| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| StrawHouseRanch |
Posted - Mar 13 2012 : 08:48:40 AM
It looks like my girls are starting their first molt. Egg production has all but ceased...the problem with having chickens all the same breed and same age. I haven't noticed any feather loss yet. From what I'm reading it appears as though they are what is called "early molters", since they aren't yet a year old. It is no big deal, because we don't depend on their eggs other than for a tasty breakfast. But I can't tell from the material I was reading how long the molt will last. I thought I'd feed them a little canned salmon to help their protein levels too.
Paula
Farmgirl Sister #3090
Yesterday is History, Tomorrow is a Mystery, and Today is a Gift.
http://www.etsy.com/shop/StrawHouseDesigns |
| 10 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| crittergranny |
Posted - Mar 16 2012 : 3:33:10 PM
Chickens need a lot of protein to lay eggs. If the fiber ratio on the feed is a lot higher than the protein they will stop laying. I make sure my chickens get a lot of alfalfa hay, lay mash, and free range bugs. Also in the past I have given clabbered goat milk to my chickens, but not too much especially at first or they will get diarrhea.
Horse poor in the boonies. |
| batznthebelfry |
Posted - Mar 15 2012 : 07:24:00 AM
thank you sherrye for your sweet words above about me...yeap the old chicken queen here...lol...yes molting can take along time, depends on the age of the chicken & environment its in to really know how long a molt will go on..some go thur it quit or don't lose as many feathers, other can go 2 months or more & be nearly bald by the time they are done...lol....lots of naked chickens running around funny but cute:) any molt will lesson the amont of eggs cause all the clacuim, proteins ect are working to make new feathers instead of eggs but its always nice whn you hit on something that makes them lay eggs but just know this will slow down the feathger growth of the new ones coming in so you may have a longer molt going on....Paula try just adding one new ingred for them at a time & do it for 5-7 days then add another to see what is going on with the hens...I would do like dry lentils for 5-7 days, see how they do then add one other & so on...they may be getting too much of all 0f it too soon so their systems can't deal with all the new ingreds....i do love the fact you are trying all these new wonderful things for the hens....if you are not doing the flaxseed start adding that again...they will need those oils to help with the new feathers & put oil back into the skin that is now exposed because of feather lose....excuse typos I am on my little sis' laptop & not used to keys so close together...:)...oh by the way I am on vacation for the 1st time in over 2 yrs & in Prescott AZ....lovely here....Michele'
Chickens rule!
The Old Batz Farm
Hen #2622
http://theoldbatzfarm.blogger.com |
| StrawHouseRanch |
Posted - Mar 15 2012 : 03:52:14 AM
I'm getting eggs again. I cut the exotic grains and seeds from their morning mix and the eggs came back. I really did introduce them slowly, but something in the mix didn't agree apparently. I had been giving them a mix of groats, millet, sunflower seeds, flax seed with good results for months and months...so I don't question them. Then recently I started adding dried lentils, dried split peas, amaranth seed, quinoa, slowly, just a little bit at a time. But something in that mix didn't work well for them. I don't know for sure which ingredient it was. Any ideas? I was using guidelines from this blog:
http://www.greenerpasturesfarm.com/chickenfeedrecipe.html
Paula
Farmgirl Sister #3090
Yesterday is History, Tomorrow is a Mystery, and Today is a Gift.
http://www.etsy.com/shop/StrawHouseDesigns |
| midlifecrisisfarmgirl |
Posted - Mar 14 2012 : 1:01:48 PM
All of my chickens are the same breed and the same age also. Their first molt didn't seem to last very long. We just had our second molt and it seemed to last for a couple of months. If you aren't finding feathers, I'm not sure it's a molt. My yard looked like a chicken had exploded when they were molting! Also, there was always lots of feathers in the mornings when I let them out of the coop. You can look and see if you see any new feathers coming in if you are not sure if they are molting or not. Some of my chickens looked normal the whole time and others looked like they had mange. I did feed them a scratch with vitiamins at that time. Good luck!
Green acres is the place for me!!! |
| crittergranny |
Posted - Mar 14 2012 : 05:18:50 AM
In the last year I have found that when my chickens start to molt that a little vitamin supplement called aviacharge makes them stop molting. It could be mineral supplement. I haven't looked at it lately, but anyway I got it from Murray Mcmurray. It keeps them fluffy. Don't guilt over pushing your birds to produce. That's what they are for, and you buy their feed.
Horse poor in the boonies. |
| rough start farmgirl |
Posted - Mar 13 2012 : 9:07:33 PM
WOW! I have never had birds and that is so surprising! You just never know what you might learn here.
Marianne |
| sherrye |
Posted - Mar 13 2012 : 6:31:47 PM
i agree it is hard on the bird. so we do feed to help them handle the longer day. i think my birds take 14 to 16 weeks to do a full molt. hope this helps
the learn as we go silk purse farm
farm girl #1014
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| StrawHouseRanch |
Posted - Mar 13 2012 : 4:10:50 PM
I don't have lights in my coop. I didn't even have heat this last winter, but it really never got that cold. They just all snuggled up together in the roost area to stay warm at night. I'm thinking I messed up their laying cycle by changing their diets, rather than this being a molt. I pulled the seeds and legumes that I had started to give them out of their diet for a few days, and I got a bunch of eggs today. However, one of the eggs had a really thin shell. So, I did go ahead and give them some salmon. But I'm not doing the fancy seeds and legumes for awhile, or maybe not anymore based on this recent episode. I thought I had introduced those things gradually enough, but maybe they just weren't the right things to give them.
Paula
Farmgirl Sister #3090
Yesterday is History, Tomorrow is a Mystery, and Today is a Gift.
http://www.etsy.com/shop/StrawHouseDesigns |
| oldbittyhen |
Posted - Mar 13 2012 : 1:57:40 PM
disrupting normal cycles in your chickens can cause health problems and death at younger ages...that being said, depending on the breed, your weather, and light hours, plus feed, these all can make a differance in molt, aslong as it is a normal molt (not brought on by stress or illness), they last about 6 weeks (give or take) from beginning to end, cause their bodies are useing their resources to make new feathers, instead of eggs, egg production can go from iffy to zero...
"Knowlege is knowing that a tomato is a fruit, Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad" |
| sherrye |
Posted - Mar 13 2012 : 11:53:29 AM
well i batz hen will know. for you it depends which feathers are falling out. they fall out in a sequence. they slowly drop and regrow ALL feathers. do you use a light in winter. i know batz does not like them or use them. i understand totally her feeling. for me its about dollars. so we push the girls. this year they were allowed to molt. its a LONG dang time. waiting to hear your thoughts batz and other farmgirls too. if anyone knows chicken it batz.
the learn as we go silk purse farm
farm girl #1014
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