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Pages collated by
Jill Bowis of
started November 1999
These pages are being made up from the wealth of practical and technical knowledge that can be found on the newsgroup. None of the topics are finished - they probably never will be - we always have something to learn. If there is something you wnat to know that is not here - get on the group and ask - they are a really friendly group and no question is too simple - and hopefully if it is complicated someone will be able to help find the answer. The group is made up from all walks of poultry keeping from 2 birds in the city to commercial egg and meat producers - and from all over the world.
MOULTING - FEATHER LOSS
Q: This morning one of the hens only had two big tail feathers left and is practically naked from her tail to the back of her legs. Naturally I'm a bit alarmed. Her wing feathers are a bit abraided and patchy looking (perhaps from the rooster?)
A: What you observe could be poor feather quality, either from poor genetics or poor nutrition. It could be an over-sexed rooster that rides them roughly and incessantly. Also it could just be your strain of production chicken that is bred to lay eggs continuously until they drop.
Q :I have a Black Astrolorp
Hen that has NO neck feathers, tail feathers or breast feathers. She is
the only hen of that breed I have. I seams to me that she did this last
year at this time. She gets all hunched up and looks pitiful ! Is
she molting?? The rest of my chickens are Bantams and while they are molting,
not to that degree.
A : Hens seem to be
very individual as to how they moult. Some do it so gradually that you
hardly notice and others seem to do the baldy way.
I would think about bringing
her into somewhere you can monitor her feeding and that is well sheltered.
A few hens will stop eating when moulting ( and can starve themselves to
death) and anyway having no clothes is rather chilly. Give her plenty of
grain as well as layer feed - it has more oils in which will help.
Can you see white shafts
of new feathers coming through?
Some TLC should help her
come back to her former glory - the Australorp cockerel we used to
have looked more like he had lost a pillow fight when he moulted. It may
be something to do with the fact that they have so much feather that they
look even worse when they are losing it