I have an EE who used to be very friendly, would come running and jump on my lap for threats, and squat when I'd tell her to sit. She's now molting, not really bad, but since it began, she's become very unfriendly. Today I wanted to give her some treats and she wouldn't even come close. Is this normal when they're molting? Any chances she'll be friendly again once it's done?
Yep, if you had a bunch of pins sticking out of you like a porcupine, you'd be grouchy too. They do get really grouchy when they molt - it takes a lot of energy out of them too. My buttercup is usually pretty flighty - she's going through a hard molt right now, and she just comes near me and rests. (as long as I don't touch her) And she doesn't want to be anywhere near the roosters. She'll be back to normal when she's done molting.
I had just been about to post this, one of my hens has been really aggressive this week, and today she is dropping feathers like nothing I have seen. My flock has molted one at a time. I've been giving extra treats.
