Is she molting

[pdcttc]

Hi
I am fairly new to chickens. I got my chickens last Nov. so they are a little over 10 mounths old.
One of my B.R. has stoped laying, her comb has shrunk, she is missing her tail ,and I see feathers in the coop and run.

The coop and run are not covered with feathers like I have seen some posts describe. The hen seems to be the boss in the coop, so I do not think the others are picking on her. No roster, so its is not the result rough passion.
,
She seem to be eating and pooping ok and other than the egg laying everything seem normal.

Could this be a molt-- I have seen posts that say they dont do it till they are abour 18 mounths or so? If it is a molt how long do they usuly last?

 

[gritsar]

I've had pullets go through a mini molt in the 8 to 9 month range, but they were generally light molts. I would be worried about illness.

A good way to check the health of your bird is with the appearance of her droppings. This page may be helpful to you:



http://chat.allotment.org.uk/index.php?topic=17568.0

 

[elmo]

Look the bird over carefully and see if you can see feather quills (the new feathers growing in are wrapped in a papery protective sheath). If you see these quills, it's a good sign your chicken is indeed molting.

 

[pdcttc]

I will check for quill tonight when I get home.

I have not seen any adnormal poop around but i have not been looking very close. I will pull up a chair and wait to see.

 

[gritsar]

Quote:
If she's not molting I would be concerned about worms.

Also check around her vent area for signs of drainage, seen as yellowish or white discharge below the vent.