White Leghorn...is this normal?

[Whitney S]

Pictures are not definitive, but it appears as if she is molting. Rats can carry Salmonella. Feed contaminated by rats or mice can be deadly for pigeons. I am not certain whether or not it can affect chickens. Rats around the chicken coop eventually try to gain entrance to the house. I'd work on getting rid of them.

Thanks so much for the advice—I will!!

 

[Whitney S]

Thanks for all the helpful comments! Hei-Hei (my White Leghorn) started laying again yesterday and is getting back to her normal self again, so it really was molting. Thanks for easing my mind! Also, we’ve been working on the rat/mouse issue, so thanks for the info about that too!