[mandymollymoo]

Hello, let me start by saying I am a new member and I have a problem which perhaps some of you more experienced chicken lovers could help me with. I have a red ranger, her name is Ginger and she is looking a little shabby at the moment. Her and all the other chickens have been treated for mites and lice and the 2 coops we have are cleaned out 3 times a week and have been treated too. I took Ginger to  the vets where I was told that nothing 'obvious' is wrong with her and was given some worming treatment. I have given it to her for 3 days now and that is its course done and to be honest she is looking a little better but she has lost quite a lot of feathers, seriously molting and has not laid an egg for a month now. I know she may be reserving her protein in giving up laying to help replenish her feathers. This morning we have noticed a little red in her bedding and on a little bit of poo, more an orangey colour than blood colour. What could this be? We are giving then corn and seeds with their feed to fatten them up in the winter months and to give them some more nutrition. Is there something else I should be doing? Please help me

[joyfull]

hello and welcome, take a look at these pages and you will find that her poo is perfectly normal 

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

If she is moulting then she wont lay and sometimes they can look off colour. When her feathers come back and the days get longer chances are she will start to lay again  :happy:

[darkbrowneggs]

Hi and welcome - it is always worrying at first, but it sounds like Joyful says as if she is just going through a moult so all should be well come spring.

All the best
Sue

[hillfooter]

We are giving then corn and seeds with their feed to fatten them up in the winter months and to give them some more nutrition. Is there something else I should be doing? Please help me

Yes stop giving them corn and seeds and no treats.  Basic nitrition is best and a compound layers pellets ad lib in gravity feeders (or if you don't mind the extra work involved for a small number of hens - mash).  Clean fresh water daily and a handful of mixed poultry corn each in the EVENING only. No scraps and the minimum of treats only in the EVENING.  You can give a higher protein ration if you like which will help with feather growth (I agree with Joyful re moult) and turkey growers if you can find someone who has any left over from the Christmas turkey growing has around 20% protein.  Otherwise an ocassional tuna in brine or water treat in the evening will supplement protein.  However remember the compound feed should be their staple diets as it contains ALL the nutrients in the right proportions and which over feeding corn, or worse still, household scraps will unbalance.

Keep their house and run clean and sanitary through observing a well thought out husbandary plan.

Encourage your hens to free range and forage for their food.  Do all this and you will have healthy, active and happy chx.


PS I believe Garvo do an (expensive?) fancy chicken feed (for showing breeds) which I suspect will be heavy in protein to promote feather growth so that's an option too.

HF

[themagicaltoad1]

My top hen is going through a moult, poor thing looks so scraggy and moth eaten but it's normal for them.

[Jeanette]

Once she has finnished moulting she will be beautiful again and she will start to lay again. Moulting can take it out of chickens and they always moult at the coldert time.