This morning I went out to tend my flocks and saw a large number of feathers on the floor under the roost of one of the coops. My heart sank, than raced, as I feared the worst, that at least one of the laying hens had been grabbed off her perch overnight. But after playing CSI: Poultry and looking all around the pen & yard for further evidence -- more feathers or dead bodies -- I had to conclude that one of the hens is just going through a heavy molt.
The hen whose feathers most closely match the color of the ones on the floor did look rather ragged. I'll check her tonight for new emerging feathers. It's always amazing to me just how many feathers a chicken can loose and still not be totally naked. It seemed I could have stuffed a pillow with all the feathers on the floor of the coop, yet all of the flock was fully clothed.
Maybe this hen sneezed really hard and made so many feathers come off at one time...
The hen whose feathers most closely match the color of the ones on the floor did look rather ragged. I'll check her tonight for new emerging feathers. It's always amazing to me just how many feathers a chicken can loose and still not be totally naked. It seemed I could have stuffed a pillow with all the feathers on the floor of the coop, yet all of the flock was fully clothed.
Maybe this hen sneezed really hard and made so many feathers come off at one time...