Please help! Is my chicken molting?

[chickenlover09]

Hi. So I noticed about 2-3 days ago that one of my chickens started loosing a lot of feathers, they were ALL over the coop and there run. I live in california so it's sort of warm right now. I've had them for about a year and a half and they've never molted (like seriously molted) ever. This chicken has always had lots of nice full glossy black feathers, and now she looks kind of sickly/really different.

Here's a picture of one of the spots Is she molting? There are many bald patches like this all over her body, especially her wings, her back, etc.

Thanks!

 

[Lozuufy]

It looks like she is molting cause of all the new pin-feathers coming in. Sometimes they just go thru a really heavy molt. One of my hens lost almost all her feathers at once last year LOL, she looked really strange.

 

[Lozuufy]

The winning picture in this contest is pretty funny https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/1014646/official-byc-contest-worst-chicken-molt-pictures-fall-winter-2015

 

[chickenlover09]

Lol thanks so much! I called the lady at the feed store earlier, and she was being really rude and just said that they don't usually molt on their feathers, so she was probably sick with mites or something. I got super scared after that because I love my chickens lol but thanks for clearing that up!

 

[Lozuufy]

Your welcome

. It seems like allot of people that work at feed stores don't know much about poultry but still pretend they do LOL.

 

[QueenMisha]

Your welcome . It seems like allot of people that work at feed stores don't know much about poultry but still pretend they do LOL.

Isn't that true! I once heard a guy at the feed store proclaim he was the "poultry expert".... three minutes later he was having a hard time differentiating RIR and Barred Rock chicks! smh....

 

[katesgardencare]

oh the notorious heavy molt! yes you can tell they are molting when you see those "pin feathers" growing back in the place of the older feather. be sure during molting not to handle the chickens if you can help it, because it is very painful for them, and their pin feathers could break and bleed at this early stage! they will preen the waxy coating off and they will have even more beautiful feathers before you know it!

i wish i had a picture of my two buff orpingtons during their molt this year, just imagine a feathered chicken in a roasting pan minus the pan hahaha, completely butt naked! poor girls had such a hard molt they were feathered one day, next morning butt naked! they were both so embarrassed thats what they get for being broody all summer long silly girls!

 

[Lozuufy]

Isn't that true! I once heard a guy at the feed store proclaim he was the "poultry expert".... three minutes later he was having a hard time differentiating RIR and Barred Rock chicks! smh....

A poultry expert that couldn't tell Barred Rocks from RIR!?!

 

[mamadukes1]

Hi everyone. I am new to raising chickens and I think they are molting. In the middle of summer but I'm beginning to worry weather it is molting or something else. Egg production has slowed down and some of them have bald spots on their butts with some red patches. Not all of them have lost the feathers. So I'm wondering what's going on? I have no roosters and the are on OMEGA 3 by purina chicken food. Please help me figure this out.

thank you in advance.