Graying Olive-egger?

[missfrancigirl]

Spring 2017, we purchased an Australorp, but she turned out an olive-egger. Nevertheless, right before it turned cold here (MS), she lost a handful of feathers at the nape of her neck. Our coop door had not closed tight at the bottom; she is the Houdini of the flock; we found the feathers at the door; so, we assumed she tried to escape the coop and got her neck stuck. Two, weeks later, her neck feathers seem to be regrowing, but patches of her body feathers are turning from glossy black to grey. So signs of mites; no signs of ill behavior; no unusual feather loss; only one not laying; temps still below 50. What's going on?

 

[junebuggena]

Sounds like she may be going through a slow, partial molt.

 

[rojororeo]

No expert, but my guess is she is getting her adult coloring. Our chickens change colors from baby feathers to adult feathers. And being an olive egger, who knows what is in there, for feather coloring, I am thinking. Maybe?

 

[Eggcessive]

I believe many chickens don’t get their true coloring until after the first complete molt, at least from info I have read about breeding. An olive egger has part brown egg layer mixed with some ameraucana or easter egg genes, so you could end up with many different color birds. The olive egger I have is half blue wheaten ameraucana mixed with a brown egg layer, either RIR, Marans, or New Hampshere. She just looks like a little mutt with multicolored feathers.

 

[missfrancigirl]

I am assuming that she is undergoing a complete molt, but the timing is not good--we've had below 30° weather! But all seems well: she's eating well; no one's picking on her, and feathers seem to be growing back. Pictures attached.

 

[Eggcessive]

She may regrow feathers as she loses them. Some chickens do better with molting, while others lose tons of feathers all at once. Sometimes a homemade polar fleece one piece chicken saddle can cover much of the back if lots of feathers are missing, but she looks okay right now.

 

[Hamiam]

Those are pin feathers, the white waxy tubular coating will come off of the feathers. She's ok. Give high protein treats while she's molting