Chicken advice needed please

[sandi_84]

I have recently taken on some rescue chickens, one of which - aptly named "Scruff" - has apparently looked like this for more than a year and has had a moult.

It's not the best picture, she's rather nervous and won't let me touch her yet but she is bald at the base of her neck, on the top of her tail, and generally has less feathers than normal on the areas that aren't completely bald. It doesn't seem to cause her pain and she isn't itching or biting herself but she looks awful, poor thing!

Is there anything I can do to encourage her feathers to grow back or is she going to be partially feathered for life?

Will I need to do anything special for her in particularly warm or cold days/nights?

They free roam our garden, have shade and sun, dust baths, fresh water, chicken feed and sleep in two coops.

Any advice would be appreciated

 

[Clodagh]

The main trouble will probably be your other hens. Growing feathers are rich in blood and hens loved pecking them. I think she probably needs isolation until she has some regrowth, poor old girl.

 

[JillA]

Maybe some higher protein? Mealworms, or, for a fraction of the cost, soaked cat kibble. Mine love it - gets them into their run every evening

 

[Orson Cart]

Just to further add, in cold weather my mum knits little jackets for any bald hens she mag have roaming around at the time, patterns widely available for free online, you just need someone who can knit. keeps chicken warm and helps to prevent plucking from chums, or so the old dear reckons anyway. I'm not a chicken person myself, so don't know much about it all but her little bald ones sure do look cute with little knitted woollies on. ��

 

[Evie91]

I have two ex batts - one looks fab. The other similar to yours - few feathers on the sides of her neck and just looks poor and thin compared to the other. Have been treated for worms and mites and have meal worms everyday. It looks a lot better than when it came but not as good as the other one - as far as I can see it looks like it has a twisted neck, so I wondered if that was anything to do with it.
Will be interested in the advice you get.

 

[sandi_84]

Thanks all

The lady I got them from was feeding mealworms and tinned cat food (anyone ever done that? I'd never heard of that before) along with their chicken feed.
How long do you think I'd have to isolate her for?

I was thinking I might gave to break out the knitting needles!

Sorry for errors trying to type quickly before I leave for work

 

[Janah]

A good all round tonic may help.

 

[Clodagh]

Although I am as guilty as the rest of you, it is now recommended not to feed mealworms to chickens as they can carry disease. (Apparently).
Tinned cat food is good, and tuna (in oil, not brine).

 

[MotherOfChickens]

as said, she needs protein, peas are good if you don't want to go the cat food route (I wouldn't) or fish that isn't in brine. I am also a fan of OregoStim for poultry in moult or hens just finished raising chicks etc, they love it and it does seem to do them some good. It might just take time, these ex batts have been through a lot physically. I'd not worry about her being cold this time of year either.

 

[sandi_84]

I'd not worry about her being cold this time of year either.

No it's somewhat warm here now (although windy today) I was thinking more fore the winter months if by then she hasn't had a bit of regrowth

Thanks again everyone, lots of things to try. Poor scruff is going to be a bit of a guinea pig trying all these foods etc

 

[MotherOfChickens]

I'm in Scotland as well, I've had hens throw all their feathers out in their annual moult end of October which always makes me nervous but they soon feather up again after a few days of being knickerless

 

[BentleyBelly]

Poultry spice and meal worms. I had two with bald bits after another pecked their feathers out, they remained bald for a good few months after the offending feather pecker was removed. I made a mash with layers pellets, boiled water, poultry spice and meal worms that they wolfed down and was delighted when they regrew the feathers finally.

 

[Clodagh]

I'm in Scotland as well, I've had hens throw all their feathers out in their annual moult end of October which always makes me nervous but they soon feather up again after a few days of being knickerless

It is when you look out, see a sea of feathers and your heart stops and you think 'OMG a fox attack' then you see a bald but happy chicken doing it's stuff. Ages me years every time!

 

[TTK]

Cider vinegar in her water for the inner chicken. Have you wormed them with flubenvet (maybe not sure of sp). Has she been treated for mites? If she is being pecked, try Stockholm tar on her to deter the others. You might also isolate her but in sight of the others. Love hens, but not all of them come right but there are lots of things to try.

 

[QuantockHills]

Please dont put jumpers or jackets on your chooks. It's really bad for them and can be painful. It will stop the new feathers coming through properly and they can get caught on brambles etc. Like others have said, you can give them some apple cider (but not too much in hot weather) and just put some extra straw in the nest boxes. chickens have a much higher body temperature than humans so dont feel the cold as much as we do. If she is being pecked, try some purple spray to cover any blood spots as this will deter the other girls pecking her.

 

[Honey08]

I agree, jackets are bad, especially in wet weather, they can make them feel colder. I wouldn't isolate either unless they're actually being peck d - a hen that is isolate nearly always gets bullied when it returns to the others in my opinion, so it defeats the object unless you really have to. Plus hens get depressed and shut down when alone. If your run is big enough the moulting hens keep themselves to the back of the pack and out of trouble usually. If I have a bad feather puller that's the one I'd isolate.

 

[sandi_84]

Ok no jacket for Scruff then, she's free roaming around our garden so wouldn't like her to be getting stuck or cold if it rains!

She's not being pecked at that I can see and is not the bottom of the pecking order, have seen her peck at one of the other larger chooks. She gets on well with all other chooks except one who will leave her be as long as she's not invading her space so scruff generally wanders with her and the others but doesn't get too close to this particular chook. If she does inadvertently get too close to aloof Ermintrude she gets a quick peck to say "booger orrf" and all is well straight after.

Have wormer and mite stuff on the way although they have been done by the lady who used to own them I think it's probably about time for the next dose soon.
Will get some cider vinegar and chicken spice and see if that helps too.

They are fed layers mash and a generous handful of corn at night, get some meal worms as a treat and whatever scraps are suitable from the kitchen.

OH has been feeding them bread which I've asked him not to do because I've heard it's bad for them :/

We have loads of eggs (too many for just two people so have been giving away to the neighbor) so I'll try giving her some scrambled egg too for the protein, it's just trying to separate her from the rest to feed her a special feed as she's just not keen on being touched and will calmly sidestep away if you try but will run if you persist. The others are nearly as bad in the opposite way, if you are out they are clustered round trying to involve themselves in whatever you are doing ha ha!

Glad I don't have to try and separate her, really didn't want to have to do that to her!