molting

[lolli1103]

I have a project flock that I have been breeding. I am three generations deep in this flock. one of my second generations hens is about 13 months old now and this is her first hard molt. She is a BLRWxEE. She is a beautiful blue hen with red lacing. My question is this: Can and Adult chicken change color completely and have a complete feather pattern change at this age? I am shocked by the feathers that she is growing back in they are completely different that before she started molting. I expect this from juvenile chicks starting at 12 weeks to point of lay but have never even heard of an adult bird completely changing.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Feather coloring and patterns can and do change during each molt, though generally it's to lighten or darken up. I would be interested is seeing how different it looks if you care to share some photos.

 

[lolli1103]

I will try to get them on here just have to transfer them from my phone.

 

[lolli1103]

So the topp and bottom pics are the hen that is molting now. Seems I dont have a recent pic of here before she started molting so the two middle ones are her daughter and they were Identical before the molt started.

 

[theoldchick]

Boy! She is going through a drastic color change!

 

[lolli1103]

Have you ever seen this before? I have never heard of this happening in and adult bird.

 

[Abriana]

I have a molting hen who is full of quills, she looks like a hedgehog! At first she was miserable and even off balance, kind of stumbling, but when all the quills poked through, she was happy and herself again! Molting is always a little scary for me because I am never positive if she's molting or if there's something wrong with her. Luckily, after a few molts, I got used to it!

 

[Abriana]

Thats pretty neat that she is changing color! I have heard that sometimes the feathers will come back a different color.

 

[lolli1103]

Thats pretty neat that she is changing color! I have heard that sometimes the feathers will come back a different color.

thanks I have never had an adult bird change like this. Juveniles yes but not adults.

 

[theoldchick]

Have you ever seen this before? I have never heard of this happening in and adult bird.

I've had juveniles have slight change. One of my black copper marans lost her copper neck feathers after her first molt. I also had a friend who mixed breed chicken ended up with a rumpless look after the first molt. The tail feathers grew back very short and had a soft curl. A few of my jersey giants will have a silvery sheen when feathers first come in and spread. After a few days they have black feathers.