molting?????

[mrdruids]

didnt know where to put this so ill put it here

i read that molting always starts on the top of the head

but my girls head looks normal and her feathers are all over the yard, and just 1 hour ago i saw her do the chicken shake and 4 feathers flew off, so is she molting.... she hasnt laid in about 5 days and i dont know when to expect molting. help would be much appreciated

 

[extraordinaryfowl]

One of my phoenix hens who just molted molted out her tail first, followed by head and body. I wouldn't worry, they have evolved for thousands of years to do the right thing, including molting.

 

[Fierlin1182]

I don't think it starts anywhere in particular: mine usually just reach the stage where they start looking patchy and the garden is littered with feathers.

They do tend to shake them off, yes. It's quite a sight!

 

[happyhens120]

I noticed that my rooster starting losing them on his neck, then tail, then body. He looks ridiculous! I heard they were supposed to lose them neck, body, tail, but he seems fine... no mites or anything, so I'm not worried.

 

[teach1rusl]

I'm with Ray - don't think there's rhyme or reason as to where it starts...lol.
And while some birds look like raggamuffins during molting, others you hardly notice because they stretch the molt out over months.

 

[mrdruids]

one of my girls has had a bear butt and legs for about 6 months, whenever she bends over its like lookin up her skirt. its pretty funny

 

[kkourie]

Mine too. I call one of my Barred Rocks the "Heiny Chicken". She first lost feathers on her butt. Looked like a bald spot, then it got bigger and I noticed her neck was losing feathers too. A couple of the sex links looked like they were being pecked on the head but some of the other Barred Rocks looked a little sparse in the butt area. I guess this is molting. We kept lights on in the coop for 14-16 hours/day in the winter so they never did molt. It was when we stopped adding light it started. We are still getting eggs. Maybe a few less then we did. We have 14 hens and used to get 12-14/day now maybe 8-9/day.

 

[Roosterlover5]

Mine don't start anywhere particular.

 

[ChicknBaron]

I noticed that my rooster starting losing them on his neck, then tail, then body. He looks ridiculous! I heard they were supposed to lose them neck, body, tail, but he seems fine...

two of my hens lost feathers on the back of there heads right behind there combs, i thought it was from the roosters pecking them there, but maybe they were just molting???

 

[azygous]

All four of my one-year old Sussex, have bald butts. I assume it's the start of their first molt. Almost all the older girls are in various stages of molt, a three-year old Wyandotte looking almost thread-bare over her entire body. The rooster has been discretely molting for months, conspicuously losing feathers every single day, but never losing his dapper good looks.

I throw out literally gallons of feathers every week in the trash.