Higher Protein for Chicks?

[Ridgerunner]

I have 3 that seem to have been molting for months! The feathers are starting to come back in, but they're barebacked.

That sounds like rooster damage. Molting does not make them barebacked. If a feather is broken off and even a tiny part of the shaft is left behind that feather will not grow back until they molt.

We've gone down the past week to 4-5 eggs/day! From almost a dozen. (Granted we did sell 5.) But I have 14 hens atm, 1 broody, 3 molting = still should be getting around 10 eggs a day. Somebody is free loading! lol

I don't know why yours are molting this late, could be a few reasons. You'd think by this late in spring in Tennessee they'd pretty much be back laying full blast. Changes in the pecking order can sometimes temporarily stop them laying but they should get over that pretty quickly.

I def want them healthy, and if a higher protein would benefit them at least for the first few months, I'd like to know

In my opinion, a higher protein feed for yours will help them get off to a good start if fed for the first month. To me, 18% is higher but nothing wrong with 20%. It will not hurt to feed that 18% longer so I'd feed it until the bag is empty, 8 weeks, 12 weeks, whatever it takes. Then I switch to a Grower, low calcium and 16% protein. I stay on that for the rest of their lives with oyster shell offered on the side except when I have baby chicks. Then that all get the 18%.

If you isolate your chicks that will be meat chickens you might see a benefit in feeding them a higher protein feed, but if you let them forage the benefit is probably not going to be that noticeable.

I consider mine healthy. They enjoy chasing down june bugs and grasshoppers. They lay decent sized fertile eggs that hatch into healthy active chicks. They don't get so large I worry about them hurting their legs when they jump down from the roost. I eat mine but size isn't that important to me. There are only two of us so I can get two meals out of a small hen or pullet. The difference in a larger cockerel is that I also get to eat leftover chicken for lunch.

 

[BlessedChaosHomestead]

That sounds like rooster damage. Molting does not make them barebacked. If a feather is broken off and even a tiny part of the shaft is left behind that feather will not grow back until they molt.


I don't know why yours are molting this late, could be a few reasons. You'd think by this late in spring in Tennessee they'd pretty much be back laying full blast. Changes in the pecking order can sometimes temporarily stop them laying but they should get over that.

Let me get some photos of them and you can tell me what you think.

Idt roo damage because his fav hen only has feathers missing where he bites her but they’re not bad. And he mates her all the time. These other 3 are lower on the mating pole. Lol

 

[BlessedChaosHomestead]

The last photo shows the new growth on one.

 

[Ridgerunner]

That is not molting, not that concentrated. It is either rooster damage or feather pecking. With rooster damage I'd expect it to be a little more widespread but I've been wrong before. You might try putting blue-kote on the area, it is supposed to discourage pecking.

 

[BlessedChaosHomestead]

That is not molting, not that concentrated. It is either rooster damage or feather pecking. With rooster damage I'd expect it to be a little more widespread but I've been wrong before. You might try putting blue-kote on the area, it is supposed to discourage pecking.

Hmm…well that’s the only true molting we’ve seen. It’s what we’ve called it. Our ducks was more random, but not the chickens.
And the one that has more growth was like the upper one a week or two ago.

But as stated above those are not his fav hens. Especially the one. His favorite hen, he gets many times a day; she’s fine. He is the same age as the golden girls and his spur isn’t even that large yet.

 

[Ridgerunner]

It's not the spurs. The damage is caused by the claws. Most "rooster damage" is caused by younger males whose spurs just aren't that developed. You see spurs mentioned all the time on here and they can be dangerous weapons, but spurs are not what causes barebacked hens. When he is on her back he is standing and gripping with his claws. When you look at the number and sharpness of his claws versus his spurs it should be pretty obvious that the claws are more dangerous. Less mature males often don't have very good technique ether, which can make it worse.

Some hens have brittle feathers. That's often genetic in how they digest and use certain nutrients. I've had a couple of those. No matter how gentle the rooster is the feathers are really easy to break. It doesn't have to be his favorite hen. As you have seen, she is fine.

It could be pecking as well. These things are not always easy to figure out.