more chicken woes

after the feather eater debarkle (she was rehomed, proper free range) 2 of our remaining 3 hens have decided to moult. fine. except one looks half bald and we have had 2 of those soft shell/shell-less eggs that they occasionally lay.

We had 2 normal eggs yesterday. Hubby swears it was due to the Poultry Spice I gave them to perk them up. Yet with the weather turning cooler, I'm worrying about the half bald Maran. You can see her whole breast! I'm hoping she's just having a mega bad moult, but I'm worried she may be plucking herself (though I havent seen it) & may not get her full feathering back. I don't fancy having to knit her a chicken jumper lol

the Maran has been seen pucking feathers out of the Speckledy who is also moulting. We put the Maran in a cat box for a few hours as a "time out" and that seems to have cured her. I know they pluck feathers when they're stressed. They have been treated for mites, as has their coop (hubby bug bombed it). But the past month there has been a stray Guinea Fowl hanging around and no-one will admit its theirs. The chooks get agitated when it comes round.

advice please?

 

Oh dear!

You are lucky they are laying anything if they are moulting (and potentially stressed by the GF). Soft shells are more usually the result of low calcium in their diet, so, either add some oyster shell to their feed or, bake some of the used eggshells, crush and feed back to them in their usual feed.

Moulting and weatherwise: my pekin went into moult last November, the cold didn't seem to bother her

I have a Maran who likes to pick at the other's feathers. She has been seperated most of this year and, contrary to popular belief, she is one chook who thrives on her own company and really isn't particularly social with the rest of the flock.

No advice on what to do with the stray GF. If know one is laying claim maybe call a centre that specialises in GF's and maybe they would collect it??

 

Have you checked for red mite...just a thought....i've a couple of girls moulting and the eggs are intermittent but as a precaution every time i change their bed i use Diatom again for any mites that might be lurking....

 

http://jboy2244.wordpress.com/2009/08/13/bald-penguin-given-wetsuit-to-prevent-sunburn/

 

Aw brilliant Zigs....bet his mates were real jealous

 

they have grit ad-lib in a seperate pot. they have been dusted for mites and the coop is done weekly when I clean it out.
my eldest daughter is going to borrow an air gun off a pal, so hubby can sort the GF problem. The farmer over the road has them, but says it isn't his and also refuses to take it! too lazy to catch it I reckon. damn thing is noisy, especially first thing in the morning

 

Stick th GF in the stew pot. No more stress..........

 

RandyRos, grit and oyster shell act in different ways. Grit is for their stomach so they can "grind" down their food. Oyster shell is added for it's properties in aiding shell formation. Grit cannot do the job of oyster shell, whereas oyster shell can do the job of grit. HTH

 

thanks for that mum. I will make sure they have both.

catztail, if we can shoot it, damn right we're gonna eat it! my MIL says GF is rather nice lol I have a cook book from the 1950s, so that'll tell me how to prepare it right

 

I would eat it. Cook it in the slow cooker

 

Make sure they have plenty of additional protein whilst moulting - regrowing feathers takes a lot out of them and the extra protein will help. Even a cheap tin of tuna or sardines will provide this and they will love it!

 

So will the bank manager

Crushed up (baked) egg shell will do the same job, at a fraction of the price.

 

we havent seen the GF for a couple of weeks, since me & my son chased it with an airgun.

the chooks seem to be perking up, just in time for the bad weather

 

You are not supposed to *chase* it with an AG

Nonetheless, seems you and your son have done the trick Glad your chooks are perking up

 

well, son was chasing and I was aiming when it came past, but it was too quick and never ran where we wanted it to!