Moulting Hens

[Bestdogdash]

One of my girls is moulting up a storm. This is my first experience of a moult. Is it normal at this time of year ? Are there any special foods or supplements I should be giving her to assist ?

Thank in advance for help !

 

[Caramac71]

Completely normal! They shed their feathers now so that they have nice new warm ones for the winter. Some have minor moults, others look practically oven ready. Nothing you 'need' to do but you can add a vitamin tonic to their water if any look like they are struggling. Of poultry spice to their feed.

Mine are a bit pampered and get the odd handful of mealworms for extra protein, and it's around this time a year that I start feeding a bit of corn at night to keep them warm.

 

[JillA]

Oh I'm glad you wrote that Caramac, I was beginning to stress about mine because we have had mite infestations. I think more protein might be an idea though - I picked one up the other day and there was no weight to her, her breastbone was like a knife.

 

[Bestdogdash]

Thanks ! Have have done a bit of online searching this morning too. The suggestion seems to be that a handful of dry cat food three times a week helps during moult (full of animal protein which is what they need. What do you think ? The girls always get a handful of mealworms in the evening so that's good and I add apple vinegar to their water (not that they drink it - they always go to the pond in the garden!) if anyone had told me when I got hens a year ago how much I would love them I would never have believed them ! Such excellent value in every respect.

 

[Clodagh]

Tuna is good, in oil not brine. Also they love cat food, but it may be illegal to feed them that...
anything high in protein.

 

[Dry Rot]

There was a deputation of hens at my back door this morning, all demanding to go and live with Clodagh....

Someone told me my hens won't eat barley. My reply was that they'll eat barley if there is nothing else!

 

[MiJodsR2BlinkinTite]

Have never heard of giving them cat food.......

Our ex-battery hens (ten) have gone back into their barn for the winter and are moulting. Make sure hens have plenty of grit and oyster shell (or you can crush up old eggshells, cheaper!) available; plus you can add health supplements to the water or buy it as granules. A teaspoon of cider vinegar in their drinking water is good apparently for both condition and dealing with the digestive tract.

We use diatomaceous earth for mites and parasites. Easy to do, nice and cheap, a good natural product, and it WORKS

Moult is perfectly normal at this time of year; our cockerell looks like a lav-brush gone wrong, bless him.

 

[Honey08]

Ours are moulting too. We always give corn to keep them warm and a few mealworms I have two bowls of water for them, I add cider vinegar to one so they have a choice.

Other than the suggestions everyone has come up with, another thing that is important is to have plenty of shelter for them. They become a bit timid and subject to bullying sometimes when moulting, and if the weather is bad I've seen higher hens not let the lower ones in the hen coop when its raining. I have a few overturned dustbins around the coop that they can go and shelter in if need be, and they do use them a lot in winter..

 

[MotherOfChickens]

couple of mine have had dramatic moults and just as I thought they were all ending, one shed 1/2 her feathers this morning (different breeds). I've been giving mine the odd tin of tuna and mealworms for extra protein. My Scots Grey lad looked pretty awful but looks better now-I had to take him away from the hens as they were pecking the shaft of the pin feathers and making them bleed.

 

[Alexart]

Mine are moulting in dribs and drabs at the mo too, they tend to moult much more dramatically as they get older, I've got one 4yr old english game who dropped her feathers all at once - really was an oven ready look!, she's almost grown them back now though after 2 weeks of being bald!!! I give mine more corn when they moult just to give them extra calories, other than that I wouldn't worry too much unless they have dropped all their feathers in one go and are still laying, my ISA warrens do that sometimes so need a bit of extra protein and calcium - soaked cat or dog biscuits as others have said are great - the legal side of that is you can't then sell them or their eggs as meat to the public I think but for home grown birds or pets it isn't a problem.

 

[henmother]

I feed mine drained sardines with cod liver oil and a spoon of poultry spice. It's funny how some breeds seem to moult and hardly look like they've dropped a feather but others look like they've been plucked bald! Acv in water is good for them too. Plenty of greens , if like mine they are too wimpy too leave run in windy weather, chickeny chickens!

 

[Clodagh]

couple of mine have had dramatic moults and just as I thought they were all ending, one shed 1/2 her feathers this morning (different breeds). I've been giving mine the odd tin of tuna and mealworms for extra protein. My Scots Grey lad looked pretty awful but looks better now-I had to take him away from the hens as they were pecking the shaft of the pin feathers and making them bleed.

Our coro sussex boy is bleeding around his neck. I have just smothered him in a crust of sudocrem and wound powder, at least he will taste horrible. If that doesn't work I will have to purple spray him, poor old boy. One of his leghorn wives has only got a ruff of feathers like a ra ra skirt, apart from that she is completely bald, she looks hideous.

 

[RutlandH2O]

Have never heard of giving them cat food.......

Our ex-battery hens (ten) have gone back into their barn for the winter and are moulting. Make sure hens have plenty of grit and oyster shell (or you can crush up old eggshells, cheaper!) available; plus you can add health supplements to the water or buy it as granules. A teaspoon of cider vinegar in their drinking water is good apparently for both condition and dealing with the digestive tract.

We use diatomaceous earth for mites and parasites. Easy to do, nice and cheap, a good natural product, and it WORKS

Moult is perfectly normal at this time of year; our cockerell looks like a lav-brush gone wrong, bless him.

