first signs of molting

[they'reHISchickens]

Has anyone ever notice their hens acting strangely or sickly in the first few days of a molt?
Some of our EEs have spent a day or two snuggled up in a nest before the feathers fall out. Now our 9 month old leghorn who was laying regularly has stopped laying, and right before she stopped, she spent 2 days acting crazy( or crazier than usual-- she IS a leghorn): flying to the roof and over fences like she had never done before. She still has feathers, but no eggs in almost 2 weeks. I think the comb is a bit paler too, so I am thinking molt.

 

[Happy Chooks]

Mine didn't act crazy, but they did get grumpy.

It started with they quit laying eggs. Then they lost the feathers around their face and down their neck. Next I could see lots of feathers in the coop/run. And when they shook off, I could see feathers coming off them. If I picked them up, I could feel all the pins down their chest and belly. Bare spots under the wings. They lost their tail feathers. And my buttercup had bare spots to each side of her tail. My buttercups comb got pale and shriveled looking.

Both my girls have grown their feathers back in, but have not started back laying. It's been 3 months for my buttercup and 2 months for my BR. (BR did not have a heavy molt like the buttercup)

 

[chookchick]

Well I hate to admit it but Female+Hormones=craziness! You never know what will happen when those changes are going on in their bodies. Mine had a tendency to hide away, sit around a lot, and be very grumpy. Just keep an eye on them to make sure it is nothing else.