For the new folks that haven't experienced a molt yet.

[ceeceeholt]

Thanks for the picture, I've never seen it and I believe mine are too young, this year anyway. You should enter her picture in the new contest, she's sure to win

 

[Faith Hope]

I am glad you posted that picture. My oldest girls are about 18 months old and are molting. This is my first experience with it. I have one that I was really worried about; she looks about as bad as that picture. The others don't look that awful, so I thought maybe something was wrong with her -- but now I now -- HARD molt!

Also, am I assuming correctly that roosters molt as well? Do they loose all their tail feathers? Cause I have one that lost all his pretty tail feathers.

 

[Happy Chooks]

Quote:
Yep, my rooster is tail-less at the moment too. He's not molting hard, but he has no tail feathers and I can see the pins on his hackle feathers coming in.

 

[kimisfishing]

Thank you for the pics, I too have not seen a molt, but an sure we would be having chicken dinner if I did not know about this. I would be worried it would get the others sick.

 

[Happy Chooks]

Just thought I'd update this thread. My buttercup is mostly filled back in now (and has been for several weeks). She's not yet laying again - her comb is still shriveled and she's still regrowing in some hackle feathers. She's puffed up here because it was cold here the morning I took the picture.

 

[aoxa]

My molting girls do not look nearly this bad!

 

[S.L.Swope]

Why does the comb shrivel?

 

[Happy Chooks]

S.L.Swope :

Why does the comb shrivel?

Hens that are laying have bright, full, red combs. Hens that are not laying have dull, shriveled combs. This can be caused from molting, brooding, or sickness.​

 

[S.L.Swope]

Quote:
Hens that are laying have bright, full, red combs. Hens that are not laying have dull, shriveled combs. This can be caused from molting, brooding, or sickness.

Good to know thanks!

 

[Nonny]

My girls are visible to the whole neighbourhood (we get heaps of people walking past our yard with their kids to show them the chickens), so if this is what moulting is gonna be like I think I'll have to get a sign up when it happens so they don't call the council and report us for keeping diseased birds LOL.

Maybe something like:

"Please don't laugh at the moulting chickens - everyone has a bad hair day now and then"