comb is probably shrunken and pale because she is not laying eggs right now. Molting is very stressful for a hen, some catfood will soon have her feeling and looking better.
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Your laying hens need a much protein and calcium they can get. The more they fill up on stratch (because they WILL eat that before anything else) the less "good" stuff they get.
Somebody correct me if I'm wrong, but generally laymash will have 18-20% protein in it.
Scratch is also a "hot" feed. I don't feed mine scratch when summer comes around.
 
Carri you would be pretty close. Lay mash can run from as low as 15% to as high as 20% protien. By adding scratch depending oh how much is feed that rate can go as low as 8-9%.
 
I would also like to add that corn and scratch is not easily digested (some grains also have what they call "anti-nutrition factors" associated with them which (if given in anything but a tiny quantity) can cause intestinal upset (commercial feed add have enzymes to counteract these known antinutritional factors) which in turn can cause malabsorption of nutrients and lead eventually to deficiencies which in turn will weaken their immune systems and they will fall ill to secondary infections such as E.Coli and salmonellosis. Corn takes a lot of energy to digest/process (it is the reason some give extra corn in small quantities during cold weather...the "energy" used to process it creates warmth (so never give corn scratch in the summer when the birds need to be cool!)...however there is a backlash to this and that is that the "energy" required to process it takes away from their (nutritional/vitamin) reserves and their immune system may suffer for it... it is why a supplement is advised in the winter. My advice to you is ... during a molt/after a molt give a good nutritional/vitamin supplement...this will help your bird through this stressful event enormously > the one I recommend because it is a COMPLETE nutritional/vitamin supplement is AviaCharge 2000 (available online for purchase through McMurry or Strombergs)...for extra protein you can give mealworms (from a "clean"source not from your yard!) which you can purchase at a bait shop or a pet store. This is easily digestible and I feel the best protein "quick fix" you can give a bird.
 
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Hi. I have a question...so i have a 4 1/2 month old light brahma cockerel. He was fine yesterday, practicing crowing, sun bathing, just actin like a normal chicken....then this morning, he wouldnt get up. He cant even stand or walk. He still has quiet the appetite, like he normally does. Seems to breathe normal, drinking normal.. Anyone know whats wrong??
 
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