Really Bad Hair Day!! (Question about molting)

[momof4boys]

These are pictures of my BLRW last fall. I went to the chicken house one morning and thought something had tried to eat her in the night! There were feathers everywhere!! The poor thing would shiver on those cold mornings.

How common is it for hens to molt so drasticly? I seem to recall her molting heavily her first year but not this bad! All my other hens have molted much slower and w/ less bareness.

This is her in her normal state w/ her chick she hatched last spring.

Anyone have similar experiences? I'm not concerned about her, I'm just curious. Thanks

 

[jbowyer01]

Oh my goodness! She's almost naked. Her feathers did grow back out right?

 

[speckledhen]

I have some bald necked and bald-headed women in my own coop. Poor things are so moth-eaten! I wish they all molted at the same time, but some did it last fall and some are in full molt right now.

 

[granmahen]

My white leghorn is just getting over a very huge moult (she wouldn't let me take her pic but looked a lot like yours. Funny, her feathers are coming back after a month and the other ladies are finally treating her better. Wait until it happens to them.

 

[Chicky Tocks]

Oh my! That poor poor baby. But look at all those lovely new feather seedlets! She will have the last laugh when the other hens start going through this.

My white EE is obviously doing something right now. There are feathers EVERYWHERE! But not a bald spot on the chicken.

 

[momof4boys]

jbowyer01, yes, she grew them all back pretty quickly and looks as beautiful as ever!

 

[HorseFeathers]

Oh. My. Gosh

I just about fell over laughing! Poor gal!

 

[melissastraka]

Thanks for the laugh

I cant wait to see what my orps look like!

 

[debilorrah]

From what happened when my roo molted that bird looks pretty darned good!