Feeding advice for bantams (one broody, one moulting)

[chickinboy]

Hello,

 

I've had my girls for about four months, and they were POL when I got them (started laying within a couple of weeks). Not sure how old that makes them...

 

Noticed today that Margaret has lost ALL her feathers underneath...though her fluffy bum is still covered. Is this a moult?Top side looks normal, bottom looks oven-ready. How do I know if it's something bad? Beryl looks like she's about to do the same. All the girls seem fine, though their coats don't look quite as shiny as they usually do. They've also started sitting down, which they never used to do.

 

Help!

[Christian]

Have they been acting broody at all? Sitting fluffed up and growling? Refusing to leave the nest? If they are staring to go broody, they often pull their own feathers out to line the nest and get the warm skin closer to incubate their eggs.

 

If not, then treat them all with a lice/mite powder just in case.

[fluffyknickers]

This is exactly what has happened to my three which I have had few months.

 

The pepperpot is the worse as she was broody and pulled them out and the two gingernuts are not as bad but also were made worse by the rain and mud caking on the feathers.

 

I am just going to see how they go and hope they re-grow.

Michelle

[Romany]

Today I noticed one of mine has a bald underbelly. I didn't get a chance to check any of the others yet (will do tomorrow) but I suspect Roxy is eating the feathers from the other hens as I have seen her take the odd mouthful of bumfluff from time to time... may be it is happenning to a much more serious degree than I thought...

 

Will check for lice and mites too...

[The Dogmother]

Mine often get their chavvy tummies out in the summer - nothing to worry about provided that you've checked for lice and mittes.

[Romany]

Grrr... I was watching mine today and as I suspected, Roxy is swiping at Stella's bottom and pulling out great mouthfuls of fluffy feathers at every opportunity.

 

I have ordered an anti-peck bit in the hope it breaks the habit and nips this behaviour in the bud.

 

Incidentally, Stella (the now-bald bellied chicken) laid the first egg (out of the whole flock) today, so it did cross my mind that this is a slight coincidence - or is she exuding some sort of nesting hormone and Roxy is picking up on it instead of Stella doing it to herself...?!

 

Funny old world...