Patridge bantam chicken poorly foot?

[AussieChick]

Hi all

 

This is our first winter with our three chooks.

 

Harry-ette has just gone broody in the last few days. Anyway, I turfed her off the nest yesterday and noticed that her breast feathers are coming away and she's got a horrible bald patch. This prompted a check on Hermione and she is the same, although she's not broody?

 

I'm worried - does this mean they are moulting or is it something more sinister? They are laying okay (obviously not Harry-ette) but we normally we have a consistent supply of three eggs a day. Other than the bald patches they are all happy and seem well in themsleves.

 

Help! Any suggestions?

 

Thanks in advance

 

Aussie Chick

[urbanchick]

It may be a moult. I have 2 moulting right now and soon after I noticed the bare patches the whole run was covered in feathers. It was quite sudden and dramatic but they didn't lose all their feathers. The first one to moult is growing feathers back now at quite a rate.

[Christian]

Hi Aussiechick!

 

If they are broody, they pull feathers from their breast to incubate the eggs. The warm skin is then closer to the eggs which keeps them warmer.

 

Pop an ice pack in the nest and let her sit on that for a few hours. Hopefully she will snap out of it.

 

I have found with mine, they do seem to have a bald patch on the breast at the end of the day. It has something to do with a full crop I think.

 

C x