Molting?

[BanjosLaughter]

Good morning, I have 4 girls who are all close to a year old. The last week or so I have noticed a lot of feathers from our Dominique under their roost. There aren't many around their run. This morning I picked up Cutie (the Dom) who is a royal pain to catch and the vast majority of the feathers around her neck seem as though they have broken off. It looks like the feathers are still embedded, but it looks like someone clipped them all. There doesn't seem to be any damage to the skin as though someone is pecking her, and I haven't witnessed any aggressive behavior towards her. I have never had a chicken molt; and all the books I have say chickens molt BEFORE winter. I am worried about the temperatures and her exposed skin (we are getting into the upper teens here in Ohio at night). Should I bring her in and isolate her? Is this normal and I just haven't read about it? Any ideas or advice would be welcomed!

Banjo

 

[sloanbychoice]

@aart
Any thoughts on this one?
Why would they look broken?

 

[coach723]

Have you got some pictures you could post? Sometimes a lot more helpful than a verbal description. It does sound like broken feather shafts rather than a molt, but pictures would be best. Feather picking can happen on the roosts at night when they wrestle for a spot on the roost. Around the neck feathers can also get broken if a bird is sticking it's head through something to try to get to the other side. Always a good idea to check for lice a mites with any feather damage or loss. Since you are finding them under the roost mostly, I would suspect that one of the other girls is picking her, so do some observing after they go to roost, or if you have one or can borrow one, a game camera might catch the action. Often the most pristine looking bird is the culprit. If feather picking is the issue often boredom or lack of space is a contributor, so knowing what your set up looks like might help get some suggestions to help.

 

[BanjosLaughter]

I got my hands on a camera and installed it.... ill try to get pictures of her tomorrow and post them. Thank you for your help

 

[Friendly_Lurker]

Chickens do tend to molt in the fall, but they shouldn’t look broken. If another bird is asserting dominance, the neck and head would be the place that’s pecked.