Molting question

[LoveMyChicklets]

I was wondering if anyone has ever had an experience like this with their chickens. My frizzle has been (I believe) molting for a while now. Poor girl is also the roosters favorite. So, I purchased a couple of saddles for her and she keeps them on for a day and a half before I find them in misc places around the coop. I've attached a couple pictures of her. She just looks really pitiful. Unfortunately you can't really see the top of her back, it's pretty bare, and her neck is pretty much bald. AND now her poor wings are almost 100% bare of feathers. She's got sticks and not wings!!!! I wonder if anyone else had a molt like this????

Thank you for any thoughts!

Kathy

 

[lblasch]

have you checked her for mites? We do a preventive dusting at least once a week as our hens started doing this and it turned out ot be mites.....

 

[LoveMyChicklets]

Yes I have checked for mites and she appears to be fine. I've got ash available to them for dusting and we built them their own sandbox that they also dust in. I have quite a few chickens and all the others appear mite-free also

 

[chickletranch]

Yup, molting is not pretty, especially when it's accelerated by mating. When fluffy hens lose feathers, it's even more pronounced. We also use saddles on our hens who lose back or wing feathers. Maybe you need to adjust the elastic so it's not so easy for her to slip off. Try not to worry too much, but check her often for injuries under the wings if your roos have spurs. Best, Lynn

 

[LoveMyChicklets]

Thank you for the advice. I'll try to somehow adjust her saddle. She hasn't had any injuries thank goodness, but that's more than likely due to no spurs on the roos yet.