Brahma question.

[JohnsonHomested]

I just bought two Light Brahma hens. I think they're about a year old. I noticed one of them seems to be missing the typical black tail feathers. Is this normal? Is this part of molting? She is very full and has feathers everywhere else right now. It just looks like she's got a big butt. Her body doesn't taper down to in tail feathers in the back. Did something get a hold of her and if so will the tail feathers grow back?

 

[gritsar]

If she's just finishing up a molt it could be that she just hasn't grown her tailfeathers back in yet. Molts usually start at the head and work their way back. The other thought that occurs to me is that someone is bullying her and plucking them out.

The thing with feathers is...if the entire feather is gone, shaft and all, it will start to grow back immediately. If the feather is gone, but the shaft is intact, it won't grow back until the bird sheds it during a molt and it is replaced with a brand new one.

Enjoy your brahmas....my absolute, hands down favorite breed.