[Herbyforager]

Hello, I wonder if someone could advise me please. I have 3 bantams and 2 Orpingtons in a large aviary.
1 of the bantams has lost a lot of feathers, and now has a limp which is a separate issue, but I realise that 2 of the other birds have also started to moult again quite badly especially around their necks.
I took them on last January - they came with the house I bought, and I've not managed to put flea/lice powder directly on them but I have put it in the coop.
I'm worried that I'm going to lose them all, but they're all eating well at the moment.
Thanks Sue x

[ghost61]

I'm not sure that you have anything to worry about.  Moulting is normal, but I'm not sure if the fact that they moulted to some extent earlier in the year is a problem.

I would just keep your eye on them, and give them some tonic in their water, perhaps some poultry spice in their feed, and supplement their feed with some protein rich foods such as pumpkin seeds, and fish ( mine love cooked fish skins snipped up into small bite size pieces or prawn shells).  You can feed them wet cat food as that is protein rich, but it is likely to contain animal 'bits'.  Live yoghurt is good for protein too. Mine love fruit ones so they can try to be the first to pick out the fruit pieces!

Unless they are showing other signs of illness, like runny poos (not their normal ones) or are very lethargic, I wouldn't worry too much.  Worming is always raised as a potential solution, so you may want to add that as a further measure.

Let us know how things progress.

[8doubles]

Do not worry too much , i had a light sussex hen that would always wait till it started to snow before dropping her feathers.
She never came to any harm!

[Herbyforager]

Thank you, that's reassuring!

I think there have been some very runny poos.
How should I go about worming them?

Thanks

[ghost61]

To worm them you need Flubenvet.  You can order this from your local vet, or buy online (they will call you to confirm the details of your hens). There are lots of threads on the forum about worming so have a look at them.

But if there are runny poos, I would be cautious about worming them.  Some runny poos are completely normal, but if all they pass is watery poos and nothing solid, then there is probably another problem.  Could be that they may have eaten something that they shouldn't, or that their litter needs changing (you need to do that if they are in a confined run rather than free ranging).  Are all the hens producing runny poos or just one?  You can get a powder that helps bind them up so that the poo becomes solid.  What are you feeding them?

Sorry lots of questions, but I still think that you're worrying unnecessarily (says she, who hand fed a hen for days when it was ill......).

[Herbyforager]

Thanks, I'll have a proper check tomorrow but I just noticed that Big Bertha's poo was v watery today. The others may be fine, and it could be my fault for giving them the remains of a French stick moistened with milk??

I'll read the posts re worming, and get myself up to speed.

Are mealworms an ok protein source for them?
thanks x

[ghost61]

Bread is bad for hens as it swells up in their crop and so prevents them from eating normally,  I would also avoid giving them milk.  That could be the reason for the poo problem.   Mealworms in small quantities are fine.  Hens love them to bits!  Live maggots are a good special treat too (keep them in the fridge).

Keep us posted, we'll try to help.

[tosca100]

Keep this handy, many revolting looking poos are normal.

http://chat.allotment-garden.org/index.php?topic=17568.0

One of my hens looks like a welfare case at the moment, it is her first proper moult as she was last year's chick. The feathers from twenty hens moulting in various amounts is dreadful, looks like the plucker has been in every night.

[barley]

I have 2 just starting to moult now so your not alone 

they go very quiet when in moult , it can take it out of them rather

I give mine extra treats when they moult , yesterday we did some digging on the veg plot whilst the sun was out , a few wiggly worms went down a treat 

[Sassy]

Agree with the offered advice. Some chooks will moult until they look oven ready! The advice about milk is valid but also applies to yogurt, although it can help digestive upsets in small quantities for a few days - must be a live yogurt though.

[Springlands]

We have 10 hens and every morning their house looks like they have been having a pillow fight.     The welsummers normally look so attractive but at the present they just look like scruff bags. 

[joyfull]

Moulting at this time of the year is perfectly normal, moulting in summer could be very bad for them as their skins could get sunburnt (think could look not just ready plucked but roast and crispy skinned).
Most hens are lactose intolerant so please avoid milk - some may be ok with a tiny little bit such as a small spoon of bio yogurt, but I find it best to avoid completely. After antibiotics I give mine Avipro Plus which gets the prebiotics back into their gut and is poultry friendly. Avipro Plus also has electrolytes.

[Herbyforager]

Many thanks, this is very reassuring especially the photos of normal poo!

Yes there's a lot of moulting going on but they seem fine.
I'm taking Henry with the limp to the vet so it'll be interesting to see what he says about her general state.

I will look into the live yogurt, and am trying them with a small amount of wet cat food.
I won't give them any more bread.
They are on layer's pellets, some pasta or brown rice, fresh fruit or veg and some corn before dusk, also treats if I'm ariund, and not at work.

Thanks

[Beano]

I wouldnt worry if I were you.
Two of my hens really suffer when they moult and they will have runny poos while this is happening. They have a severe mould that leaves them looking ready plucked but they seem to get over it quicker. The other two have a long slow moult allowing bits to recover before the next bit moults. Could be the difference in breed. The first two are cream legbars and the other two are hybrids. One's a white leghorn and the other a red hen of some sort.

[8doubles]

Many thanks, this is very reassuring especially the photos of normal poo!

Yes there's a lot of moulting going on but they seem fine.
I'm taking Henry with the limp to the vet so it'll be interesting to see what he says about her general state.

I will look into the live yogurt, and am trying them with a small amount of wet cat food.
I won't give them any more bread.
They are on layer's pellets, some pasta or brown rice, fresh fruit or veg and some corn before dusk, also treats if I'm ariund, and not at work.

Thanks

Another food to avoid giving to hens is pasta.
Leave pasta and it congeals into a solid lump .
It also does the same in the crop of a hen and can cause sourcrop.

I learned this the hard way when it cost me a speckled hen even though i recognised she had a problem early on and gave her the right treatment!