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Are chickens still moulting?

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I've gone out to see to my girls this morning and dippers looks an awful state - feathers missing all over the place around the crown on the breast and neck. She looks fine otherwise - her usual perky self.

 

I have just introduced three chicks ranging from 3-4 months old - one of which is a Maran who is a big girl nearly as gig as my fully grown RI Reds (the ones I am introducing the chicks too)

 

It has been a VERY slow introduction with a lot of supervised free ranging and following the wonderful advice on this forum splitting the run in two and having the two flocks share the eglu and then introducing slowly. And it has gine VERY well - I noticed at the weekend when I let them both out to free range the big girls didn't chase the chicks anymore - so I left it a few days and then took the divide down in the eglu and all was well. The chicks didn't go in to roost they huddled in a corner, but I went out and put them through the hatch and hung about for a bit and all was well. The next night they roosted in the eglu. There has been very little pecking and if anything the fuss has been between two of the chicks rather than the two flocks.

 

The chicken in question - Dippers - who looks a bit scruffy this morning was the top girl of my original two RI Reds and therefore I guess the one that is going to be challenged - I've had a good look and there are no signs of any cuts at all and no sign of any tension between any of them.

 

What do you guys think - molting or pecking order stuff?

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I have a couple just finished moulting and a couple just started - Freya, my beautiful Welbar is looking pale and grey and scraggy and Wendy, the Legbar is losing her long tail feathers :evil: . These 2 are from my 1st hatch in February and I wasn't expecting them to moult this year, they had only been laying for a few weeks :(

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Marigold had a mini moult which started about a month ago. She looked a bit "oven-ready" round her frillies but didn't go bald anywhere else. She hasn't resumed laying yet. I'm now waiting for Daffodil to start flinging all her clothes off now. They are the same age, both Omlet hens, so I'm confused that one has moulted and the other hasn't. :?

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We're relieved to hear that other hens are moulting. Billie started a couple of weeks ago and yesterday the poo tray was full of black feathers as Adelaide has joined in. It seems so strange that they should moult when the weather is so cold. Adelaide has always been Chief Hen and, for a few days, was definitely bossing Billie around but Billie seems much more like herself, and Ady is trying to be grand and splendid - not such a good look when you haven't got a tail! We're wondering if Ella will join in soon - not good news as she is the only one laying now!

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My 2 are still moulting/trying to regrow feathers too :roll:

edit: Abbie has been mean to Katy the last 2 days, I saw 2 evil pecks yesterday morning. They have sorted out the pecking order with Abbie at the top. Maybe Abbie is just grumpy as she is balding and not her beautiful self at the moment. :?

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The back feathers can get scraggly if the chicken sits on the nest a lot. Katy had one or two dodgey feathers (not the whole lot though :roll: ).

I thought they built up feathers for winter, but it is generally supposed to be Aug-Oct which makes more sense. It does give them a break from laying which takes a lot of energy.

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Strange time of year to do it as well isn't it? :?

After my two oldest moulted I thought that would be it, but the ones that only started laying this time last year have all decided to moult as well. Not quite as drastically as the older two I have to say, and the 2 gingernuts have now started laying again (not Bella the purebreed, I'm assuming she will wait til spring 8) ).

 

I wondered whether or not Bertha and Beryl would start to lay again as they have had 2 full years layng. Then yesterday I noticed Bertha chasing one of the youngsters (she hasn't been as dominant lately) Sure enough they both laid again today!

 

Yay 7/10 - not had this many eggs in ages! :dance:

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