What's going on with my hen?!?!

[kylen2007]

I have a flock of 17. I have one roo and the rest are pullets. 5 are EE, 5 JG, and 6 Isa browns. They are 9 months old except the Isa browns which are 13 weeks. One of my JG has been missing feathers on her neck and above her tail feathers. I assumed it was from the roo over mating her but she is missing them on her belly also. So we check one of the others and it is also missing feathers on its belly. As they ruffled there feathers black feathers went flying. Also the ears and around the eye of the one is going from red to black. Maube molting? I thought they didn't molt until a year. Is this normal? Should I be concerned? I checked for mites and all of that but can find any sign of anything. The Isa browns are not missing feathers nor are the EE although I have been finding feathers from the EE here and there. Any info or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. smile.png

 

[BantyChooks]

Looks like molt to me.. Its not common but not unheard of for hens to molt in their 1st year.

 

[kylen2007]

Ok. Her belly is almost bare. Makes me nervous with winter coming. Our nights are in the 30s currently. Jan and Feb are the coldest months. How long does a molt typically last?

 

[junebuggena]

I have a flock of 17. I have one roo and the rest are pullets. 5 are EE, 5 JG, and 6 Isa browns. They are 9 months old except the Isa browns which are 13 weeks. One of my JG has been missing feathers on her neck and above her tail feathers. I assumed it was from the roo over mating her but she is missing them on her belly also. So we check one of the others and it is also missing feathers on its belly. As they ruffled there feathers black feathers went flying. Also the ears and around the eye of the one is going from red to black. Maube molting? I thought they didn't molt until a year. Is this normal? Should I be concerned? I checked for mites and all of that but can find any sign of anything. The Isa browns are not missing feathers nor are the EE although I have been finding feathers from the EE here and there. Any info or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. smile.png

Those are pin feathers on her neck, they are the beginnings of new feathers. It looks like she is a hard molter, so she should get through it fairly quickly. Lots and lots of high protein treats will help her grow in those feathers faster.

 

[kylen2007]

Awesome! We are apl about the protein. They are on a high protein feed mixed with layer feed (which is also high protein). I will pick up some meal worms for snacks to help her out.