Single hen

[Dave36]

Hi Everyone

 

A couple of my hens are moulting a fair bit and looking rather naked, I give them a bit of extra protein etc but was wondering how long this can take as winter is fast approaching and concerned if they would land up freezing?? is there anything i should be doing to keep them a bit warmer and to speed up this process as one has been loosing her feathers for a while now and is now loosing them on her back around her tail feathers, and am concerned about winter.

 

Thanks

Dave

[Egluntyne]

Good quality layers pellets, a poultry tonic of your choice, a bit of extra protein and not too much in the way of treats does the trick for my girls.

 

What sort of extra protein are you giving?

Edited October 5, 2008 by Guest

[Dave36]

Many thanks for your advice. We give them a bit of cat food and tuna once a week, should we be doing this more often. We also give them all the poultry spice and one in their water. The other hens are not showing any signs and she is still laying we beleive.

Dave & Jo

[helenmb]

I had the same problem last year and on the advice from the forum gave my girls tuna late in the afternoons for a couple of weeks (not perhaps every day but most days). I didn't give them too much but it did seem to work really well. I now buy tuna whenever I see it on offer for the occasional treat and for just such a time.

[TheCoop]

Interesting. I was wondering the same thing as Dolly seems to be shedding feathers at a rate of knots over the last couple of days. I thought it was too late to be moulting, but maybe I'm wrong. She seems to be in normal health other than that.

 

So tuna is good for a bit of extra protein?? I will try that (not too often though). They all eat good quality layers pellets too and not too many treats (they seem to love wild bird seed - is this wrong???).

 

Also, what is poultry spice and is it something i should invest in???

 

Thanks.

[Ain't Nobody Here]

They sell Poultry Spice in the Omlet shop (don't know how their prices compare though).

[teee]

Hi to all .. .. i`v read lots about the girls moulting in winter, but its December now and i`v just noticed my little , Matilda is a bit bare around the rear no redness, and it does not look plucked!! she is happy, well and still laying every day so far ..... could she be moulting this late we got her in may this year and she was POL ... she has not had a moult yet, thought it would be in the better weather... .. as you can guess still new at this and learning all the time ...... Any advice would be fab, the other 3 girls look good. i`v got some poultry drink which i`ll start to give them and i`ll get some poultry spice tomorrow....

Thanks.

[meezers]

3 of mine have just finished moulting, 1 is almost finished and a 5th has just started , foolish birds

[Lavenders_Blue]

My Bella has just decided to have a little moult. Having come out of her warm battery cage at the beginning of October you would think she would want to hang on to all her feathers to cope with this cold windy weather but no no no..... her head has gone bald over the last couple of weeks and it now looks really peculiar where all the new feather spikes are coming through all over her head! I also thought there was something else odd looking about her this morning, then realised her tail feathers are missing. All the feathers on her back and her fluffy knickers are still there, just the tail gone so she does look a bit of a funny shape. However she will look gorgeous when it all grows back again, I think she might even throw a bit of a tantrum if I don't compliment her on her new feather-do

[chocchick]

See my blog for Abbie's annual Winter moult

She is now growing back and is spikey/velvety on her bald patches.

Meal worms or even boiled eggs are an alternative to Tuna.

[The Dogmother]

I have 2 late moulters too, who were running around virtually naked in the cold weather 2 weeks ago.

 

As the others have said, they get breeders feed which is a bit higher in protein, alfalfa, a good poultry tonic in the water and extra meal worms. They are pulling through it pretty quickly.