Moulting / Molting??

Daisyd0g · « **on:** November 18, 2011, 16:53 »

Poor Tittie my RIR is molting, and for all last week she seemed to lose all her feathers in 1 go... she looks a right sorry sight and seems to be feeling sorry for herself!.

She is the Top chicken, and the others still respect that, she has been eating and drinking and scratching around but she is definately more subdued. Normally she is first out the pop hole, now she is last, she just kind of hangs back and hunkers down looking miserable... I am sure it if it was happening to me I would feel the same.

I have checked her over but don't want to handle her too much as I am sure those pin feathers are painful enough as it is.... just wanted to check is it common for them to be a bit subdued and less bolshey during a bad molt?

I am hoping in a week or so she will be getting to feeling more normal, I guess she is feeling a bit nekkid and exposed!

Thanks for reading

3Bluebelles · « **Reply #1 on:** November 18, 2011, 18:20 »

Our top girl is exactly the same. She was really quiet for the first week, and was starting to get pecked by the others, on occasion even drawing blood from the new feather shafts. However, as we are now into the 2nd week she has got more and more aggresive. She now stands up for herself if she gets pecked, and gives them a hard time back. She stands her ground over food too, and won't let the others near her little patch of corn when we scatter some.

Just leave her to get on with it, and she will be OK. We did try to handle her just once, and she almost screamed at us, I think it's quite painful, so we learnt not to do that again!

As long as she is getting enough food and water, and the others are not actually drawing blood by pecking, then just leave her and she will be fine.

You can give her an occasional treat of a bit of tuna in spring water or fishy cat food, as this will give her extra protein for forming strong feathers. She probably won't lay while she is moulting either.

Daisyd0g · « **Reply #2 on:** November 18, 2011, 20:14 »

Quote from: 3Bluebelles on November 18, 2011, 18:20

Our top girl is exactly the same. She was really quiet for the first week, and was starting to get pecked by the others, on occasion even drawing blood from the new feather shafts. However, as we are now into the 2nd week she has got more and more aggresive. She now stands up for herself if she gets pecked, and gives them a hard time back. She stands her ground over food too, and won't let the others near her little patch of corn when we scatter some.

Just leave her to get on with it, and she will be OK. We did try to handle her just once, and she almost screamed at us, I think it's quite painful, so we learnt not to do that again!

As long as she is getting enough food and water, and the others are not actually drawing blood by pecking, then just leave her and she will be fine.

You can give her an occasional treat of a bit of tuna in spring water or fishy cat food, as this will give her extra protein for forming strong feathers. She probably won't lay while she is moulting either.

Thanks for this, it is good to know others are the same... and NO no eggs for a while from any of my girls.. they are either coming in, going out or actually molting at the moment, plus I haven't added any light to their coop and we are just hitting some really cold weather!

As long as they are happy the eggs can wait

Sassy · « **Reply #3 on:** November 19, 2011, 17:15 »

Some people give them a little fish cat food or tuna in water to give them a little extra protein.

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Moulting / Molting??

Daisyd0g

Moulting / Molting??

3Bluebelles

Re: Moulting / Molting??

Daisyd0g

Re: Moulting / Molting??

Sassy

Re: Moulting / Molting??

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