Ended Official BYC Contest - Post Your Best (Worst) Chicken Molt Pictures - 2020

[SparklyCaticorn]

Here is my molting chicken!

 

[Vickischics]

This is Custard, my 2 1/2 yr old Easter Egger.

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What the heck! Poor "Custard" needs a sweater!!!

 

[rosemarythyme]

What the heck! Poor "Custard" needs a sweater!!!

She does quite well despite her nakedness - she's skittish, but not moreso than normal, and cranky, but not the crankiest. Conversely her broodmate Cuddlebug is anything but a cuddlebug when she molts (not nearly as badly) - she'll bite anything that comes close to her, doesn't want to roost with anyone, etc.

Only thing that's tough during molt is doing maintenance on Custard's crossbeak, as she obviously doesn't want to be touched or held.

 

[Vickischics]

She does quite well despite her nakedness - she's skittish, but not moreso than normal, and cranky, but not the crankiest. Conversely her broodmate Cuddlebug is anything but a cuddlebug when she molts (not nearly as badly) - she'll bite anything that comes close to her, doesn't want to roost with anyone, etc.

Only thing that's tough during molt is doing maintenance on Custard's crossbeak, as she obviously doesn't want to be touched or held.

Poor baby. So what do you have to do for her cross beak care?
I guess she doesn't mind the cold either? She sure does look pitiful.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Poor baby. So what do you have to do for her cross beak care?
I guess she doesn't mind the cold either? She sure does look pitiful.

I file down the edges and tip of both upper and lower beak with an emery board so the edges match up better. If I don't not only does the alignment get worse but she'll unevenly chip up the edge of the beak. Thankfully her beak is easy to see through so I just follow along the line of the quick (not sure if that's what you call it in a beak) with the file.

The cold isn't too bad for her - last year she started molting mid December when there was snow on the ground, but it wasn't as bad of a molt. The constant rain bothers her though, probably doesn't feel good pelting down. I found her hiding in the coop this afternoon when we had heavy rain. She was still happy to take some treats.

 

[Eevee]

I have only had chickens for about 3 years and none of my girls have had serious molts, they just look a little scraggly. Well my wyandotte Mystery is now having a pretty hard molt this winter.

 

[Mmanist]

Thank God she is almost over her molt! Blondie, almost 3yr old EE.

 

[Duckee]

Alice is my Araucana. She had a bad moult at the beginning of Autumn/Winter this year (March in the Great Southern Land)

Here are some photos showing the feather loss and progress of new feathers.
It was a very educational, though distressing time. For me at least.

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She lost most of her feathers just as the cold weather started. Poor thing.
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It looks really uncomfortable. I feel itchy just looking at her!
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She's not in time out, really! She's standing in the only bit of sun she could find.
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Looking more like a secretary bird than a chicken!
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Trying to warm up with what's left of her flight feathers.
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My little porcupine.
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There are a lot more photos of her, if anyone is a glutton for punishment, in the article I made documenting her moult.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/alices-amazing-moult-molt.75749/

I noticed that I didn't include many photos of Alice's face in my previous post.
Here are some more pics of Alice during her moult.

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She is rocking the punk hairdo here as the new pin feathers on her head push her remaining head feathers straight up!
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Looks like she lost the fight with a plucker machine! Its amazing how "brand new" they look after a bad molt.

 

[Broxi]

Here's my EE Betty. She is already past the worst, but I didn't think to take pictures until now. She'll be 2 in Feb.

 

[PLwarped59]

Butt molt.