Solitary chicken - need advice

[HollyCat]

Has anyone had a chicken who has had a hard moult and suffered loss in appetite? Bluebelle is arounf 2 years old and lost the majority of her feathers over 2-3 days at the beginning of the week. She is drinking but not eating much - not even the tasty treats. She is crabby and lethargic, but does all the regular chickeny things like scrathcing and pecking around and running with the rest of the flock. I believe it is the moult which is affecting her, but would love to have some reassurance from someone who has had a similar experience and come through the other side.

 

Many thanks in advance.

 

Tracy

[PeckyBeak]

This is quite common when they are moulting, It affects some more than others, they become withdrawn from the hustle and bustle as they feel lethargic and quite fragile, especially when their new feathers are coming through as it can be quite uncomfortable for them. I find also that they don't like being handled at this time.

I usually segregate individuals at different times of the day and give them some food separate from the others, this means that they don't have to fight for their food.

I usually give them something high in protein like mashed-up scrambled eggs, or some warm readybrek.

Mashed potato with mashed vegetables also goes down well and Mealworms are brill for them.

This year I have used the Nettex Total Moulting solution in their water and have been really pleased with how quickly they have feathered up.

[HollyCat]

Thank you for putting my mind at rest. I have been feeding her away from her sisters, but even then she is being fickle. This morning she had quite a few pecks of the warm mash porridge this along with some fallen bird seed and a few mealworm. She also had lovely dust bath. I like the birds to fill up on their pellets and mash before they have a treat late afternoon, but I am just pleased she is eating anything at the moment. I knew some birds lost their appetite - it just came as a shock at to how much Bluebelle has lost hers.

 

Hope all your birds are doing well and thank you for replying

 

Tracy

[HollyCat]

In case someone is searching for this problem and comes across this post in years to come, I just wanted to add that Bluebelle has finally got her appetite back today. Its 2 weeks to the day that she started moulting heavily and ate hardly anything during this time. Her feathers are now nearly an inch long, she is feisty and is pecking away with the rest of the flock. All I have ever read is that you should give your bird extra protein at this time, seeing her not eat at all has been a dreadful worry, but she appears to have puled through.

 

Tracy

[Egghead68]

Pleased to hear she has pulled through. Mine lost lots of weight while they were moulting, too, and were really quite poorly with it.

[PeckyBeak]

Glad to hear that your girl is a lot better, she has done well in just 2 weeks, some of mine after 6 weeks are still getting their new feathers and are not their normal selves. It affects them in different ways and they get very stroppy with each other and withdrawn. One of the problems is that when the others see new feathers coming through. it is like a magnet for them to peck them out so you need to be armed with the anti-peck spray and the Gention violet at all times.

They basically need our TLC at this time.

[HollyCat]

Thank you Peckybeak and Egghead for your comments.

 

Bluebelle is still on the final stages of her moult, and I am hoping it won;t be too long now before she is 100% back to normal. She is eating much better, but still not to her old form.

 

I sometimes wonder if I fuss too much over my birds. Other people I know just let their flock "get on with it", whatever the problem may be. Mine are too dear to me to do that.

 

Your support is much appreciated.

[The Dogmother]

Yes, they will need extra protein and B vits (Biotin), I put mine on growers pellets while they are moulting and make sure that they get some scrambled egg for the Biotin.

 

A good poultry tonic in the water wouldn't go amiss, and there is a good moulting rescue product by Nettex that has all the vits they need. Be careful not to handle her while she has quills - they are very sensitive.

[HollyCat]

Hello Dogmother

 

I have been using the Nettex tonic. Many people have told me how good it is. At one point my bird would not even look at her favorite treat of mealworm. It concerned me that I should be building her up but that she would not eat at all. She will at least now nibble at her pellets and goes craxy for the mealworms, so hopefully things are looking up.

 

At least this has given her reproductive system a rest. My other birds have moulted, but to any degree, and they are still laying. I would like them to have a break really. There is no pleasing me, is there!

[The Dogmother]

I like that my pure breeds take a rest from egg production in the winter. Try moving yours onto growers feed if you want them to rest, it ought to cut back the number of eggs a bit.

[HollyCat]

Wow - this sounds interesting. How does that work then?

[The Dogmother]

Just a different mix of nutrients; I feed it to mine when they stop laying for the winter, but it may well slow down a hybrid hen too - no cloak and daggers or smoke, mind

[HollyCat]

Thank you. I may give that idea a whirl. I think my next flock will be pure breeds. I have lost many hybrids to the dreaded egg peritonitis. I believe its something to do with their prolific laying. I think the pure breeds know a thing or two by slowing down in the winter.

[The Dogmother]

That's one of the reasons why I prefer them - you may get less eggs but the hens tend to be healthier.

[daxigirl]

I'll give Tonto who's lost his appetite a go on growers see if it helps him. I thought it was because of the red might I found in the house but it could be him growing some of his big new feathers. He's indoors now so gonna try him on baked bean (they all like them) tuna and a bit of boiled egg.

[The Dogmother]

If they are moulting then I'd suggest mixing a bit of Biotin with their pellets; drizzle a wee bit of cod liver oil in them to coat the pellets and then add roughly a tablespoon of Biotin per 2 litres of pellets. It is one of the main nutrients for making feathers, and really helps.

 

You can expect them to look listless and not feel like eating when they are moulting, this is normal. Also try not to handle them too much as the emerging quills are very sensitive.