| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| retasos2 |
Posted - Jan 17 2012 : 11:20:15 AM
I have one Red Star that has lost all her feather on her back and belly. I have feed her a high protein diet for a month now and nothing has happened. No new feathers coming in, nothing. She is not being picked on and I don't have a rooster so is it time to let her go?
Pilar
Farmgirl Sister #2498
Little Hen House on the Island
" A woman is like a tea bag. You never know how strong she is, until she gets in hot water" Eleanore Roosevelt |
| 16 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| marlee |
Posted - Jan 19 2012 : 4:06:10 PM
Michele that picture is so cute. I think she know she is well takin care of. That is so sweet. I love the outfit. Marlee |
| Tea Lady |
Posted - Jan 19 2012 : 3:57:28 PM
Michele - that picture is priceless... Too funny - not to mention sweet on your part to take such good care of your girls... Thanks for sharing.
Lorraine
(aka Tea Lady)
Farmgirl #1819
www.birdsandteas.com |
| retasos2 |
Posted - Jan 19 2012 : 3:05:38 PM
Oh my gosh! she is so cute, you are such a chicken spoiler. Thanks for sharing.
Pilar
Farmgirl Sister #2498
Little Hen House on the Island
" A woman is like a tea bag. You never know how strong she is, until she gets in hot water" Eleanore Roosevelt |
| batznthebelfry |
Posted - Jan 19 2012 : 2:33:16 PM
the reason i suggested the ground use cheap people calcuim is I have some hens/roos hat will not get near the oyster shells so I learned thur research that some you have to play the ' I will hide it in something you will like' game.....Even cooking/scrambling up any ext eggs you have or ones that got frozen are a good source of calcuim for them...the eggs shells ground up into powder is also excellent as Jennifer does.....Alot of people do the raw meat but I worry about meat worms that the chickens can get so I always cook any meat I give them....they still get the good proteins when its cooked plus they love any grease/dripping that happens....jpg)
I have enclosed this pic again because this girl, Madeline was completely featherless on her back all thur the spring & summer & would get sunburned so I put baby sunscreen on her then this fancy doggie dress to protect her...she finally got feathers back in the fall & is as pretty as she can be but it took a while to get her there....
She was one who never ate from the oyster shell container I have for them but would eat the powdered human calcuim if I put in in wet oatmeal/feed mix for her...yeap they are spoiled...lol...Michele'
Chickens rule!
The Old Batz Farm
Hen #2622 |
| jbowyer01 |
Posted - Jan 19 2012 : 12:03:28 PM
I have a couple of hens that I adopted and they were almost bald. It took almost 8 full months for them to have full feathers and look healthy. Oyster shell offered in a feeder or bowl for free choice will do amazing things for your egg shells. I also use the egg shells from eggs I use to feed back to the flock. I microwave the shells for one full minute (you will hear cracking and popping) and then I ground them up really fine and add it to a treat such as grits or oatmeal. I even sneak it into their feed. Hi protien will reduce your egg out put also but it in your case its a great supplement for her to grow feathers.
We are here to laugh at the odds and live our lives so well that Death will tremble to take us
Charles Bukowski |
| sherrye |
Posted - Jan 18 2012 : 11:26:10 AM
kee in mind that it is going to take awhile for those feathers to grow back. try to be patient with her. like batz said you can help her be warm with the oatmeal etc. happy days sherrye
the learn as we go silk purse farm
farm girl #1014
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| retasos2 |
Posted - Jan 18 2012 : 09:35:16 AM
raw meat! I have to try that. I have given her extra tuna fish, calcium, oyster shell and worms. Like I said, I guive up.
Pilar
Farmgirl Sister #2498
Little Hen House on the Island
" A woman is like a tea bag. You never know how strong she is, until she gets in hot water" Eleanore Roosevelt |
| sherrye |
Posted - Jan 18 2012 : 08:09:22 AM
oyster shell is cheap.if she will eat it, also dark green veggies are full of calcium. if she is in a molt. then it is going to be a while for her to grow back feathers. hens that age do molt. she may be feeling fine but just milting. i have about 50 ragged looking girls in my flock of 100. they are doing fine. i feed extra meat. we feed fresh meat trim from the butcher to our girls. the meat has lots of nutrients. batz knows her stuff so great ideas from her too. when a chicken molts there is a pattern to the feather loss. they regrow some while losing others. so time is what it will take. i hope this helps. just my humble opinion. happy days sherrye
the learn as we go silk purse farm
farm girl #1014
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| batznthebelfry |
Posted - Jan 17 2012 : 9:40:43 PM
if she doesn't like the yogurt than just wet the normal chicken feed with a bit of water & mix in the calcium powder & see how she does with that...or even a bit of dried oatmeal mixed in with the wet feed..some chickens are picky eaters...lol..I have a few myselft that i had to work at to see what I could get them to eat other than the feed...Michele'
Chickens rule!
