I acquired two chickens in June that were being bullied at their previous home. One of the two was in a real state with a number of feathers missing. The feathers have still not started to grow back and she has gone broody and some more of her feathers appear damaged possibly from sitting in the nesting box so much. I know they can get lice but have not seen any signs of them and the other chicken looks healthy. Would her feathers not grow back until she moults & should I worry about the damaged tail feathers? :unsure:
Chicken help
- Thread starter GGs
- Start date
There are a few NR's that keep chickens, hopefully they will be able to advise you! Poor cluckies - hopefully you'll get to the bottom of it.
Hi her feathers may take a couple of months to grow back completely, i got a few rescue battery hens in feb/march and they have only now grown completely back. Except from one that is being bullied 
Feathers are mostly protein, so a protein boost might help. Ours are very partial to tinned fish (sardines etc in oil, not salt) if they look a bit dull. Other meaty scraps would work if they're anything like ours which will eat just about anything.
Thanks. We have our first lot of chicks hatching today also, it's very exciting I can hear them peeping but not looked in yet.
I use poultry spice or a water based booster (Battles Poultry Drink) during moults to boost the hen's general health. Apple Cider Vinegar in their water is a good all-round, everyday booster. I presume you don't have a bad red mite infestation because that can cause birds to really loose condition? If you think you might have lice, sprinkle some Diatom in the dustbath and the hens will dose themselves with Diatom.
Moults can look really brutal but they all survive and come back looking better - until next time!
Hope you have fun with you new chicks.
Becka
Moults can look really brutal but they all survive and come back looking better - until next time!
Hope you have fun with you new chicks.
Becka
What are the signs of chicken lice? Do they get itchy like horses? All i've found on the net is what the eggs look like at the base of their feathers and I can't see any on her. All ten of our hatching eggs hatched! :bounce:
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