Re: Losing feathers - is she lonely?


"anni" <nisa666@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:1190237143.418539.152830@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
On Sep 13, 6:44 pm, "Jill" <n...@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Bitstreams wrote:
My Blue Orpington Hen is about point-of-lay and I'm worried about her
because she's losing (or pulling) her feathers. There are no obvious
bald patches, just lots of feathers on the lawn.

She has had a stressful few weeks. Her sister (I hatched them both)
died suddenly and spectacularly of some sort of seizure and two weeks
later we moved house, changing Blossom's coop at the same time.

So she is alone, although she sits close to the bars of the rabbit
hutch and seems to have developed a friendship there. Do Chickens pull
feathers like parrots do or could it be something else (like losing
baby feathers for adult ones?)

There's room in the coop for another hen if that's the answer

Simon

Chickens are flock creatures so should not be alone
As birds mature up to point of lay they have a number of small moults
until
they get their final feathers for that year.
Stress moulting is not uncommon. Weather and predators can also do it.
Fether plucking can also be a sign of a nutritional deficiency
What is she fed?

--

regards
Jill Bowis

Pure bred utility chickens and ducks
Housing; Equipment, Books, Videos, Gifts
Herbaceous; Herb and Alpine nursery
Working Holidays in Scotlandhttp://www.kintaline.co.uk- Hide quoted
text -

- Show quoted text -

hi i have just rehomed a white campbell duck and her partner from
rspca . the female is also loosein loads off feathers i thought it
might be stress she has not layed any eggs either are these related to
the move, and how long will it take her too settle?

Hi -

What a shame that the RSPCA folks cannot explain to new owners that this is
the time of the eclipse for ducks. That feather loss is normal for ducks at
this time of year, especially compounded with the move and whatever happened
before.
She is unlikely to lay eggs at this time of year and will probably wait
until the start of the new year and advancing light.
This can be anywhere from Jan - Feb to Mar-Apr

What was the history of the birds before?
What are you feeding?
What water do they have access to?
How many other ducks do you have -- you need more than one or two ducks per
drake or the ducks can get badly [even fatally] damaged in the spring



--
regards
Jill Bowis

Pure bred utility chickens and ducks
Housing; Equipment, Books, Videos, Gifts
Herbaceous; Herb and Alpine nursery
Working Holidays in Scotland
http://www.kintaline.co.uk



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