Normal amount of feather loss?

[Sillyna511]

My flock is about 11.5 weeks old. There seems to be a lot of feathers in their run & coop. But none of them have any noticeable bare patches. Is this just normal molting for growing chickens? Pics of the areas of the run that have a lot. I do know one of these corners where they prefer to dust bathe - so maybe it’s normal to lose more feathers where they regularly roll around in the dirt??

 

[ChaosMom]

How many chickens do you have in this area?

 

[Sillyna511]

How many chickens do you have in this area?

We have 7 chickens in an 8x10 run and an 8x4 coop.

 

[dearmeghann]

Following! We got our girls last year at 8 weeks old, and that seems normal (or at least what I can remember). However, watch out for any signs of picking, especially if there's blood. We had to deal with that, and Pick-No-More was so helpful!

We're raising chicks this year, and now I'm super aware of their feather growth. Sidenote: isn't it amazing how quickly they grow feathers?? We spend time with them in the morning and a few times in the afternoon, and it feels like every time we see them, they're filling out even more!

 

[ChaosMom]

We have 7 chickens in an 8x10 run and an 8x4 coop.

I’m hoping someone more experienced will weigh in, but that doesn’t look like a lot to me for 7 birds. We have three pullets coming up on 16 weeks, and there’s often more than that lying around at our place. I’m hoping that they’re in their last adolescent molt.

At any rate, there’s no feather-picking or fighting, they’re eating well, and their (remaining) feathers are shiny and smooth, so I’m assuming all is ok.

 

[Mrs. K]

Yes, it is normal, it is a juvenile molt. There feathers will be more 'grown up' this time. For a long time, they just look and sound like chicks. But as they grow, the feathers change too.

Mrs K