I confess, I’m a fair weather friend. When it’s cold outside, I’m not usually the one schlepping to the chicken coop or feeding the horses. Last week we had an unusually warm day; I bundled up and ventured to the coop to collect the eggs and say hello to the girls.
They looked horrible! Their feathers were half falling out, they looked like they have the mange AND they haven’t been laying as many eggs. I was convinced they were about to die. I asked Chris how long they’ve looked like that. He said, “Like what?”
So, I Googled half-dead chickens and found that they are molting. Apparently it happens every winter, but not until they are about 15 months old, so I guess they missed the molt last year. They need a special diet high in protein to help them develop healthy, pretty feathers.
We made an emergency run to Tractor Supply, and guess what – they sell food called Feather Fixer, especially for chickens while they are molting. That’s easy enough. Feather Fixer, combined with some lovely blocks of mealy worms for extra protein and our little ladies should be sprouting feathers all over the place in a couple of weeks.
No Rhyme or Reason Farm 
You sure are accumulating some unusual information as you progress in your farming adventure.
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I truly enjoy your adventures❣
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Jean ,
I love to hear about all your new adventures. Sometimes I think oh how great this would be. But don’t know if I could handle the chickens! Love to see the farm one day! Linda
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Well I hope they have gotten some new feathers to keep warm in this snow today. They must be so confused (as we all are!) with the spring-like weather of yesterday and the big chill in which we find ourselves this morning!
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Your girls look a lot like mine right now, poor naked things! I had one hen go from ‘slightly mangy’ to completely BALD over night.
Even with the Feather Fixer, it can be slow going. I still have a few stranglers who are just starting to molt, even though it’s February. You can also give them cooked meat. Beef or chicken is good for protein. So is BOSS – Black Oil Sunflower Seeds. Tractor Supply has those, too, in a big orange bag. The chickens love them.
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Your chickens have a better dietary program than me.
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