Tell me about molting

[Myra]

I havn't been through a molt yet with my year old pekin drake & hen nor with my 4 chickens - so I don't know what to look for...do they go completely featherless? If they just lose a few feathers at a time and are quickly replaced with new feathers at the same time, I may never know as the birds around here quickly take all of the feathers on the ground (must be some pretty soft nests around here!)

Thanks,
Myra

 

[Hattiegun]

I would like to know also.. thanks

 

[duckluck]

My ducks and my parrots dropped a LOT of feathers at one time off their wings and tails this year...not completely featherless but boy did they look moth-eaten when it happened!

But, one of the early molters just took Best Bantam Duck and Best Waterfowl at the Ill-Mo show, so the early molt was worth it!

Best Waterfowl out of 51 ducks of all sizes! He is a white Call drake, hope to have pictures soon. He will be featured in an upcoming issue of The Poultry Press, as will one of my gray hens who was Reserve Bantam Duck, I believe it was. They took pictures of both! The gray hen, "Itchy", got her name because when she went broody and then started molting, she was enough to make you itch just looking at her!

(And yes, I do have a duck named "Scratchy" too, but it's because of her broody personality and not because of her feathers!)

 

[Hattiegun]

WOW duckluck,, that's Awesome. !!!!!!!!! Im pretty confident that I have 2 girls and 2 boys..
My gray male is starting to really change colors... hes soooo pretty tooo w/ his chocolate brown,
his belly is getting drake grey.... cant wait to see pics of yours !!!!!!

 

[vlapinta]

Hattiegun, how old is your grey male? Mine is 9 weeks old and looks like a female but his voice is raspy and not quacking so I assumed he is a male.
Just curious when they start changing color? Congrats duckluck. That is fantastic!

Vicki

 

[Hattiegun]

hey Vicki, Mine are from Duckluck hatched March 15
Almost 3 months old.. yep , mine is female colors right
now but is very raspy and the biggest of my four
My white is the loudest , honkiest
thing ever ,, she cracks me up all the time...
oh and he also has the olive green in his beak...
Kris

 

[vlapinta]

Does the olive green in the beak mean drake? I am new to all this with my first three calls. I am pretty sure I have 1 female and two males. That is not a good combination

Vicki