Help - Chicken feather loss

Discussion in 'Planting, growing, nurturing Plants' started by Sly712, Mar 2, 2006.

  1. Sly712

    Sly712 Junior Member

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    HELP!!!

    2 of my chickens in the last couple of days have started to loss feathers. Initially, I thought one had strayed a little close to the dog (4 kg Jack Russell x chiuhuaha :lol: ). But now both look like they have some sort of mange. They are Rhode Island reds and my other 4 chickens don't seem to be affected.

    I have had a look at them and they don't seem to have any creepie crawlies on them. They don't seem to have lost weight or off their feed. Should I quarantine them?
     
  2. bazman

    bazman Junior Member

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    Mites are tiny, make sure you have a good look, do you have a rooster?
     
  3. Sly712

    Sly712 Junior Member

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    Had another look still no creepie crawlies....and none of the others chooks seems to affected.

    No rooster, living in suburban Sydney. For some reason people don't like roosters in the city :razz:
     
  4. Tamandco

    Tamandco Junior Member

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    It is the moulting season! Perhaps that's what the problem is!
     
  5. ollie

    ollie Junior Member

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    they are either moulting or they drop them do to the heat :)
     
  6. SueinWA

    SueinWA Junior Member

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    My chooks have recently finished their moult. What kind of dumb birds would moult in the middle of winter???

    Sue
     
  7. mariet

    mariet Junior Member

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    help - chicken feather loss

    My chooks are moulting too. They usually do just after they finish laying, just at the end of summer. There are lots of feathers in the chook pen. I don't worry about it so much now that I'm used to chooks. What does concern me is when their faces go pale. I now spray their pen and perches with tea tree oil and also 1/2 and 1/2 kerosene if the problem persists. Actually, here's my confession. As a permaculturalist this is my one misgiving. I have for the last three years, despite my best efforts had to resort to using the sulphur powder as the other remedies were not saving my girls from becoming more unwell and I couldn't see them perish!!
    They have nettles, wormwood, I feed them greens every day, they have woodash and dust to bathe in and apple cider vinegar in their water. Still they get these pale, then puffy faces, one even went blind in one eye and I was told it was most likely anaemia from the lice. I got rid of the straw and use only wood shavings in the pen.
    Any ideas would be really appreciated, Marie
     
  8. clonte

    clonte Junior Member

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    chooks loosing feathers,and so they should, its damn hot!

    hi Sly712,

    my chooks also get a bit thin in the feather department in the hot months I Live in the Mildura area. Hey SueinWAjust so you know our chooks are'nt too dumb, in Australia, it gets up to 40 :lol: degrees celcius in our summer and in most places it hardly ever gets below minus 3 celcius except in the alpine regions, which makes up only a tiny part of Australia. Just thought I'd mention that in passing.

    Clonte
    Aussie chook lover
    :p
     
  9. Tamandco

    Tamandco Junior Member

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    I think Sue was referring to her own chookies!!! :lol:
     
  10. SueinWA

    SueinWA Junior Member

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    Yes, MY chookies are the dumb little things. If they hear a hawk, they ignore it. They attack robins. Normally, they run to me when they see me ("Whatcha got to eat?") When they went into their moult, they would see me and squawk, "RUN! IT'S THE KILLER!" The poor little girls looked like they needed some nice woolly sweaters.

    Sue
     
  11. clonte

    clonte Junior Member

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    chicken feather loss

    sorry SueinWA.

    maybe its me thats dumb! We are crazy busy with our dried fruit harvest so i must be more tired than I thought.
    :oops:
    Clonte
     
  12. Sly712

    Sly712 Junior Member

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    Same here...unfortunately, I sometimes get the image of a Velcioraptor (sp? You know out of Jurassic Park) when they charge me. It's kinda spooky :lol:

    BTW, I think they are just moulting.
     
  13. SueinWA

    SueinWA Junior Member

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    Velociraptor.... YES! The modern version! :lol:

    Sue
     
  14. Tezza

    Tezza Junior Member

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    Sounds Like thir Moulting its the time of year


    Tezza
     
  15. angelic freak

    angelic freak New Member

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    feather problem

    one of my chickens has lost some of her feathers and now they are growing back abnormally. and on her belly they havent grown back.

    does anyone have any idea what is happening to her feathers?
     
  16. Tezza

    Tezza Junior Member

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    Hi Angelic Not sure whats wrong with you choks..Sometimes they may moult for several reasons,Not ever chook moults same time.Free ranging chooks differ from battery hens,age etc.How old are the chooks?chooks usually moult every mid to late summer.They dont all"fall out together".Sometimes it happens without noticing..chooks grow for 6 months then lay for about a year ,moult and lay again another 12 months..

    So..it boils down really as to their age...time of year of hatch....current time of year....

    if still strangethen could be parasites.3 choices.vets,home treatment,or put up with it....

    Funnily enough I just recently purchased 2 light sussex,Both look pretty terible even after 6 weeks of heven at my house..I bought 6 from 4 owners
    and only 3 look any good after 6 wks..Its late for moulting here 2 but one is bald spot top of her thighs,unsure of there agesI gotta put up with them untill they choose to re feather again..There ok but im a bit used to great looking birds and pride myself in this,even though i dont take any credit for it I just think it must be the permie lifstyle i adhere too.. 8) 8) 8)

    Hey you others in here who posted ..Did your problems sort themselves out ok..Let Us Know

    Tezza
     
  17. Sonya

    Sonya Junior Member

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    Hi,

    Alanna Moore's highly recommended bible on chook care (Backyard Poultry Naturally) suggests tonics for excessive moulting of:

    Seaweed, nettle, cleavers, onion, garlic, dill, anise or fennel, just offer for the chooks to take what they need.

    A cup of rosemary or southernwood brew, plus a little vinegar, added to water on a weekly basis as an excellent plumage tonic.

    Sunflower seeds, cabbages, turnips also help. Avoid excessive corn.

    Linseed moulting tonic:
    cook 1 cupful of linseed gently in 1 litre of simmering water for 20 minutes (initially soak the linseed for 4 hours prior). It will become a jelly. Add it to wet mash - about a dessertspoonful each bird.

    Good luck - you may have to look at chook jumper knitting patterns as plan B!

    Sonya. :wink:
     
  18. Loris

    Loris Junior Member

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    If you are concerned about the moult, sour some milk by letting it sit out in the shed in a bucket or bowl until it settles into solids and whey. A litre or two is good - it should really stink. Drain off the whey and mix with pollard into porridge and feed milk solids and porridge to the chooks. They love it and would walk over fire to get to it and I use this to bring them out of moult quicker (and into lay quicker). This should pick up the chooks and if it doesn't, you will know there is a deeper cause for the moult.
     

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