Coop Chick and Suz: Molting chickens? One of my gals, a 20 month old hen has patches on her wings that look like the wings of any respectable carcass in the meat cooler at Hannaford.
Re: sprouts: I put about an inch of seeds in the bottom of a mason jar, and cover with water. Rinse and let it soak for a couple of hours, or over night. Rinse well, and drain well. I put a piece of window screen or some fine mesh needle point canvas inside the ring of the mason jar lid, and use that to contain the seeds when rinsing. After rinsing, I place the jar, with screen in place upside down in a bowl. I keep it beside the sink and rinse 2 - 3 x/day. After the sprouts have put on a tiny bit of top growth, I put them in the sun to green up for a day or 2 before feeding them to the girls.
If your sprouts don't germinate: It could be that the water is too warm, the seeds are old, the seeds are heat treated, they've soaked too long, they are contaminated with mold or bacteria, or GORK. (God only really knows) What kind of seeds are you using? Oats tend to be difficult. Try wheat and barley. Be sure your barley is whole barley, with the seed hull intact. Pearl barley won't sprout. Try putting a drop of liquid dish soap in your first soak water, or even a drop or 2 of bleach. If using soap, I'd try to stay away from the anti-bacterial soaps.