where does the molt start?

[mrbstephens]

I have 4 adult hens that I think are starting their first molt. One of them is bare on her rear end and I see lots of new feathers coming in. Is this the area where it usually starts or does it differ from bird to bird?

 

[oesdog]

I think it differs from bird to bird. - My Drumstick - PR/RIR started on top of her head and went completely bald now were there were feathers its Red like her crown instead? Then she lost all her feathers on her neck right the way round so she looked terrible like a cartoon! I mean there were no feathers from her head to her bum. No feathers right round the neck, and down the back. and her front right down and underneath to her vent and last her tail! It was awful for her she looked like she was plucked alive! It is such a good thing its summer here. Now 4 months on she has new feathering on the back of her neck and on her tummy and tail but the top of her head stayed red and no new feathers grew there. Her neck all down the front is still naked, and her wings look a bit pathetic and kind of like she has not been preening herself odd dead feathers seem to follow her about! It was a really bad extreme molt. The poor girl would come outside and fall asleep where she stood she was exausted.
Now this last week she has started to lay again which is great as before the molt she would give an egg a day!

Hope yours is not too bad. Gerty on the other hand just lost a few tail feathers and looked a bit sorry for herself for about a week and then started laying again after another week. Isobella lost a lot of feathers but you can;t really make out were they came from and she is now laying again. Caroline didn;t lose any feathers at all and only stopped laying for a week!

Oesdog -

Bertha has chicks so isn;t doing much at all anyhow. No eggs and no molt!

 

[NurseELB]

I find it starts in the coop!

Truly it differs from bird to bird. Some will do it gracefully and lose only a few feathers at a time, and others will be almost naked with porcupine looking quills all over.
If you start to notice a new featherbed growing in the coop, then it has officially started!

 

[mrbstephens]

Quote:
Oh yes! There are feathers EVERYWHERE! They're filling up the hen house and they're scattered all over my backyard. I'm starting to think I need to do some kind of craft project with them.

 

[moondog425]

I have feathers everywhere too but none look like they are loosing feathers...

 

[teach1rusl]

Some molt slowly, some quickly. I've read that the quick molt (when they look so rough/ragged) is supposed to better for them for some reason, but can't remember why. My girls do a slow molt, so although I'm finding lots of feathers, it's not very noticeable on the girls

Egg production hasn't changed either.

 

[oesdog]

Quote:
Wish my poor drumstick was like your ones - she still isn;t right! Terrible looking really and no wing feathers at all now just bare quils she has lost all the feathers on her entire body over a 4 month process! I wonder if the neck feathers will ever come back?

Oesdog

 

[nhnanna]

Quote:
Wish my poor drumstick was like your ones - she still isn;t right! Terrible looking really and no wing feathers at all now just bare quils she has lost all the feathers on her entire body over a 4 month process! I wonder if the neck feathers will ever come back?

Oesdog

My poor Fancypants took forever also. She is a frizzle cochin and she was nekkid for about four months. I was beginning to think she was a frazzle instead of a frizzle. She is beautiful now though. She went from beauty to the beast and back again.