Chicken didn’t finish molting and it’s getting cold!

[Jessica Groh]

Hi everyone! I just joined the site and I’m eager to hear the opinions on what to do to help my chicken! I have a hen who started molting at the beginning of October and she still hasn’t gotten her feathers back, it looks like they started to come in and then the whole process just stopped, she has just recently started acting sick and not eating and her skin has a yellow tint to it. I have had chickens for 20 years and have never had this happen before. She has oyster shell available as well as high protein feed and cracked corn, does anyone have any recommendation on what else I can do to help her?? I live in Wisconsin and it’s going to start getting cold very soon. Thank you!

 

[azygous]

Congrats on your first thread!

Molt varies so much among chickens, there really aren't any rules. I've had hens start a hard molt and stop dead in their tracks just as the single digits of winter hit.

I had a young hen completely skip her first molt and molt in the summer instead.

Yes, it's uncomfortable to go through winter with barely covered skin, but they do survive.

After saying all that, there often is some underlying issue when a chicken is stuck in molt for months. How old is your hen? Do you notice a ballooning of abdominal area between her legs? She could be having other health issues such as liver disease.

 

[sbhkma]

Is she eating and drinking?
What does her droppings look like?
Is she wheezing when breathing?
Have you checked for mites/lice?
What feed is she getting? She needs a high protein and corn isn't much more than candy, although the process of digesting it does help generate body heat. I've seen it take a couple months to finish a molt and get feathers grown in. She might be eating more corn for heat generation but that would mean less protein to grow feathers.
Does her breath smell sour or rotten?

 

[Jessica Groh]

Congrats on your first thread!

Molt varies so much among chickens, there really aren't any rules. I've had hens start a hard molt and stop dead in their tracks just as the single digits of winter hit.

I had a young hen completely skip her first molt and molt in the summer instead.

Yes, it's uncomfortable to go through winter with barely covered skin, but they do survive.

After saying all that, there often is some underlying issue when a chicken is stuck in molt for months. How old is your hen? Do you notice a ballooning of abdominal area between her legs? She could be having other health issues such as liver disease.

 

[Jessica Groh]

She is going to be 4 yrs old in spring, it definitely does look like she is sick, we are going to see if there is a vet in our area we can take her to.

 

[Jessica Groh]

Is she eating and drinking?
What does her droppings look like?
Is she wheezing when breathing?
Have you checked for mites/lice?
What feed is she getting? She needs a high protein and corn isn't much more than candy, although the process of digesting it does help generate body heat. I've seen it take a couple months to finish a molt and get feathers grown in. She might be eating more corn for heat generation but that would mean less protein to grow feathers.
Does her breath smell sour or rotten?