Hi All,
I think you would call it moalting, my chickens are losing their feathers and winter time is upon us. They only lay about one egg a day if that. At first I thought only one chicken was losing her feathers since it was all I saw, now I have about 4 or 5 losing their feathers. What causes this and does this slow down their egg production? What can I do to make sure they stay warm during the winter?
Can anyone help?
Moalting Chickens
Hi rhodiegirl,
This is completely natural, your chickens have just chosen a less-than-convenient time to do this. How old are your chickens? I ask because there, is a juvenile molt and a mature molt. The juvenile molt is typically a little less dramatic than the mature molt. Both I hear can cause a slow in production, because they will be focusing their energies on regenerating more feathers.
I don't think they'll lose so many feathers that it would effect them being warm...I could be completely wrong on this one... on a side note I read that if you want your chicks to grow their feathers fast you expose them to temperatures SLIGHTLY less than that you'd normally. That being said, I wonder if your chickens will hurry up and regrow their feathers when their skin feels that cold temperature out there!
If you were really concerned you could look into warming their coop.
Thank you LL, my chickens are over a year old. I got them in June of 2007 I believe. This is their second winter they are going through.
Hi rhodiegirl. I wish I could help. I have only had one of mine molt so far. They are first year pullets. She did not loose many feathers. She just looked a bit rughed up. I am jsut reading the responses so I will know when I go through the same. ;)and I just wanted to say hello to you.
jeanmarie
Hi JeanMarie,
Trust me, it looks weird seeing the chickens with a lot of feathers missing. At least I know what's happening with them.
I can imagine it does look odd. The poor little babies. How cold is it in NH? I know its cold here in NY. Sweaters! We need the chicken sweaters! There is a thread with a pattern of cute chicken sweaters! Just go back a page or two!
But like you said, at least you know what it is. :D
It's cold in Georgia!!! I'd die up there.... I can send sweaters.... that's all I got. I don't know much yet obviously.
LOL Jenks!
Oh it's cold here. A lot of early mornings it's in the teens. However I have their coup winterized. I put a tarp around part of their fenced in area so they don't get the worse of the winter winds.
I am going to do the same. (tarp) Because I am surrounded by fields that have all been cut. The wind gets really strong here. It will soon be getting below zero at times and they need all the protection they can get. It was freezing rain today and the old girls kill me. They still came out and played! They are so cute.
Hi Sewin, that's because supposedly the cold doesn't bother them like the heat does. I've watched my chickens through the cold and through the heat. They act like dogs and cats through the heat. It's almost like they are panting. In the cold they love being outdoors and roaming. They just don't roam here except in the coup because of living in the woods.
If they dont mind the cold we are in business! They have shade at least for the summer. They get under the coop. It is raised a foot and a half off the ground to TRY to keep out rodent things! hehehe! I will still put up the tarp so they dont blow away! LOL
Honey,
Don't worry about rodents being in their space. I am posting a picture of what the fenced in area looks like for my chickens. Rodents are too scared to mess with chickens because the chickens might eat them.
Here's a picture of what the coup looks like.
Boy nothing is getting in there!!!! Its like Fort Knox for chickens. So rats wont hurt them? I have a rooster (in solitary confinment) that I believe got bit by a rat. His foot was bloody. He seems okay though. I have never had rats before, but I saw it yesterday. I was doing dishes watching them (chickens) out the window and BAM, it jumped out from under the wood pile to the solitary confinment house. I guess free food and water was too tempting! What would you do?
Rats! Did you say Rats! I got them in three sizes here mice/rat/warf rat the later is the really big ones. Scare the heck out of you if you run across one! Well i can't use poison as i have dogs so i trap them and if i find a nest i call my rat dog. I just caught one in a trap and just got his tail and the other ones eat him alive. Then i caught a big one he was still alive gave him to the dog Shorty loves rats. I was at my friends house who has rabbit's and chickens while we were talkin a rat came out of the shed it was as big as a small cat. So i guess you could say you got chickens you may have rats too the spilled feed is just a rat buffet.
Ahhhhh! I sure am hoping that warf rats are not in NY! LOL
I saw 2!!! I just went out and watched for 15 minutes and saw 2 taking turns getting the seed from under Dukes house. Man, what next. sigh! I will set traps because I am afraid the neighbor dogs will get into it. Mine is on a lead so he wouldnt. TRAPS IT IS! Thanks ;)
Ok, I know I've been in trouble for inappropriate levity here recently, but I can't help thinking of Harmony chasing after and cutting off their tails with a carving knife --have you ever seen such a sight in your life!!
I get those Big ones at the feed store be careful with those had my fingers snapped before.
