Unusual molting?

[srfrgrl]

I'm not sure if this is the right place to post this question but I did not know if what is happening is usual or not so I am posting my problem here. One of my chickens (Americauna) is seriously molting and none of my others (5) are. Is this usual, unusual? They are going to be two years old this January. they all molted last year at roughly the same time. Are they supposed to molt every year? Should I be concerned about my one who is? Any insight would be greatly appreciated. thanks.

 

[HEChicken]

They do molt every year but its not always a hard, highly-visible molt. Every year I have some that look like someone plucked them, and others you can barely tell are molting. It varies from year to year, even with the same hen.

 

[Beaky Buzzard]

I'm not sure if this is the right place to post this question but I did not know if what is happening is usual or not so I am posting my problem here. One of my chickens (Americauna) is seriously molting and none of my others (5) are. Is this usual, unusual? They are going to be two years old this January. they all molted last year at roughly the same time. Are they supposed to molt every year? Should I be concerned about my one who is? Any insight would be greatly appreciated. thanks.

Some of mine molt at the same time some don't... I would say its ok, but you might want to check and make sure she has pen feathers growing back.=)

 

[Ridgerunner]

You might look at post #228 to see what a hard molt is.

Molting Contest
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=394556

Like the others have said, each chicken the age of yours should molt every year unless you control the lights. Not all hens molt the same and not all hens molt at the same time. With some you have trouble telling that they are molting by looking at them while others, well, look at post #228.

 

[HEChicken]

You might look at post #228 to see what a hard molt is.

Molting Contest
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=394556

Like the others have said, each chicken the age of yours should molt every year unless you control the lights. Not all hens molt the same and not all hens molt at the same time. With some you have trouble telling that they are molting by looking at them while others, well, look at post #228.

OMG, that is too funny! I have a NH hen who doesn't look too different from that right now, but I never would have thought of getting down at ground level to take the picture! I had a speckled sussex this year who looked normal one day and when I saw her the next day, I initially thought a predator had got to her. She was practically bald, but with no injuries and didn't look the least bit stressed. That night she decided to sleep in a nest box (never has before) and when I reached in, in the dark to pick up "the bird" who was in the nest box, I didn't even need the flashlight to know who it was - it was like picking up a bird ready to go in the oven to roast - except this one was still breathing. She grew back her feathers amazingly quickly though - faster than I've ever known a bird to regrow after molt. A couple weeks after I first saw her bald, she already looked halfway back to normal.

 

[srfrgrl]

Phew! Thanks everyone. I'm glad know all is normal. I will keep an eye but not worry anymore.