Amelise
Songster
Part 1- so the 4H guide to showing poultry recommends that you remove/pluck any broken feathers on a bird to prepare her a few months before the show. My girls are a little over a year so they have quite a few broken feathers, especially on their necks behind their ears. I pulled some of the feathers today (it seems like they like they enjoyed it because they also got some scratches with it). How long does it take these feathers to grow back? Only one of my girls is currently growing in new feathers from molting (but it’s been a while since she’s dropped any feathers.) I made sure that I pulled out the whole feather, along with the shaft. Also, my girls are on high protein all flock feed.
Part two: Only one of my hens is molting, but she’s laying eggs while she’s molting?? She stopped laying for only a week but started to lay again while she continued to lose and grow new feathers. She’s still growing in feathers and lays often. Is this because she’s going through just a light molt? She is a year old. When my older hen molted, she stopped laying for what seemed like months.
Tldr:
1) how long does it take for a chicken feather that’s been plucked out to grow back in?
2) is it common for a hen to lay consistently during a molt?
Part two: Only one of my hens is molting, but she’s laying eggs while she’s molting?? She stopped laying for only a week but started to lay again while she continued to lose and grow new feathers. She’s still growing in feathers and lays often. Is this because she’s going through just a light molt? She is a year old. When my older hen molted, she stopped laying for what seemed like months.
Tldr:
1) how long does it take for a chicken feather that’s been plucked out to grow back in?
2) is it common for a hen to lay consistently during a molt?
