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

[MrsMessina]

Submitted for the "all other breeds" category.
This is my big, beautiful, half-naked Wyandotte, Clara in the worst molt she's ever had. Poor baby. Most of her feathers are back in now, but she still isn't laying again yet. Longest molt ever.

 

[MiMiMize]

This is my first year with chickens too! Can't wait to see my pretty ladies nearly bald!! (Said no one EvEr!)

 

[tgmessick]

So if my hair looks like this and is falling out, does that mean I am molting? LOL!

 

[fshinggrl]

Here is "Annie." I hatched her Spring of 2011. She is an EE. This is the worst molt I had ever seen here. All other breeds molt contest.

 

[bnasexton]

We've had dogs get a couple of our chickens in the past so we put them in a huge chain link yard. When I walked out the other day I honestly thought I had lost at least 1 chicken because of all the feathers scattered around. Then I saw my girls and knew exactly what the problem was. So far only 2 out of 13 have started to molt.

 

[naomipoc]

Oh, this picture is SOOO sad....

 

[naomipoc]

Wow!! This is REALLY ugly!!

This is SOOO sad! Poor baby.

 

[usfarmchicks]

This one looks like she would be quite comfortable at a nudist colony. Naked and strutting her stuff. LOL

 

[aliwishes]

Is oct the time when molting usually happens? I'm new to the chicken world, mine are around 6 months and there is suddenly a crazy amount of feathers on the ground. But they themselves look fine so far so it must be happening gradually.

 

[crabby chickens]

Our ladies are 6 months old and we live on the coast in central california. Our girls starting molting about 3 weeks ago, but mostly on their backs above their tales. It hasn't hurt egg production. The Wyandottes and Orps have molted the most. The Australorps have only lost a few feathers. I don't think we will win the contest. We are trying to keep them on 18% feed to give them extra protein. They are getting a lot of garden goodies also since the garden is about finished for this year. Tomatoes and watermelons are the favorites.