Chicken looking weird

CookieChicken18 · Mar 26, 2017

Hello all

I just got back from a vacation yesterday and I had a neighbor watching them while I was gone. I checked on them today and one of them is looking a lot 'mangier' (if that is a word and how you spell it). She has tufts of down sticking out from under her feathers, and she seems overall agitated. I am going to ask my neighbor if anything happened while I was gone, but its in the spring and I'm told they only molt in the fall/winter. In the meantime, any ideas on what may have caused her to lose some feathers/become agitated?

*I think she is close to the top of the pecking order, so no other chickens should try and peck her.

Eggcessive · Mar 26, 2017

Do you know when she was born? Chickens normally molt the first time around 16-18 months old, and yearly thereafter. There could have been something that spooked her or stressed her. Make sure that she is eating and drinking well. Were they locked into their coop at night, and outside during the day. Was anything changed while you were gone, such as them being used to you spending extra time with them?

CookieChicken18 · Mar 27, 2017

We got her in August of 2015. So she could be molting for the first time. They go into the hen house at night but are locked in a coop during the day, which is how its been since we got her. She is on the aggressive side, if you get to close to her she will peck you, so I told my neighbor to give her her space.

Eggcessive · Mar 27, 2017

Once molting starts, they usually stop laying, lose feathers in the tail, then neck, and you should see feathers lying around in the coop. Mine act standoffish, and eat less during molting. Hopefully, that is all that is foing on.

Chicken looking weird

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CookieChicken18

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