Open Contest Official BYC Contest—Post Your Best (Worst) Chicken Molt Pictures - 2025

[Lacy Duckwing]

This was always a fun contest. I don't have any molting chickens, all young ones this year.

Aw, that's too bad. What about Fancy Nancy? I was hoping to see her again this year.

 

[gimmie birdies]

I went to S. Korea, for a few weeks last fall. I gave her to a guy I know, she did not do well over the winter, but she did have babies, I got one of her grand kids. The white hen.

 

[Lacy Duckwing]

I went to S. Korea, for a few weeks last fall. I gave her to a guy I know, she did not do well over the winter, but she did have babies, I got one of her grand kids. The white hen.

Oh, sorry she didn't do well. Her daughter looks a lot like her. Hopefully she'll carry on her molting skills for next year!

 

[alinas2010]

Name: Chicken Nugget
Breed: Cinnamon Queen

I thought she was going to skip a molt completely last year. Lo and behold. She decided to drop everything during one of our coldest months, January (of this year)! Needless to say, she spent time inside on the -20 and -30 degree nights.

Forbidden porcupine:

Filling in a bit:

 

[Tatootles]

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This contest is brought to you by our BYC Sponsors
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Official BYC Contest
Post Your Best (Worst) Chicken Molt Pictures - 2025
Ends December 31st, 2025

Are Your Chickens Molting?
We Want Your Pics!
​

It's that time of year again when our birds start their metamorphosis into... well, okay, they don't turn into anything, but it sure is interesting to see them go through their molting process and leaving feathers all over the place!

​

For more information on your flock's annual molt, see here:

• Molting: All You Need To Know
• What Happens When Chickens Molt?
• Chickens Losing Feathers? Managing Your Flock's Molt
• Molting- Your Flock's Seasonal Shedding
• DISCUSSION: For the new folks that haven't experienced a molt yet.

How to enter
The contest is simple, post pictures of your birds in the worst part of their molt. Once we're past the molting season, our esteemed panel of judges will pick a loser... er... winner!

Prizes - At least one 3-month PFM

To increase your chances of winning, please read the rules before entering.
.
Rules:

1. An entry is up to 50 pictures of your molting chicken. Please include:
   • Name
   • Breed
2. Chickens only.
3. If you have more than one chicken to enter, do them in separate posts.
4. Must be your pictures that were taken THIS YEAR, so probably within the last few weeks and over the next few months (depending on your climate, birds, etc.).
5. Molt pictures submitted to our previous molt contests are not eligible for this contest.
6. Images that have been resized might be disqualified if they are too small to judge.
7. ALL pictures MUST be uploaded to BYC and not hosted on other image sites, personal websites, etc.
8. No screenshots, watermarks, date stamps, text, etc., on the photo. No collages.
9. The photo needs to have been taken by you.
10. You cannot use a photo that won an award in another BYC-sponsored contest.
11. High-quality images are recommended. Basic editing, such as cropping and other subtle changes, are allowed.
12. ALL photos MUST be uploaded to BYC.
13. Prizes are limited to one per person per contest.
14. All BYC rules apply: Terms and rules
15. Accepting entries through December 31st, 2025, at 11:59 pm Pacific Time

Good luck to you and your ugly... er.. molting chickens!

If entries warrant, we will have two categories, "Frizzle" and "Non-Frizzles" (on account of Frizzles having some pretty bad molting genes and winning this contest for a few years

), and the following prizes will be awarded to both categories.

​

Photography tips from fellow BYC members:

• Photography Tips from BYC's jolenesdad
• Photography Tips from BYC's mdees88
• Photography Tips from BYC's TudyBot

2024 Winners

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From left to right, photos by @fowltemptress, @alinas2010, @Poultrybonkers, & @CHlCKEN

2023 Winners

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From left to right, photos by @guess_what, @coach723, @fowltemptress, & @MT813

2022 Frizzle Winners

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From left to right, photos by @gimmie birdies, @taprock, & @kurby22
See more pictures here.

2022 Non-Frizzle Winners

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From left to right, photos by: @Poultrybonkers, @HorseGirlAbby, @Artichoke Lover, @pipdzipdnreadytogo, @Judy Chicken Mama, @Paradisewife, @cluckingheck, @OneMountainAcres, & @Miss Cheep
See more pictures here.