Good advice. But, using crushed egg shells isn't a good idea, because the hens can acquire a taste for them and possibly start breaking their, or other hens', eggs.

Do you put some DE into their food? The breeder from whom I got my hens always adds about 1/2 teaspoon of DE to their morning mash. He adds a bit of warm water, as well, to keep the bits from being tossed about by the girls. Really works a treat!

Have you tried the Flubenvet wormer which is incorporated into a pelleted feed? I've just started the seven day course...today is day two.

 

[MotherOfChickens]

I have to say, I really don't think DE would be that effective as a wormer-if its coarse enough to do damage to a parasitic worms outer layer (and they are pretty specialised to be able to survive that environment) then think what it would do to the intestinal layer? better to use a real wormer (although if someone does a fecal egg reduction test with DE and sends me the results I'd like to see them)-flubenvet or ivermectin (POM only).

 

[Adopter]

Thanks OP for starting such a useful thread, mine have been in moult for weeks, and one has now finished and has stared to lay again. Down side of having thee hens the same age they have all stopped laying at the same time!

I could not believed how bald they were so have been feeding in addition to layers pellets corn and mealworms which they absolutely love, if I put out cat food or tuna I think my cats would eat it. Also using poultry spice and they are starting to look like lovely glossy coated hens again, just hope they start laying soon.

 

[MotherOfChickens]

if I put out cat food or tuna I think my cats would eat it.

trust me, they wouldn't get the chance lol.

 

[henmother]

Sardines are just as good, and cheaper than a decent tin of tuna, its all about the protein content so you're better off feeding fish rather than cat food.

 

[LovesCobs]

I have 4 chickens at the minute, 2 are laying, 1 is broody and has been for about 3 weeks! And one stopped laying. I couldn't work out why at 1st and hunted for where she was hiding them, she's a white star and so was laying almost daily. After nearly 2 weeks the white feathers were everywhere! Her neck is bald but she looks ok. I've been giving corn in the afternoon and have added meal worms. My other 2 are laying daily (more than enough for us!) but I thought they didn't moult in their 1st year? As far as I was aware I bought point of lay chickens at about 20ish weeks and her eggs started small and have got bigger over the summer, do you think
She's older than the others?

 

[Adopter]

Mine were bought at point of lay in June last year and one went broody in September, she has done the same again this September, guess like all animals they will always surprise us!

 

[Clodagh]

I have 4 chickens at the minute, 2 are laying, 1 is broody and has been for about 3 weeks! And one stopped laying. I couldn't work out why at 1st and hunted for where she was hiding them, she's a white star and so was laying almost daily. After nearly 2 weeks the white feathers were everywhere! Her neck is bald but she looks ok. I've been giving corn in the afternoon and have added meal worms. My other 2 are laying daily (more than enough for us!) but I thought they didn't moult in their 1st year? As far as I was aware I bought point of lay chickens at about 20ish weeks and her eggs started small and have got bigger over the summer, do you think
She's older than the others?

Some hens have a partial neck moult in their first year, she will probably lay again soon. Corn doesn't have a lot of protein, fish etc will give her a boost.

 

[LovesCobs]

thank you
I've added meal worms, I'll add fish as well. she looks like she's been plucked round her neck but is otherwise ok (I miss my white eggs!)

 

[henmother]

It is coming to that time of year where laying can grind to a halt moult or no moult, unless I juat have lazy girls!! Lack of sunlight- vit d prohibits egg production. I loathed buying eggs in winter but them believe the birds should have a break from laying, spoilt birds.

 

[LovesCobs]

does it depend on the breed henmother? my other two (redstar and rhoderock) are both laying daily I think they are hybrids and lay about 300 days a year? (I could be wrong) my moulting one is a white star and was pretty much laying daily as well. I don't mind them having a rest when she stopped laying I couldn't work out why until she started losing feathers as I thought she was too young.

 

[henmother]

Maybe hybrids will lay throughout, thought they needed to have extra light during the dark months. I have a light Sussex and a white Wyandotte, neither of which lay when the nights draw in. Thankfully they'll make good brooders for the nursery school they're going to.

 

[LovesCobs]

Maybe hybrids will lay throughout, thought they needed to have extra light during the dark months. I have a light Sussex and a white Wyandotte, neither of which lay when the nights draw in. Thankfully they'll make good brooders for the nursery school they're going to.

yes I'm sure they will, my daughter loves the way they come running over and chat away when they see you and she loves picking up the broody one to throw her off her empty nest after school! . the nursery will love them xx

 

[henmother]

Haha, bet the broody is in a right grump getting thrown off her nest. All I can say is if my Wyandotte had teeth I'd have lost a finger!! Its great getting the little ones involved, teach was telling me that half the kids probably won't even realise that chicken is chicken!!

 

[LovesCobs]

Yeah! I used to teach in the middle of Salford so built up area, I was amazed at what the 4 year olds didn't know and also what they did!! (Not food related!) send them a rooster as well ..... He heee

 

[henmother]

Oh my good that would confuse matters. Having said that the amount of people I work with who thought you needed a cock for eggs was ridiculous. The only way I could explain it to them so they could grasp it was to say an egg is just a hen period and without mr chicken there would be absolutely zero chance of chicks!!!