If they are big ones don't use the little traps if it hits their tail they will just take it with them. I have had 2 rats chew their own tails off and 1 its own foot to escape.
I get giant mice. Warf mice? HUGE, but not rats. They eat the horse food and sometimes drown in their water buckets. Fun mornings those, but they're dead! Worthless cats around here....;)
I had a cat for rats all he did was sleep and clean himself then go eat the neighbors cat food. Guess i didn't have the correct butt flavored cat food he wanted.
He finally fell in love with another neighbors cat and abandoned me.
LOL! We have plenty of barn cat around here. None are mine. They come from across the street. That is where everyone dumps the poor things. They have been hanging out over here, now I know why! hehehe! get um kitty kitty kitty!
Ha! I live in the suburbs, so I don't have the huge mice or rats, but I saw my neighbor across the street redo his dove atrium and about 20 mice went skittering into my other neighbor's garage. HAHAHA!
I'm sure their around. My cat is a great hunter, even though he has not front claws. He'll smack a bird out of the air and then pounce. So I'm sure he's helping with mice. hmmmmm... that could explain the 22lbs that he weighs and how the heck he maintains his "girlish figure" on such small rations. HA!
My Main reason for trying to keep down the rats is they can transfer disease's from one pen to the next. They go thru the pens and get the poop on their feet and track it to the next. Or worse go thru your neighbors pens and bring whats over there over here. So i try and keep my eye out and when i see them i set my traps.
Yah, if I knew of some around. I'd do the same Harmony. :-)
Oh. I did not think of that! I just dont want them around because they are dirty! I dont want them to hurt my chickens. I put out (my niehbor put out) a trap for me yesterday. Nothing so far. I think they are too smart to get in! Good news though! My roo that has been in solitary is in with the flock now! I am so happy. He is my favorite. He was my first chick! We watched TV together and everything. He is in with the flock and has not tried to kill any of the new girls i put in. He actually bows down to the newly egg laying girls. He sure missed them. He kicked all the hay yesterday into a pile in one corner of the coop though! weird! I am just so happy. I do love that roo.
22 lb cat! He is eating something more than kitty rations! WOW! Can he get around alright? hehehe! funny picture in my head of rolling kitty! LOL
Gotta get the kids on the bus! and get coffee....
Hi All, I have a chicken with a problem. She seems to be favoring a foot. I picked her up to take whatever feathers or crap off her foot but that was easier said than done. And the majority of my chickens don't like to be picked up. The other day I would have gotten 3 eggs had they not eaten 2 of them. I managed to save at least one. Do you give the girls anything special for the feather moalting? I know I have given them butternut squash and mixed veggies and they devour them. Only every now and then I will give them crushed dried egg shells that they produced. I might change that though and give them I think it's called oaster shells? Please give me some advice?
Thanks, Cecile
About the foot, I am not sure. I know you said she does not like getting picked up but did you see any cuts or bumps? Do you have snow or ice out yet? I know my dog gets ice balls. hmmm. I sure hope someone else with more experience has something, I just dont know.
Yes oyster shells are just that crushed up shells to give the layers more calcium. It can help with thin shells and such. You can just offer it as a free choice dish.
I have not really experienced any REAL moalting yet so I am not sure what foods could help if any. I will be watching this thread now to see for the future. ;)
jeanmarie
Thank JeanMarie for posting. Yes, we have snow and ice out, but that wouldn't effect the birds since they don't go out in it. Their fenced in area is just that, it's fenced in and even though they are on dirt they don't get rain or snow or ice in there. They do get fresh air and walk on dirt, but that's it.
Can you get someone else to hold her so you can inspect the foot better? To look for cuts, bumps, etc.?
Can you start a new thread for this foot problem. I only ask because It is a new issue and it will be at the top of the list :D! It will be seen more. I wish I had more to help. :(
Yep, I can. As for my moalting chickens, they are getting their feathers back. It looks kind of funny too the way they look.
would it be mean to ask for pics? :D
Here's the chicken with the most moalting going on.
Here's another pic.
They are pretty even with regrowth!
At least I will know what to expect!
Sorry if I embarassed the girls. :( (To be seen at a time when they are not at best.)
Yes, my girls are usually pretty. They are fussy too though.
I had NO idea that they would lose all their feathers like that! The most drastic I've seen in my girls was, (a) when I bought my cochin she had all of her tail feathers pecked out by her previous flock. So she had a naked butt, (b) when my sussex did her juvenile molt, she lost all her tail feathers, too. No naked butt, but she still looked silly.
A breeder just wrote me to say that he had just lost a flock of Nankins because they were in molt and the temp suddenly dropped. Nankins are bantams and not very cold hardy--but I would think that a serious molt would make most chickens somewhat more sensitive to low temps.