​

2021 Winners

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From left to right: @The Moonshiner , @Naisha, @higginskzoo, @locoyosh, @SteveE, @Wildgrass, & @wolfinator
See more pictures here.

2020 Contest​

Non-Frizzle Category	Frizzle Category
View attachment 4186884 @Aussie-Chookmum See more pictures here.	View attachment 4186885 @Dorothy Dandurand See more pictures here.

Spoiler: Previous Molt Contests

Year	Thread
2024	Official BYC Contest—Post Your Best (Worst) Chicken Molt Pictures - 2024
2023	Official BYC Contest—Post Your Best (Worst) Chicken Molt Pictures - 2023
2022	Official BYC Contest—Post Your Best (Worst) Chicken Molt Pictures - 2022
2021	Official BYC Contest—Post Your Best (Worst) Chicken Molt Pictures - 2021
2020	Official BYC Contest—Post Your Best (Worst) Chicken Molt Pictures - 2020
2019	Official BYC Contest—Post Your Best (Worst) Chicken Molt Pictures—Fall/Winter 2019
2018	Official BYC Contest—Post Your Best (Worst) Chicken Molt Pictures—Fall/Winter 2018
2017	Official BYC Contest—Post Your Best (Worst) Chicken Molt Pictures—Fall/Winter 2017
2016	Official BYC Contest—Post Your Best (Worst) Chicken Molt Pictures—Fall/Winter 2016
2015	Official BYC Contest—Post Your Best (Worst) Chicken Molt Pictures—Fall/Winter 2015
2014	Official BYC Contest—Post Your Best (Worst) Chicken Molt Pictures—Fall/Winter 2014
2013	Official BYC Contest—Post Your Best (Worst) Chicken Molt Pictures—Fall/Winter 2013
2012	Official BYC Contest—Post Your Best (Worst) Chicken Molt Pictures—Fall/Winter 2012
2011	Official BYC Contest—Post Your Best (Worst) Chicken Molt Pictures—Fall/Winter 2011

I reported it and assigned it to @casportpony Perhaps it's 5? I was thinking it was 4. She'll know.

 

[Tatootles]

My little raggedy Ann! I’m not exactly sure what a molt is, but here’s my entry

 

[redinator]

**Not an entry**

Carol (Burnette) started molting a year ago.
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She's about 90% back to normal now. They've been on Kalmbach's Flockmaker 20% protein for a couple of years, so she's had that all along. Frizzles take forever!

Noted; I have two frizzels. They're only 14 weeks so I don't expect them to molt this winter.

 

[Faraday40]

Here’s my 1 year old silkie hen. It’s weird without her crest.
Note: This was taken a couple weeks ago, and she is still dropping feathers. I will update this post with future photos of her progress.

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Update: (Sorry I wasn't able to edit to add these to post #34)
Here's my beautifully pathetic-looking hen. She's still losing feathers while also half growing others.

Instead of a fuzzy turkey head, she is sporting a Mohawk and 5-o-clock shadow.

For some reason the undercarriage hasn't molted yet, so she appears to be wearing fluffy pants

 

[Lacy Duckwing]

Name: Chicken Nugget
Breed: Cinnamon Queen

I thought she was going to skip a molt completely last year. Lo and behold. She decided to drop everything during one of our coldest months, January (of this year)! Needless to say, she spent time inside on the -20 and -30 degree nights.

Forbidden porcupine:

Filling in a bit:

Poor Chicken Nugget! I must say, that's quite the impressive molt!

 

[Lacy Duckwing]

My little raggedy Ann! I’m not exactly sure what a molt is, but here’s my entry

A molt is when a chicken loses its old feathers while new ones grow in. It's kinda like a dog or cat shedding their winter coat, but bird version and sometimes a bit extreme (like going completely, or close to completely, bald). Here's some links on molting from the first post of this contest:

For more information on your flock's annual molt, see here:

• Molting: All You Need To Know
• What Happens When Chickens Molt?
• Chickens Losing Feathers? Managing Your Flock's Molt
• Molting- Your Flock's Seasonal Shedding
• DISCUSSION: For the new folks that haven't experienced a molt yet.

Also, what is your Ann's breed? Rule #1

An entry is up to 50 pictures of your molting chicken. Please include:

• Name
• Breed