Chicken Moulting Do's & Don'ts
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- čas přidán 4. 01. 2016
- It's been a late moult this year! Clare Taylor explains how and why chickens moult, as well giving useful advice on supplements and treatment of the birds during their moult. Biotin, a natural feather growth aid is available online or in our shop. Visit www.cotswoldchickens.com/ to find out more!
The dog's "ravenous" attention to the chicken being in the house is hilarious.
Pat McBride yea, and licking their lips. Lol
Thank you for your information it was very helpful I am new to having chickens I've got six of them and three ducks.
Oh this was extremely helpful!
I have a Suffolk grey who is malting now in the middle of summer, we’ve had a really wet and cooler summer this year (from UK). I didn’t know they did this so I’m relieved. I thought she was sick
Thanks so much for this video. I'm in Canada, and it's my first all seasons chicken experience. There is so much to learn with a few before I expand with more. 🤓
Lol I was like wth is happening to my chickens feathers!😂
thank you very much I will. because I have lots of questions. I've studied but there's a lot of conflicting information out there.
+Lisa Conrad I think you'll find that there are a dozen (at least) different answers for each question you ask! Everyone has their opinion, so you have to choose what sounds best to you! Feel free to get in touch if you have any queries, and I will try to help.
Roughly where are you located?
Thank you
I getting my first small flock of chickens in July and your videos are so informative.
The breeds I chose are Brahma and brown leghorn.
Any recommendations about breeds for a newbie?
+Lisa Conrad Those two are very good breeds to start with if you are looking at pure breeds; the Leghorn is particularly hardy and a good layer. My own flock is all pure breed bantams and one of my favourite is the Wyandotte as they are such good hardy layers.
Hybrids, such as those stocked at Cotswold Chickens, are all bred to be placid, and good layers; we recommend them to new starters.
Good luck with your endeavour, and don't hesitate to get in touch if you have any questions.
I *love* your jacket.
Can I add it to water or is adding to feed the best way?
My reds and Americauna is loosing their feathers. It's October now
Thanks and you are so pretty
Thank You so much! My one lady is molting now, December in Michigan, Poor Girl! I've given them Warm Oatmeal and Meal Worms daily. Hoping that helps her quickly
Try adding some Nettex Vit Boost tonic to her water; it contains Biotin, which is a key nutrient for forming new feathers.
@@CotswoldChickens thank you, I will find it online and get some ordered
@@CotswoldChickens I can't find where to order it online
@@ladyvirgo9514 You can find it here on our website :www.cotswoldchickens.com/nettex-vit-boost-poultry-tonic-347-p.asp there's a phone number and email at the bottom of the page if needed, and it's also available elsewhere online.
Hi Clare
Can you help I have 14 hens I’m getting about 7 eggs a day at this time of year iv had them about 5 months they were rescued hens they were treated awful by the last owner what I would like to know is how can I tell if some of my hens aren’t laying I can’t tell one hen from the other
Hello David - very difficult to tell without separating some off into different housing, or watching them! An old trick used to be to wipe differently coloured food colouring around the vent of the hens and then you would see a mark on the egg. I have never tried this and I think it would be a bit hit and miss to be fair.
They are likely to be laying less eggs anyway as they should be moulting at this time of year. It sounds as if you don't have too much history on them, or an idea of ages, but it would be a good idea to worm them all, assuming that they haven't been done. Use Flubenvet medicated pellets, which are available online and feed them nothing else for 7 whole days. I think we can safely assume that they have a heavy worm load, so repeat again after 3 weeks. Treat them all for lice and mites too, with a spot-on from your vet. This will get them all in optimal health for the next laying season, when I hope that you get more eggs.
Hi
A little while ago I opened my chickens out of their pen and while I was taking out their food and water, I noticed lots of feathers scattered inside the pen like it had been a fight. I also noticed some larger feathers scattered too and am not sure if my chicken is moulting. She seems fine other than having an egg break inside her last week so I'm not sure. Anything you would know?
It sounds like a moult to me, and it's the right time of year for that, you should see some of the others starting to drop feathers too.
As per the video, it's a good idea to add some Biotin (horse feed stores will sell this) to their feed, and a good quality poultry tonic to their water.
Having an egg break inside a hen is pretty worrying - did you get her to the vet?
CotswoldChickens hi thanks for the info. I didn't know that my chicken had an egg break inside her until she laid it out without the shell. My vets were closed on that day as it was a Sunday so I call around other vets but were also closed. Transportation was also not available that day so i was worried and didn't know what to do. I helped her at home and thankfully she managed to pull out of it. So far she hasn't laid any eggs and since she has started her moult, we won't be expecting any. 😊
You will probably find that the egg didn't break inside her, but had a very soft/no shell; this sometimes happens. You can avoid this by making sure that your flock is wormed with Flubenvet quarterly and that they are fed on their layers feed only and no treats.
