i somehow acquired 2 runaways and i have questions. please help

[pollipazzi]

great find! this is definitely the right time of year to find fake eggs going cheap. I use a mix of rubber ones (joke ones, they bounce) and golfballs. I leave 1 or 2 in every nestbox, and in selected 'hidden' nests round the garden (to keep the hen laying there, if it's a good spot, so I don't have to keep hunting for them given I have some hens who prefer to lay off base).

good idea for the off base ones! the first time i realised there were eggs, i found 3 behind a big plant i had only dug out and leaned against the fence. probably 3 days before

 

[pollipazzi]

i have another question. of course.

i have been noticing some small fluffy grey feathers around. there’s not loads of them, but i have been seeing more and more.

i just went out to find thelma and louise in the greenhouse sitting in the chairs. thelma has some feathers under her and some are around on the floor.
they were (i think you call it) preening? and some more feathers were just easily coming out of her.
is this normal? like how dogs shed for the summer? is that when chickens molt? i don’t think louise is losing any yet.

 

[Perris]

i have another question. of course.

i have been noticing some small fluffy grey feathers around. there’s not loads of them, but i have been seeing more and more.

i just went out to find thelma and louise in the greenhouse sitting in the chairs. thelma has some feathers under her and some are around on the floor.
they were (i think you call it) preening? and some more feathers were just easily coming out of her.
is this normal? like how dogs shed for the summer? is that when chickens molt? i don’t think louise is losing any yet.

those sound like the downy feathers under the plumage you see. And yes that is preening. They have thousands of feathers and daily preening to take care of them is an essential part of their self care. They will pluck out those they want gone for whatever reason, and clean and rearrange the ones they want to keep.

Moulting is more variable and important than most responders on BYC realize. If you really want to engage with it (and I found it more interesting and eye-opening than I expected it to be) there is a good recent book on the topic:
https://www.pemberleybooks.com/product/the-biology-of-moult-in-birds/40837/

 

[pollipazzi]

those sound like the downy feathers under the plumage you see. And yes that is preening. They have thousands of feathers and daily preening to take care of them is an essential part of their self care. They will pluck out those they want gone for whatever reason, and clean and rearrange the ones they want to keep.

Moulting is more variable and important than most responders on BYC realize. If you really want to engage with it (and I found it more interesting and eye-opening than I expected it to be) there is a good recent book on the topic:
https://www.pemberleybooks.com/product/the-biology-of-moult-in-birds/40837/

interesting! so they will moult once a year? and will that cause them trouble with getting up in the trees?

 

[Perris]

interesting! so they will moult once a year? and will that cause them trouble with getting up in the trees?

generally yes, but they can have more (stress moults especially) and fewer (some birds opt for many mini moults and only have a major one every few years), and yes, they can't fly when they've lost key or a lot of wing feathers.

 

[pollipazzi]

generally yes, but they can have more (stress moults especially) and fewer (some birds opt for many mini moults and only have a major one every few years), and yes, they can't fly when they've lost key or a lot of wing feathers.

that's a worry. i am leaving the run open for them like you suggested. hopefully if that happens they will stay

 

[RoyalChick]

Just catching up. I use fake eggs and it has worked well to get my ladies back to laying in the nest boxes whenever they get more creative. I did have one hen that laid 10’ up on the big collar ties that support the roof!
However, they do quite frequently inform me that while they understand my message with the fake eggs, and are open to taking my advice on where to lay, they are not fooled that they are anything but fake eggs. They inform me if this by tossing the fake ones out of the nestbox.

In the down feathers, it is possible Thelma is preparing to go broody. Mine often decorate their chosen nest site with downy feathers in the 1-3 days before going broody. I assume this is common behavior and hence the expression about ‘feathering your nest’.

 

[Perris]

that's a worry. i am leaving the run open for them like you suggested. hopefully if that happens they will stay

I don't think you need to worry; the main moult comes later in the year (late summer, so they have nice new feathers to protect and insulate them through winter). They may have been a bit stressed by their sudden imprisonment, so have a little stress moult going on, but they would still be able to fly with that I'm sure, looking at the photos of them. And they can run. And hide. As long as they are free to do so of course.

 

[pollipazzi]

I don't think you need to worry; the main moult comes later in the year (late summer, so they have nice new feathers to protect and insulate them through winter). They may have been a bit stressed by their sudden imprisonment, so have a little stress moult going on, but they would still be able to fly with that I'm sure, looking at the photos of them. And they can run. And hide. As long as they are free to do so of course.

they're free alright. i feel so guilty for locking them in. i wish i had trusted my instincts

 

[pollipazzi]

Just catching up. I use fake eggs and it has worked well to get my ladies back to laying in the nest boxes whenever they get more creative. I did have one hen that laid 10’ up on the big collar ties that support the roof!
However, they do quite frequently inform me that while they understand my message with the fake eggs, and are open to taking my advice on where to lay, they are not fooled that they are anything but fake eggs. They inform me if this by tossing the fake ones out of the nestbox.

In the down feathers, it is possible Thelma is preparing to go broody. Mine often decorate their chosen nest site with downy feathers in the 1-3 days before going broody. I assume this is common behavior and hence the expression about ‘feathering your nest’.

omg! they toss them out?!? i love that