Chicken Molting Really Fast!

[Pepperthechicken]

It is December meaning the molt. But our chicken just started super fast. She is a black sex link. There are black feathers all over.

 

[Auntiejessi3]

It is December meaning the molt. But our chicken just started super fast. She is a black sex link. There are black feathers all over.

This is my first molting season with my original flock, my Brahma molted nice and slow, so there weren't any real noticeable changes besides missing tail feathers and looking a bit raggedy, lol...my WTB however went gangbuster and was half naked in 3 days...I think it's a bit different for each bird. And I feel ya with the feathers, looks like a chicken blew up in your yard

 

[Ridgerunner]

I'll include both these links, you might find them informative. Some chickens are fast molters, they drop their feathers in a hurry. Others are slow molters, they take a lot of time to get through the molt. This is controlled by genetics and doesn't have much if anything to do with how fast the feathers grow back, it depends on how fast they fall out. And they fall out in a regular pattern.

Some people like to increase the protein level in the feed when they molt, thinking it will speed up the process. Since fast or slow is a genetic process I don't think that makes a significant difference in how fast the molt is over, but the feathers that grow back will really look nice.

Kansas State feather loss
https://www.bookstore.ksre.ksu.edu/pubs/MF2308.pdf

Miss St Molting Patterns
http://extension.msstate.edu/content/molting-laying-hens

For fun I'll include a shot of one of my fast molters.

 

[Pepperthechicken]

I'll include both these links, you might find them informative. Some chickens are fast molters, they drop their feathers in a hurry. Others are slow molters, they take a lot of time to get through the molt. This is controlled by genetics and doesn't have much if anything to do with how fast the feathers grow back, it depends on how fast they fall out. And they fall out in a regular pattern.

Some people like to increase the protein level in the feed when they molt, thinking it will speed up the process. Since fast or slow is a genetic process I don't think that makes a significant difference in how fast the molt is over, but the feathers that grow back will really look nice.

Kansas State feather loss
https://www.bookstore.ksre.ksu.edu/pubs/MF2308.pdf

Miss St Molting Patterns
http://extension.msstate.edu/content/molting-laying-hens

For fun I'll include a shot of one of my fast molters.

View attachment 2931696

Lol Looks just like our hen.

 

[3KillerBs]

My California White seems to be doing this -- it looks like it's been snowing under her spot on the roost and she's dropping feathers every time she moves.