Unsecure chicken perches

[the-marks]

On opening up the girls yesterday, I noticed a number of feathers in the cube. Being brown feathers, I picked up Barbara to check her over and more feathers fell off!! She has lost more feathers today - at one point shaking herself - causing a snow storm of feathers!! She now looks quite disheveled otherwise she seems same as normal - eating and drinking well, no sign of mites - but possibly not laid for a few days. Having never had one of the girls moult before - does this sound like it is just that?? From reading around, it just seems a little late for mouthing! Perhaps Barb is thinking - almost new year - out with the old feathers, in with the new!!

 

Any thoughts would be welcomed. Thanks.

[stehaggan]

Two of mine are currently moulting - I thought it was too late too but there are new quills there coming through. I've learnt that hens are no good with time keeping lol

[sjp]

I've got one that started last week plus 3 or 4 in varring states of regrowing feathers one of which has been moulting since August it's taking her a month or more to do what her half sisters are doing in a couple of days

[cliveb]

One of my girls is running around at the moment looking like she is oven ready, they have all taken it in turns to moult, this one has left it till the weather is really lousy.

[percy049]

One of ours has just finished moulting, and our 3 3/4 year old ex-free range hen is just starting. The other 3 of our girls have shown no sign ~ they might not moult this year or just might be late

[dancing cloud]

My oldest two are moulting. Sky went to bed with a tail two weeks ago and got up without one - just a small pile of tail feathers left in the Wait till the weather turns cold and then drop the feathers - no sense at all!

 

The younger two are still their growing feathers, so will hopefully hang on to then for a while

[Lavenders_Blue]

My old girls are moulting at the moment. Queenie has been gently shedding feathers for the last month or so and isnow more or less fully refeathered and looking jolly beautiful with it. Rosie has been doing the same but started a couple of weeks after Queenie. Bella decided to do things quite differently and have a 48 hour feather dump during which time she lost all her neck and tail feathers. She is now doing her best porcupine impression as the new feathers grow back

[Sammiboo]

Mine are moulting, Dorothy is moulting so bad I thought she was being plucked by the other girls. When you pick her up the feathers just fall off her!

[Purplemaniacs]

My older girls are moulting all at different stages, some are starting to look good now, the best for a long time as Latte is head girl and likes to peck the others at times

 

Chrissie