The Old Batz Farm
Hen #2622 |
| retasos2 |
Posted - Jan 17 2012 : 4:04:45 PM
I tried the calcium, mixed in with yogurt and she would not eat it. But I'll give it another try. Thank you ladies for all the help!
Pilar
Farmgirl Sister #2498
Little Hen House on the Island
" A woman is like a tea bag. You never know how strong she is, until she gets in hot water" Eleanore Roosevelt |
| batznthebelfry |
Posted - Jan 17 2012 : 3:38:34 PM
protein is great but since you said eggs are thin she is needing bigger doses of calcuim..her system is trying to fix 2 things...eggshells & making new feathers & it can't...so she needs a indepedent dose of calcuim each day to help her...yogurt,kefar, cottage cheese are fine but I recommend you got to the drug store & get human pure calcium tablets & grind them up..use 1/8 teaspoon each day on some wet feed for her...give just enough feed so she can eat it all right then & there.....maybe one tablespoon of water wetted feed will be enough...do this for at least 7 days....this will also give her bones a boost that she needs while trying to make better eggshells & grow in new feathers,,,,bag balm is wonderful for her exposed skin & will help hold in the heat...put it on her wattles & comb as well...after 7 days check to see how eggshells are doing & if you see any starts of feather shafts coming in.....if all is looking good cut back on calcium to every other day with just a sprinkle on her dry feed......during the cold months all chickens you have would benefit from a dusting of calcium every few days...you do not have to use more than a few pinches...giving too much causes calcium build up in bones so giving too little is better than too much.....like said some may never get all their feathers back but this will help with new developement.....Michele'
Chickens rule!
The Old Batz Farm
Hen #2622 |
| farmmilkmama |
Posted - Jan 17 2012 : 3:00:00 PM
I had a hen that did this exact same thing. I don't know why it happened, but she just never grew her feathers back. She seemed to be healthy otherwise but as soon as the cold weather hit she wouldn't come out of the coop anymore. Too darn cold for no feathers! I would try what Tin said...
--* FarmMilkMama *--
Farmgirl Sister #1086
Be yourself.
Everyone else is already taken.
-Oscar Wilde
www.farmfoodmama.blogspot.com
www.thehmmmschoolingmom.blogspot.com |
| oldbittyhen |
Posted - Jan 17 2012 : 2:30:46 PM
coat her bare skin in bag balm, to protect against cold/frostbite, and sometimes a chicken, no matter the breed, does not develope right, and dies before their time...hopfully she will bounce back...
"Knowlege is knowing that a tomato is a fruit, Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad" |
| BoPeep214 |
Posted - Jan 17 2012 : 1:09:33 PM
Meg might have a point. A molt in winter may sometimes be longer and with age... As long as she shows no other sign of illness, just make sure she doesn't get frostbitten on her bare skin and wait to see. I had one hen in the fall molt for a really long time. And then suddenly, as if overnight, she had some new feathers coming in. It was strange, but quite amazing and she looks better than a lot of my other girls now! Don't give up too soon. Weather and age may be making a huge difference in the girl.
Good luck!
Farmgirl Hugs,
Stephanie
#2920
"Happy to share with you such as we've got: the leaks in the roof and the soup in the pot." `Unknown` |
| retasos2 |
Posted - Jan 17 2012 : 1:06:10 PM
this is her first winter, about 35 weeks old. I should also mention that her eggs are thin shelled and that the protein has not helped that either.
Pilar
Farmgirl Sister #2498
Little Hen House on the Island
" A woman is like a tea bag. You never know how strong she is, until she gets in hot water" Eleanore Roosevelt |
| Calico Hen |
Posted - Jan 17 2012 : 12:43:36 PM
Any chance this is a long molt? How old is she? |
