Longer Tail Feathers Gone

[redsix]

I have some buff orphington and australorp pullets that are approximately 18 weeks old. Some of them now have lost all of their longer tail feathers. Could some of the other chickens be pulling them out or could they be molting or is something else going on?

 

[rides2far]

I think they are molting. Some of mine did the same thing & they sure looked funny. Keep an eye on the situation & if it gets worse, you can up their protein a bit via scrambled eggs, cat food, meal worms, & do on.

 

[000]

Molting. Don't worry. They will be back soon. It happens every summer.

 

[MadamPoofyBrow]

They are molting...happens every summer, which is unfortunate because they don't lay while they're molting and summer's the best laying time...oh well. It's perfectly normal :-D