Ended Official BYC Contest: Worst Chicken Molt Pictures - Fall/Winter 2012

[jfarr]

My two year old Rhode Island Red Henrietta is the scruffiest looking bird I have ever seen! Between the white feathers and the naked neck she's quite the site!

 

[AuntWrenny]

I am so glad I saw this contest and all the photos! This is the first molt I've been through and I was just SURE that I had done something wrong. My chickens are looking pretty manky right now. In fact, I was beginning to wonder if I had a problem with mites. However, now I think it's just the onset of heavy molting. PHEW!

 

[jfarr]

i know what you mean! I started with (2) 6 month old RI Reds and 15 chicks last June. I was so proud of myself because all last winter I was getting 14-16 eggs a day! Then came Spring molt, worms?, molting, foxes and replenishing my brood! Right now I've got 22 hens of various breeds and ages and one little NH Red Rooster. I'm only getting 6-8 eggs a day and hoping that production will pick up soon. I love them all and I don't want to weed out the "slackers". With the price of feed, I might have to!

 

[jrosemoore]

These molting pictures just crack me up.

 

[ronott1]

i know what you mean! I started with (2) 6 month old RI Reds and 15 chicks last June. I was so proud of myself because all last winter I was getting 14-16 eggs a day! Then came Spring molt, worms?, molting, foxes and replenishing my brood! Right now I've got 22 hens of various breeds and ages and one little NH Red Rooster. I'm only getting 6-8 eggs a day and hoping that production will pick up soon. I love them all and I don't want to weed out the "slackers". With the price of feed, I might have to!

I am in a similar situation. My 6 pullets give me 4 plus eggs a day. My 12 Hens also lay three plus eggs a day. Terrible lay rate. Molting is hard and then the low light levels will slow them down too.

Don't plan on getting even 8 eggs a day in mid November to Mid January. Your pullets will keep laying. That is why you want to have pullets every winter.

You could add 2 or 3 hours of light each morning. You have to make sure to never miss a day though.

Feathers everywhere at my place!

Ron

 

[jfarr]

Hi Ron,
Oh Good, I'm NOT going crazy!
I started light from 4AM to 9AM everyday about a month ago and with the daylight hours, the girls are getting about 13 hours. With daylight savings time starting Sunday, I'm changing the timer to 2AM tonight.

I guess I didn't realize that the hens (12 months or older) would be laying so sporadically after the first year. Either way, I love them and they'll be here until they're not. I can't bear to hurry the process for any of them. My husband laughed at me the other day and said "When someone asks me how many chickens you have I tell them 25 with 6 eggs!" NOT a good return on investment according to him

 

[maxandruby]

Crockpot our Golden Comet rooster has had a few changes this fall. He is missing feathers on his wings and back along with his tail. Today it is snowing in upstate NY, so his um... tail is a bit cold. I like his one tail feather that it left.
We lost all his hens this summer. One to a hawk that he fought off while sitting on his hen fighting and two to an unknown predator (mink/weasel). He is a lonely guy. Although he now acts more like a dog than a chicken. likes to sit on your lap and eat out of your hand.

Molt contest category -Other Breed


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[Kraeuterelfe]

I love this contest!
What a great idea!
Thanks for all your pictures!

 

[sezjasper]

Crockpot our Golden Comet rooster has had a few changes this fall. He is missing feathers on his wings and back along with his tail. Today it is snowing in upstate NY, so his um... tail is a bit cold. I like his one tail feather that it left.
We lost all his hens this summer. One to a hawk that he fought off while sitting on his hen fighting and two to an unknown predator (mink/weasel). He is a lonely guy. Although he now acts more like a dog than a chicken. likes to sit on your lap and eat out of your hand.

Molt contest category -Other Breed


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Awwww you can tell he's usually a beautiful roo! Poor guy! I'm laughing at his tail feather...don't tell him, though!

 

[Shades of Blue]

"All other Breeds" One of my Barnevelder hens.





This is her fully feathered....LOL.

she is just beautiful fully feathered......oh my....she is wonderful...