CotswoldChickens hi, thanks. But the reason why I thought she had an egg break inside her is because she was really sick up to the point where we had to syringe water down her. Does this occur even if the egg doesn't break inside?
It can do, but not always that extreme. It is quite rare for an egg to actually break inside the hen, unless a human has tried to break it. This can result in s nasty infection or sometimes death. If you are convinced that a hen is egg bound, then you need to get her to the vet.
Hi, I'm not sure if my chicken is moulting. She is plucking out feathers from her neck just above the crop but is eating, drinking and laying eggs as normal. Would you know anything?
If she is plucking out her own feathers, then she isn't moulting
There are a few possible reasons for a bird pulling out its own feathers, the first is a lice infestation, so check her carefully all over, and especially in the fluff around the vent for any lice. It could be that she is just too hot and is doing this to cool down. Another reason could be that she is wanting to brood, but you say that she is still laying, so this is unlikely.
Have you seen her pull the feathers out herself?
CotswoldChickens hi thankyou, and yes I have seen her pull out feathers herself. Now the roots of the feathers are left on her skin which is visible around the neck. She laid an egg today too, and I have noticed that the area around her vent is looking a little messy. If it is an infestation of lice, could I possibly treat this with Diatomaceous Earth?
OK, sounds like she might have lice; have a look at the roost of the fluff feathers around the vent - you would see clumps of lice eggs at the base of the feathers and little critters running around on the skin. You can find some examples and photos here czcams.com/video/2vlruf4WOm8/video.html
CotswoldChickens thankyou very much for your help. Would you recommend Diatomaceous Earth?
No, I would only use that in the coop - dusting birds isn't recommended these days, especially with Diatom as it can cause breathing problems in both the birds and their owners. See the video that I linked you to for treatment recommendations.
I had a hen that molted 2 ywars ago and was over bred by a rooster, just a few days ago she was starting to grow in her feathers, and i was wondering if it is normal to take 2 years to grow it back
No, it shouldn't take that long. You don't mention her age, and that can have an effect on how long they take. I would separate her from her husband while she is regrowing feathers - to protect those delicate quills, or make sure that he has enough hens to divide his attentions around. Add some Biotin to their diet to support feather regrowth - you'll find this in Nettex's Vit Boos tonic, which can be added to the water.
@@CotswoldChickens ive seperater her in a small dog cage and i had gace her water with probiotic and vitamins in it, ive also soaked the bread in the water sense she is severly underweight and been giving her baby chicken food mixed with chicken corn and oats now. Most of her featherswhere she was bald on is grown back and had gained quite abit of weight i also noticed she used to crouch and crawl when walking or standing but now she stands and walks like a normal chicken
I have no clue if it was all bc of lack of biotin, but she is defenetly getting better slowly now, but still isnt fully healthy still kinda under weight, still havent molted her other dead feathers off and her color still doesnt look completly good
@@alyssai337 That's good news, sounds as if she is getting better
@@alyssai337 OK, so keep her isolated, but within sight of the others, and feed her up. Avoid bread but a good poultry tonic such as Nettex's Vit Boost in her water is a very good idea.
When did you last worm her and what did you use?
My my chickens are molting but one of them has a little red around her neck is that bad or is that okay
Hello Linda
An odd time of the year to be moulting - they usually do that in the Autumn! Are you sure that they aren't rubbing their feathers off on a bit of netting or a feeder?
It's hard to tell without seeing your bird, but I don't think there's anything to be concerned about regarding the redness; chickens have very fine and sensitive skin. It doesn't like being exposed, so smooth some nappy cream (Sudocrem) on it as protection.
@@CotswoldChickens how do I send you pictures of my chickens
@@lindafletcher2965 I can't post the email address here, but if you go to our website www.cotswoldchickens.com then there's an email at the bottom of the home page, just make them FAO: the chicken whisperer and they ought to get sent on to me. I can't guarantee being able to diagnose from a photograph though
I'm in the state I'm in Tennessee. I have one that started in January and still going. And another thing you can almost see the relation between dinosaurs and chickens when they are molting especially if they don't have a single feather on them they look like miniature dinosaurs🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🕊🕊🕊🕊🦖🦕🦕🦕
Can you bath a molting rooster ?
No, it's not advised to bathe any chickens - it will remove the protective preen oil and make their feathers brittle and inclined to break off. If they have access to a dustbath, then they will keep themselves clean.
The only time you might need to tidy up a chicken is when they have a dirty vent area, when a quick wipe with a damp cloth will clean it off and prevent fly-strike.
It's best not to handle moulting chickens much; their emerging feather quills are very sensitive
😂🤣😂You are hilarious. You think the rooster cares if lizzy has fresh new feathers?
Never seen a heavy metal bird tending a chicken before . Leather doesnt go well with feathers......🤣🤣😄😄
No seriously loved that chicken....so adorable and cuddly......💚💚💚💚💚