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and so it begins...
Posted: Thu Oct 13, 2016 5:55 pm
by Happy
Saw the odd feather floating around when I opened the coop this morning but nothing drastic. This aft decided to go check on my head hen to see if she was ok because I hadn't seen her in the yard. She promptly turned around on her perch to show me this lol

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She shook right after I took this pic and another 1000 feathers flew. Looks like a hard molt coming on.
Poor girl.
and so it begins...
Posted: Thu Oct 13, 2016 5:56 pm
by ross
It's natural , like gas it to shall pass . Luck
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Posted: Thu Oct 13, 2016 6:18 pm
by nekoatsume
I wondered why my birds were losing buckets of feathers.. Had to look up moulting. Are they ok going through a hard moly even when it's getting so cool out?
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Posted: Thu Oct 13, 2016 6:30 pm
by WLLady
Try to up the protein a bit and they should grow in fairly quickly at this time of year.
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Posted: Thu Oct 13, 2016 6:30 pm
by ross
Yep just make sure no drafts in coop & extra feed if they want . I keep whole corn free choice out for them from now to spring , not high in protein but does put on extra fat for warmth . . Luck
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Posted: Thu Oct 13, 2016 6:52 pm
by Killerbunny
Some of mine would drop all their feathers in January - yikes!
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Posted: Thu Oct 13, 2016 7:14 pm
by Happy
Despite this being my 3rd adult molt to experience it still shocks me how fast it comes on. That's the first of my big girls to start and last year the rest were still nude in December. This is why I was asking about higher protein feed last week lol.
I baked them some flock blocks today (don't tell hubby since I don't bake for him!)

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I have always wanted try try them. Used chicken chick recipe and added sunflower seeds, leftover turkey stuffing and dried mealworms. Hopefully they eat them.
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Posted: Thu Oct 13, 2016 7:21 pm
by Jaye
My Twyla drops hers in a big way every year in December/January too. She always does a hard moult, much like KB's girls. I had to bring her inside for a week one year during an especially cold snap. She wasn't thrilled, and neither was I, but I couldn't leave her out shivering (literally) in minus 32 C with maybe 20% of her feathers left.
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Posted: Thu Oct 13, 2016 7:56 pm
by JimW
Ya my one pen of laying hens I had to do a double check today to make sure all the birds were alive and accounted for feathers everywhere, dropping like leaves.
and so it begins...
Posted: Fri Oct 14, 2016 12:28 am
by kenya
Yeah feathers everywhere and no eggs!