jomo1972 Posted December 10, 2012 Share Posted December 10, 2012 (edited) Hi Has anybody had this experience? I have a broody hen [i think]. She is pulling her own feathers out and I dont know what to do about it or even if I need to. I make sure she comes out of the coop every day so that she can eat. Grateful for any help. Edited December 10, 2012 by Guest Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
good_egg Posted December 10, 2012 Share Posted December 10, 2012 Is it her tummy feathers? My Coco went broody and stripped her wee tummy bare - I think they do it so they can control the temperature/humidity of the eggs better poor wee things. If its her tummy and it feels warm plus she won't leave nestbox then sounds like broody - funny time of year though. Poor thing. Lots of posts on here how to stop - broody cage seems to be most effective if you can. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjp Posted December 10, 2012 Share Posted December 10, 2012 if she's pulling out the ones on her chest then thats normal for a broody if they are coming out over a lot of her body then that's the annual moult you should start to see new feathers growing back in a few days if it's a moult Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jomo1972 Posted December 10, 2012 Author Share Posted December 10, 2012 Thanks for responses. No actually, it seems to be on her back. I suppose the others must be pulling some out too. She seems healthy. She is eating and not losing weight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjp Posted December 11, 2012 Share Posted December 11, 2012 have you got a cockerel by any chance as they can cause feather loss on the hens back due to over 'attention' either due to her been the only hen that's laying or willing or that she's his favorite girl Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dance in the dark Posted December 11, 2012 Share Posted December 11, 2012 If it is a moult you may not see feathers growing back right away. Hybrids tend to have a more partial moult (first time at least) and so hens will drops loads of feathers and grow them back really quickly, others won't. I was a bit worried about my Orpington when she started having a very slow moult I thought she looked very peaky, but now is fluffy as ever. Just as individual hens have different speeds of moulting they have different styles. Most often they lose their tail or neck feathers first, but that is not a rule. Has your girls comb gone pale? That's often a good indicator,coupled with feather loss that they are moulting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jomo1972 Posted December 11, 2012 Author Share Posted December 11, 2012 I dont have a cockerel. I hadn't noticed the comb pale. I will check. She is healthy enough, eating OK etc. I haven't previously had moult. Its a funny time of year for moult. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dance in the dark Posted December 12, 2012 Share Posted December 12, 2012 It's not too funny a time for moult since it normally comes at some point in the Autumn. What breed is the chicken in question? If she is a hybrid they will moult at all kinds of bizarre times. Also I have a cream legbar who is still laying but just starting to moult. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jomo1972 Posted December 12, 2012 Author Share Posted December 12, 2012 It's not too funny a time for moult since it normally comes at some point in the Autumn. What breed is the chicken in question? If she is a hybrid they will moult at all kinds of bizarre times. Also I have a cream legbar who is still laying but just starting to moult. Shes just a former bat. I only keep former bats. She seems perfectly happy. I lost a lot of hens to fly strike last year so I'm really paranoid now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valkyrie Posted December 13, 2012 Share Posted December 13, 2012 One of my pekins is moulting - she's the last one to shed. Last year it was a different pekin that was moulting. The year before that our silkie was broody in December too. Chickens are completely bonkers! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
