Molting chicken meaner than hell!! Whats up with that??? help!

[speckledhen]

Not to mention, they're probably feeling lots of cool air against their skin that they don't usually feel and it may be a bit unsettling for them, those little chills they get.

 

[chickmashnoon]

pin feather also feel itchy and icky- so think of how you feel in scratchy wool without a undershirt- at least that's the vibe I got from having a parrot. after they come out a certain length, some birds will sit and let you break the shell off the feathers, but only down to a point and then it's tender.

 

[LauraG]

Excellent information here folks, thank you

I feel bad now about picking her up, but I wanted to get my hands on her to make sure nothing was wrong with her physcially (injuries, etc) But man, she was absolutely FREAKED out which is totally unlike her. I mean screeching like I lit her on fire, ticked OFF!!!

I will just let her be.....

 

[heath_elisha]

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This sounds exactly like one of my hens! She is usually the first out of the coop in the morning, walking under my feet all the time. Not exactly tame, but friendlier then most of our birds. She is molt bad right now and she is crabby, quiet, looking like she lost weight, no tail feathers today and when we tried checking her last night, she threw the biggest fit ever! Screaming as though we were strangling her. Feathers flying and all. Poor girl..... she is certainly the worst molt we have seen and hope that she recovers soon. She was shivering this morning

it was near 30 degrees when I let them out. Hopefully she fills in soon....

 

[sourland]

Just think chicken PMS.

 

[azygous]

I certainly have noticed a personality change in my cuddliest hens, and the one who monopolizes my lap more than any doesn't want to be touched. I finally figured it out - those pin feathers prick, not only me, but my hen when I try to touch her.

And it really is true that they're very fragile and bleed when broken. My tough guy Buff Brahma roo Penrod had a lot of trouble with pin feathers breaking and bleeding when he tried to roost at night. (Roosters molt, too) It took me a while to figure out why all the blood on the poop board under his roost.

Many of the hens are simply dragging-@#* during their molt, and the flock just isn't a party bunch these days because of it.

 

[ChooksChick]

I think the pin-feathers must feel like a full-body hangnail. I feel for the poor things. I have a hen who is sleeping in the nest box because it hurts to touch the other birds. She hides out under the cedars during the day. She's made of pin-feathers right now.

Poor dolly!!

 

[aoxa]

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[TheSpiceGirls]

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[speckledhen]

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Well, I am happy to report that this year, Panda's molt hasn't tanked her personality nearly as badly as her first one did. She is skittish, yes, but not nearly in need of a padded cell.