How many feathers on a chicken?

[azygous]

Okay, I know this is carrying chicken trivia a bit far, but it's molt time in the top half of our world, and as I collect and dispose of what seems like tons of feathers, I was just sort of wondering how many I handle each fall.

Of course, large breeds have more than bantams or standards, and feather-footed breeds have many more than all of them. My searches came up ambiguous. The most accurate guess was by someone who processes their chickens and they estimate an average per chicken of around 1500 by extrapolating how many their depluming tool removes in a second.

I have 25 chickens and it sure seems like pounds of the stuff every day. I'm already yearning for molt to be finished.

What's your guess? Has anyone got a better estimate?

 

[Mrs. K]

I was just going to mention that I have feathers everywhere! Molt is on!

 

[aart]

This gave me a big grin...who knows<shrug> but those feathers are everywhere!!

I don't pick them up, they just go to compost as they are scooped up off roost boards or mixed with floor shavings.

I wonder tho, how did heck did they count how many feathers came off in one second!?

 

[Gray Farms]

When they are molting...a lot! When your plucking for butchering... to many! lol

 

[BruceAZ]

i'm a new BYC owner.. have yet to go through the molting process yet...

i have to be diligent about cleaning up the feathers so the wind will not blow them into the neighbor's pool

 

[Gray Farms]

i'm a new BYC owner.. have yet to go through the molting process yet...

i have to be diligent about cleaning up the feathers so the wind will not blow it into the neighbor's pool

Ya, that'd suck. It'd put you on their short list for sure.