Molting - Broody

[abercrombie575]

My broody hen's hatched about 2 weeks ago. Now she is losing all of her feathers. Is it normal for her to molt after sitting on the nest for so long or is this totally unrelated and she is just molting. BTW she is 2.5 years old and this is the FIRST time she has gone broody and the first time she had molted. I mean I have see a few feathers in the coop before but this is different. I am including a picture that was taken a few days ago, you can kind of see the feathers on her back are gone right where the chick is sitting. Her whole back is looking like this now...

 

[centrarchid]

Her back looks like she was well liked by rooster. This is season for molt to begin in earnest. At 2.5 years, this should be start of her second turnover of feathers as an adult. Based on color of her feathers, they can not be more than a year old. Previous molts may have been gradual with feather regrowth keeping pace with loss. My hens delay molt progression while on nest.

 

[pgpoultry]

I have three broody hens and all are moulting....one has a totally bald body. I think that it is just that we are at the moulting time of year.

Whilst broody, hens eat very little.

So, now your hen has her chicks and will be eating normally again, push up the amount of protein in her diet. She will need lots of protein to form new feathers.

 

[galanie]

My BO that is molting has earned the nickname "Zombie Chicken" for it. She has patches all over that the skin is showing through, and no tail at all. Oh, she looks hideous. Poor girl.

 

[Happy Chooks]

I agree, that looks like rooster damage, not molting.

This was my buttercup last fall when she was molting. Pathetic, huh?

 

[abercrombie575]

Can't be rooster damage... no rooster. We got the fertilized eggs from a friend when she went broody. She has lost lots more feathers now but I can also see that some are starting to grow back in.

 

[pgpoultry]

This was a Gold Brahma hen last winter.....she feathered out fully pretty soon, but it was VERY cold at the time.

This is an ancient Warren.....moulting AND a favourite of the boys.

 

[cris320]

what is on her back?

 

[Happy Chooks]

what is on her back?

That is a hen saddle. It helps when a hen is getting too much rooster attention and they wear off the feathers on the hens backs.

 

[galean]

My 7 month old bsl has been sitting in the laying box for 5 days. Shes laying on the 2 fake eggs, and the others just use the other boxes. So today, i picked her up and looked under her, and her whole underside is completely bald like it was shaved. Can she be molting and broody together? And shes the only one out of eight hens.