No, I don’t weigh them, but I do feel them over when they seem to feel lousy, and they seem to lose muscle on the breast. Millie, my Speckled Sussex, actually looks poofier during molt. She waa poofy, yet a litke skinny, and I was starting to worry. Then she started molting and I stopped worrying. Sane thing with Bridgey (Barred Rock). The name us appropriate... that girl is rock solid! She also acted a littke anorexic before and during molt. Her appetite is back, so I think she’s coming out of it. Once I notice them molting, I really try not to handle them at all and just watch for behavior. Margo, my Brown Leghorn who likes to lap sit, felt lighter on my lap during molt, and was hesitant to get up there.
So, while I see your point about plumage, poofines, and the appearance of weight gain or loss, I still feel pretty confident mine actually do drop weight. Oh! In fact, Cashew, my Buff Orpington, lost several ounces. My weiging method has a lot if error in it, but I think the difference was big enough that at least some of it was real... plus the loss if breast muscle.
I picked up a 22% protein flock raiser type feed and add a bunch of extra dishes around the run each morning in addition to the regular feeders so the nervous molters still get to eat.
And sorry, didn’t mean to hijack the thread, but these little anecdotes can sometimes be helpful.
