Silkie hens changing color

[granny25uk]

Hi I have 5 silkie hens my black one has recently got white spikes on her head and the gold one is losing hers. I spray their house and run for mites. Their eating fine and drinking. Another problem i have is that 4 of them chase the gold one away and wont accept her . Help

 

[Humble Shack Farm]

Don't worry, it's perfectly normal and your silkies are healthy They're molting (losing old feathers, growing new ones) and the spikes are just new feather shafts. The solid part will fall off soon and the feathers will fluff out and be beautiful again!

 

[MysteryChicken]

Hi I have 5 silkie hens my black one has recently got white spikes on her head and the gold one is losing hers. I spray their house and run for mites. Their eating fine and drinking. Another problem i have is that 4 of them chase the gold one away and wont accept her . HelpView attachment 2847088View attachment 2847089

Those are just capsules from the pin feather shafts that are separating from the grown feathers. It's normal.

 

[granny25uk]

Don't worry, it's perfectly normal and your silkies are healthy They're molting (losing old feathers, growing new ones) and the spikes are just new feather shafts. The solid part will fall off soon and the feathers will fluff out and be beautiful again!

thankyou so much ,i was worried

 

[Humble Shack Farm]

Is the gold silkie younger than the others? Have they grown up together? Chickens that are higher up in the pecking order will often chase younger birds away from food or water sources and their favorite resting spots. This is perfectly normal and they should chill out with time. Bullying such as cornering the old bird, is not normal and would require you to step in and help. If you have one older bird who is ruling the flock and consistently chasing the gold bird away, you may need to separate the older bird from the entire flock for a week or so, then reintroduce it so the pecking order can be readjusted.

PS - I've got silkies too and we love them! So adorable and sweet! I'm building a breeding flock this year so we can sell silkie chicks locally next year.

 

[Humble Shack Farm]

thankyou so much ,i was worried

No problem! It's molting season, so my chickens are molting too. Getting those new warm feathers before the cold weather comes in. Some of them look pretty crazy right now.