Is your dog's unusual barking a secret code for something mysterious?

[Atilla-the-hen]

My three chickens are in the middle of their first moult. I expected them to look scraggy and umkempt, but they also seem rather lethargic. When I let them out for their afternoon free ranging, they just plod around pecking at this and that, but otherwise not really interested at foraging or scratching, they almost looked depressed Is this normal?

[Henergy]

Apparently they can feel under the weather - mine got quite cross with me and the other chickens & hated being touched.

Hope they pick up soon. I used some Poultry Zest to help perk them up.

[gongladosh]

yep, sounds normal to me. they can be a bit down when they lose their feathers (though it depends on the hen).

you'll find them much happier and more confident when they get their 'new set of clothes' in the next month or two.

 

a bit of poultry spice a couple of times a week will help them a bit.

[Atilla-the-hen]

Thanks both, I feel much happier now it normal. (Haha, I can imagine them talking "I've got absolutely nothing to wear"!!!!

[clucker1]

Does anyone know how long a moult lasts for? Or is it how long is a piece of string question? My 4 chickens of 18 months are laying softies every other day and someone wiser than me on the forum has said this could be because of the moult.

[Melbourne12]

Well, with all my accumulated wisdome of a whole month of chicken keeping I can relay the experience with our four. When we got them, they were just starting to moult. The hen that was already well under way with her moult rapidly looked extremely bedraggled, went off her food and generally moped about. She's now much more lively. The hen that was still laying when we got them has now started to look a bit dispirited, so she'll probably follow the same pattern.

 

On the other hand, one hen seems to have sailed through the experience without too much stress at all. None of the hens has laid during moult, and the cockerel has neglected his husbandly duties. It looks as though the moult will last about 6 weeks per chicken, so the whole thing will spread over two months or more.

 

We've gven them a tonic in their drinking water throughout (Orego Stim, but there are loads of brands), and kept them supplied with greens as well as their normal feed.

 

Pictures and a bit more detail here: http://johnnorman.wordpress.com/2011/09/18/more-about-moulting/