Frizzle ringneck pheasants? UPDATED WITH PIC

[Kwewu7]

I have seen this too. A male "frizzled" ringneck. What became of the bird pictured? Was it waterproof in the elements? Did the feathers ever normalize with less protein in the diet?

 

[Midnightman14]

weird molts can happen and if certain nutrients and vitamins are absent it can mess with how the molt goes. This can occur even if conditions and feed remain the same since birds hormones and bodily processes change as they mature and/or move into/out of breeding season