How long does a Moult last? PICS ADDED

[cheeptrick]

Ok...kids finally in bed!

Here is my girl who is moulting...

Whole body

Bleaching comb and wattles??

Pin Feathers?

Peeps...my handle totally must date me!!

AKA...do you think I've got a picker? This is the only hen that has this...x2 months now...no wing feathers missing or pins coming in on the wings.

Hope she isn't sick!!

 

[Mrs MIA]

I would keep an eye on her, and see if anyone is picking on her. Are any of those feathers on her neck growing back? My girls usually lose all of their tail feathers one by one, and a lot of their body feathers, but never to the point of being bald. And you can see new feathers growing back in.
You said no mites or ticks? Hmmm... it's not her, because she couldn't reach her own neck, so maybe one of your other birds is picking on her...

 

[cheeptrick]

The feathers do not seem to be growing back...

I did witness her scratching her head like mad...DE dust has been used....but I went ahead and dusted her with poultry and garden dust.

Maybe I'll seperate her for awhile...I do have one hen who likes to peck from time to time....but never actually had this happen before.

THANK YOU for your help and for looking AK!!

 

[Mrs MIA]

You're welcome... I'm certainly no expert but that doesn't look like any molt my girls have gone through... sorry.

If you have space to separate her, that would be a good idea.

If you eliminate the possibility of bugs, then hopefully she'll heal. You could try upping her protein a little bit, too, to help with the regrowth.
She's a pretty baby... I hope she gets her feathers back soon!

 

[basicliving]

Quote:
That threw me too! Autumn in Austria is opposite Autumn in the US! Took me a few minutes to figure that out!

 

[chickflix]

the link that was given was for the southern hemisphere where seasons are opposite ours.
Their "April" (spring) is our October (fall). Just add 6 months to whatever month the Aussies say and you have our equivalent.
Its best not to rely on the specific months they state, but instead look at the seasons (e.g. autumn).

 

[WoodlandWoman]

Most of the chickens I've had have done a gradual molt, where the worst that happens is that they look a little moth-eaten. A couple of the chickens that I got several years ago have had hard molts. With a hard molt, they do get bare patches and can get down right naked. I think it was Bebe that had her entire chest and belly bare. So attractive...

 

[grandmaof5]

Well, I guess it is finally here...the first moult. We had been getting 2 or 3 eggs every day since they started laying (first egg Christmas morning 2010) and about a week ago it dropped dramatically to one or none/day. This is the weekedn comig that I had planned to empty out the coop, hose it all down and re-paint the interior for the fall/winter. Now, with the gazillion feathers everywhere, I think I'll wait until it is over.

A few questions, though, please:
1. Is leaving the feathers in the coop likely to cause feather-picking later?
2. Should I change the food in any way while it is going on? They get layer free-choice and every morning some kitchen scraps. If I can find them, grasshoppers and grubs are offered as well.
3. A light is on in the coop 12 or so hours/day...should I turn it off completely and allow only natural light?

 

[Zaxby's2]

Quote:
1) Probably not.
2) My chickens have started molting and recently I've started mixing some grower feed in with their layer crumbles to boost the protein and help speed up the process, although it doesn't matter if you do this(I'm not sure if it even works

).
3) I don't think it matters.
Now for my question.

My chickens have started molting, and my rooster's favorite hen is losing feathers from on her back from where he mounts her. It isn't bad, and I know it's happening because she was going to lose the feathers anyway, and he's just rubbing them off when he does that, but will him mounting her prevent her new back feathers from coming in? Oh, and some of my chickens have clipped wings, and I've heard that when they molt you sometimes have to help the clipped feathers come out, but how do you know if they need help? Just after they've finished molting and those feathers are still there, so you pull them out?

 

[Zaxby's2]

Anyone?