Chicken molting?!

[Trying2keepitReal]

So the last couple days there has been a fair amount of feathers in the coop. I know that my 2 Polish did a light molt at the beginning of Dec-I believe it was because our fall and early winter were so warm and mild.

Today one of Brahmas come out for their daily snack of veggies and quite a few neck feathers are missing, some on her sides and some on her feet. She is 10 months old. Everyone is laying pretty good, not counting the Polish, not as much but it has been cold and still gets dark early here. I picked her up and checked her for lice--just on the off chance but saw none. She does have a TON of pin feathers coming on in her neck and body. She is not the bottom of the pecking order--the Polish are She eats, drinks and yells at me very loudly for attention--she was in the nesting box when I came out with snacks and jumped down to eat, I call her Big Bertha-though her name is Rebekkah! Could she be molting?

 

[FarmerJamie]

No, no, no. Set up the guest room for the poor girl so she can recover in style. Mealworms, sliced melons. Anything less would be barbaric

 

[Trying2keepitReal]

Yep she was/is molting! Her feathers have started to grow back and she did well with the negative temperatures so I think she will be ok.

 

[tortoise]

Laughing?????? Barbarians!

Someone spent too much time on BYC 🤣

 

[Trying2keepitReal]

I did add in some kitten food today!

Hopefully she does ok. Thanks everyone

 

[Mini Horses]

Could be. I occasionally have a late one. I hate when they start and you walk out to feathers everywhere! That makes you start looking for whatever might be left....

 

[Mini Horses]

I use mealworms during molt. Expensive but helps. Certain cat foods can help. Main concern is the preservative!!

 

[Hinotori]

Winter molts?! I swear they choose to do so to drive us crazy sometimes. I've had it happen before with some of the rocks and brahmas I had.

I feed 20% normally unless the store has the Egg Producer in? Then it's 21%. I do give them cat food fairly regularly during molt. It's a treat the rest of the year unless you're the old lady who knows where the cat bowl is and will sneak in the house if she can.

I do mix in game bird starter 30% if everyone is doing a heavy molt. Usually half and half for a month. None of the birds I have now molt like that. Actually I've never had a silkie or ameraucana do it.

 

[Trying2keepitReal]

If she is, is there anything that I need to do special--I mean I don't think that they typically molt in the winter. I plan on giving her some extra protein and making sure they have enough straw in the coop but other than that I am at a loss. I wouldn't be too worried but next week we have a couple days where the highs will be below 0

 

[The Porch]

So the last couple days there has been a fair amount of feathers in the coop. I know that my 2 Polish did a light molt at the beginning of Dec-I believe it was because our fall and early winter were so warm and mild.

Today one of Brahmas come out for their daily snack of veggies and quite a few neck feathers are missing, some on her sides and some on her feet. She is 10 months old. Everyone is laying pretty good, not counting the Polish, not as much but it has been cold and still gets dark early here. I picked her up and checked her for lice--just on the off chance but saw none. She does have a TON of pin feathers coming on in her neck and body. She is not the bottom of the pecking order--the Polish are She eats, drinks and yells at me very loudly for attention--she was in the nesting box when I came out with snacks and jumped down to eat, I call her Big Bertha-though her name is Rebekkah! Could she be molting?

Yes,
I had been buying Kalmbach chicken feed from chewy, they make one called https://www.kalmbachfeeds.com/product/full-plume-feathering-feed/
It has a higher protein and the same everything else as their layer pellets, I give it during molting and winter