alpha bird loosing feathers

[shill12508]

The bird at 11:00 is Black Cheeks- she had been near the top of the pecking order for at least the past year; they will be all 2 years old in April. She appears happy, no signs of distress.

But in the last week or so she is loosing feathers; in the last few days it's apparent this is really progressive. If you can see the picture, she has lost most of her tail feathers and much of her wing feathers. I am not seeing abuse by the other birds, but I am not out there much as I was in the last few seasons.

We live in the the Hudson Valley in NY and I worry she is ill prepared for winter.

All the other birds seem healthy.

Any ideas? I worry coming into winter- this is one of the named birds that would allow kids to pick her up

, and I don't want to loose her.

S

 

[SueT]

Molting. Completely normal at this age. They'll grow back, don't worry....
Welcome to BYC!!!!

 

[lilmillefleur]

Welcome to BackyardChickens!
She could just be moulting, which happens in the fall.
I would give the hens all extra calcium to help their feathers grow back nicely.

 

[CHlCK3N]

It could possibly be a molt. Are you getting less eggs than usual? During molts, chickens stop laying eggs.

 

[sourland]

She is in the middle of a full blown molt. See the pin/blood feathers - she wil soon be fully feathered once again.

 

[Tami Mann]

I had a hen do the same thing last year at this time. Lost 2/3 of her feathers. Freaked me out...she darn near naked. One did it again this year at the beginning of Fall. Just make sure she has a heat lamp to go under. Mine lost the fluffy feathers she needed to keep warm too.

 

[shill12508]

Hey thanks everyone; that is reassuring!

Isn't it odd that all the others aren't molting as well?

S

 

[Tami Mann]

Were they all hatched at the same time? Mine that were usually do but not always. Oh & not at the same rate. Some drop bunches or patches & have the big naked spots then others will just lose feathers here & there & you will hardly know they molt

 

[SueT]

Hey thanks everyone; that is reassuring!

Isn't it odd that all the others aren't molting as well?

S

I have one whose speckled pattern completely changed and I realized she had molted very gradually----- I only realized it after the fact.

 

[shill12508]

This all makes so much sense now.... eggs are down to one or 2 a day, one of the other birds had the same thing happen at the end of summer but never looked this bad. They are all the same brood but they are hybrids so a fair amount of variability.

What's the best way to supplement calcium? My family is away for the year and alone, I don't eat enough eggs for me to throw them enough shells to count.