Pics of Molting??? Is this normal?

[JeninMN]

Hi everyone...I just wonder if ours our molting...I have noticed them looking a little tattered and last night one of the hens is actually down to no feathers basically under her one wing...no sores or anything like that but there is no feathers there!!

Is this normal?

We have 28 buff orps..just over 6 months old...would really like to make sure this is normal...there are also a few that look like they lost the feathers behind on top of their heads...behind their combs....

It is getting pretty chilly at night..how long does this molting process take and will they get their feathers back before it gets really cold?? We are dipping into low 30's at night...

Thanks!!

Jen

 

[cmom]

Usually don't they don't go into their first moult until they are about a year old.

 

[DouglasPeeps]

Jen,

Do you have a rooster? If so then the feather loss in the top of their heads is from him. Mine is doing the same thing to my girls. AHHHHHH!

 

[JeninMN]

Quote:
Ours are just over 6 months....so this is very early then....thats why I'm wondering if its actually them molting or if its that darn rooster...

 

[swtangel321]

Do you have a pic of them ???

 

[JeninMN]

I will get one tonight...i should have taken one last night and after cleaning the coop just forgot to do it....I'd love to see some pics from people that have some that are truley molting so I can see if there is a difference too...

 

[speckledhen]

This girl is about 21 months old. This is a BAD molt. This used to be a Buff Brahma, poor thing.

Here is another one who molted last winter, and spring, too. She just kept being naked for months, in spite of extra protein, etc.

 

[Heather J]

If it's on the shoulders, above the wing, it's the roo, if it's on the underside of the wing, where it's protected, I would say it's a molt. Did you look for mites or anything else that could be causing the feather loss? Mine are just getting back their feathers after the roos got too active for the girls last spring. It dipped into the low twenties the other night, which made me more than a little nervous for my half-naked girls, but they seem fine. My roos also lost them all down his neck and on his rear end, but he's feathering out nicely too. Within a week or two they'll probably be looking good again.

Except Buttercup, she' hardly getting any feathers back, and may need a coat this winter. lol

 

[Gloria]

Sounds like a roo problem to me too. Mine are just coming out of a molt and they are all over one year old. I don't think they go through a molt until they are a year old. Do they?

 

[Barnyard]

Quote:
By BO hen looks just like your Brahma Cyn..... What are you doing to help her through this.