Our 11 pullets are 3 months old, obviously not laying yet, and there are feathers everywhere in their run & coop (LOTS of feathers). The feathers I see in the run are all sizes, soft fluffy ones, and longer tail feathers. I also notice loose feathers in the yard too.
They don't have any bald spots and still have their tails. I haven't caught them picking at each other. They free range for about 4-5 hours a day. When they are first let out of their run, I've seen them drop feathers as they run flapping their wings.
Could they be molting at this young age? I didn't think chickens molted until they were older and laying. They are still on starter/grow crumbles. Besides the crumbles, they free range (we still have some green grass & green weeds here where we live), and I give them occasional treats of apple or tomato, etc. Could they be losing feathers because of their diet or is this their first molt?
They don't have any bald spots and still have their tails. I haven't caught them picking at each other. They free range for about 4-5 hours a day. When they are first let out of their run, I've seen them drop feathers as they run flapping their wings.
Could they be molting at this young age? I didn't think chickens molted until they were older and laying. They are still on starter/grow crumbles. Besides the crumbles, they free range (we still have some green grass & green weeds here where we live), and I give them occasional treats of apple or tomato, etc. Could they be losing feathers because of their diet or is this their first molt?