Chicken walking funny during heavy moult

[jasper39]

Hello Everyone ...

I have not posted on the forum in nearly a year ~ because my three lovely girls have had no issues although i have visited and read many interesting posts all which give excellent advice and allow me to enjoy my girls knowing i am doing the best i can ...

One of my girls is going through a heavy moult at the moment. She has been keeping well and eating/drinking well and integrating with my other two girls with no troubles. However yesterday i noticed she has started walking funny ~ she crouches low to the ground and walks sideways.
I googled to see what information i could find and it appears it may be related to her moult?

Other than moulting she is in good health ... i would appreciate any advice anyone could give me in helping her feel better and get her through this difficult time as i am worried about her

Hope someone can help ... thanks.

[jasper39]

It seems strange to now be answering my own post ~ but after spending the day watching my girl ' Haggis ' and making sure she was okay i done a bit of looking online and it would appear that this funny walking can indeed be related to moulting. Some believe it is also perhaps a submissive movement to the other hens to ensure that the moulting hen is not picked upon.

Whatever it was it has thankfully gone and she is a bit more like her usual self ... i found out also that blackstrap molasses and apple cider vinegar were useful as excellent sources of extra protein and vitamins. I did not have any vinegar to hand but i did have a bottle of molasses which my children reluctantly take a spoonful of each day ... so i mixed a little into their usual mash and added their favourite sunflower seeds ... all three of my girls seemed to like it and within an hour or so Haggis was looking a good bit brighter and she was interacting with her two friends again much more positively ... i am just relieved and shall keep an eye on her over the next few days ...

So maybe my information might help others who have been experiencing similar circumstances ... i do look forward to seeing Haggis soon with her beautiful new feathers and feeeling 100% again

[wolga]

Hi Jasper,
so glad your Haggis is looking better. It's a bit late in the season to go the the annual moult.All my birds are long finished and started laying again.
Going through a heavy moult is quite tough on the chooks and it takes a good amount of energy to grow new feathers and stay warm at the same time.
It's quite normal for them not to be their normal self when they're looking like a pin cushion.

[Marina]

I, too, have got a hen who's moulting now. She only really is a pullet who started to lay in March, laid for 3 months or so and now she moults

It's not the normal time for moulting but they are always surprising us with their individuality.

Jasper - it's great that your hen is back to her old self. Sometimes they are off colour for a few hours or a day or two - just like us humans who have good and bad days. Are you sure that she is not laying? The behaviour you describe sounds a lot like 'inviting a rooster to mate with her' to me. Also crouching down can be a sign of being egg bound or having difficulty laying an egg.

Apple cider vinegar and molasses are well known 'conditioners' - doing a lot of good when given to chickens. It's great that you were able to report a happy ending.