I have learnt a lot of new English words by reading this article! Who would have thought that chickens have so many different kinds of feathers, and that a feather is such a complex structure.
Thank you very much for this very educational article.
I have been so curious about the feathers all over the coop and run from molt. In addition my (imperfect) birds have random mismatched feathers and now I know “pencilled” is not “laced” and “mottled” isn’t “spangled.” Thank you so much for clarifying! Nicely written and easy to read, too.
Extremely informational article! Well organized and well written, it covers everything the reader might wonder about feathers and then some! I learned a lot from this article. A great read for anyone!
This article is a clear, concise guide to the multitude of technical terms used by some when discussing feathers and feathering. It includes diagrams to illustrate the fine differences between e.g. pencilled, mottled, spangled etc.. as well as the basics e.g. hackles and sickles. It makes an excellent reference tool.