fuzzi's Chicken Journal

[fuzzi]

Bless her heart. She's still so beautiful, though. I have a couple also looking similarly ragged; I'll be glad when molt season is over!

Thanks. I can't help but worry, she's my first experience with a hard molt.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I only wish my chickens were as enthusiastic about devouring stink bugs, which are currently attempting takeover via en masse. But dead/dying stinkbugs smell musky, and I guess my chickens don't want stinkbug breath, for which they can't be blamed. Crickets or brown tasty water bugs would probably be less objectionable to their palates

We got a new roof, too! Your rain barrels are a great use of all that water runoff. Edit to ask if roof granules affect rain barrels in that they get inside and must be cleaned out?

We have a lot of Stinkbugs here, they come from the orchards when it starts turning cold.

My birds will NOT touch them. This is their reaction when they see one

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Abigail's molt

View attachment 3946732
View attachment 3946733

She's active, chasing after the crickets, and also she gobbled down a couple collard leaves by herself. I can't see anything wrong, but just looking at her makes me cringe!

Don't you just feel so bad for them!

Active, chasing crickets and eating Collards sounds like she's doing o.k.!

I have a GF Hen that is in hard molt, she's not keen on letting anyone near her so she's spending a lot of time up in the rafters of their area. She comes down for food/treats and is very vocal, so she's fine, just prickly

 

[NanaK]

Thanks. I can't help but worry, she's my first experience with a hard molt.

In the past I have had hens that dropped a lot of feathers all at once. They looked naked. Coop looked like a chicken exploded.

When they started to feather they really looked like a porcupine.

Abigail does not look too bad.
I have an Abigail too. She is a Cream Legbar who is also molting now.

 

[kcan2]

This is their reaction when they see one

Hilarious! Also mine's reaction. Sometimes the neighbor's flock visits my yard. Out of her 7, ONE hen is willing to eat stinkbugs. I have recruited that hen extensively in the past with back porch stink bug abatement and she definitely went home with stink bug breath!

Professional Stink Bug Abator (left):

 

[1muttsfan]

I have an older Delaware that looks like a broiler that jumped out of the meat cooler at the grocery store. Everywhere she goes there is a trail of white feathers.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Hilarious! Also mine's reaction. Sometimes the neighbor's flock visits my yard. Out of her 7, ONE hen is willing to eat stinkbugs. I have recruited that hen extensively in the past with back porch stink bug abatement and she definitely went home with stink bug breath!

Professional Stink Bug Abator (left):
View attachment 3947599

I wonder if her eggs taste like Stinkbugs?!

When it really starts to get cool, the bugs hang out around the doors and try to come in. We mainly heat with wood, so often in the winter I hear a stinkbug or two coming out of the wood (they seem to "hibernate" under the bark. Once I bring the wood inside and it starts warming up, here they come out flying around. They have a distinctive buzz, I know it anywhere. They won't stink you if you are very careful, I've learned over the last 32years how to catch them without making them emit their stink (most of the time).

 

[kcan2]

Thanks. I can't help but worry, she's my first experience with a hard molt.

Mine did hard-ish molts this year as well, seemingly more so than in the past. My rooster is quite prickly underneath and seems to be spending a lot of time resting. It just looks so traumatic and uncomfortable!

Zacchaeus continues to look like a show boy! It is fun to see him doing so well having been able to follow him from hatch time to now!

 

[fuzzi]

In the past I have had hens that dropped a lot of feathers all at once. They looked naked. Coop looked like a chicken exploded.

When they started to feather they really looked like a porcupine.

Abigail does not look too bad.
I have an Abigail too. She is a Cream Legbar who is also molting now.

Let's see your Abigail, could you post a photo?

Hilarious! Also mine's reaction. Sometimes the neighbor's flock visits my yard. Out of her 7, ONE hen is willing to eat stinkbugs. I have recruited that hen extensively in the past with back porch stink bug abatement and she definitely went home with stink bug breath!

Professional Stink Bug Abator (left):
View attachment 3947599

That should be a POW winner, I'd vote for it.

She looks a bit like an EE with the fluffy face.

I have an older Delaware that looks like a broiler that jumped out of the meat cooler at the grocery store. Everywhere she goes there is a trail of white feathers.

Oh my, that is too funny!

Someone should start a molting thread...

 

[fuzzi]

I wonder if her eggs taste like Stinkbugs?!

When it really starts to get cool, the bugs hang out around the doors and try to come in. We mainly heat with wood, so often in the winter I hear a stinkbug or two coming out of the wood (they seem to "hibernate" under the bark. Once I bring the wood inside and it starts warming up, here they come out flying around. They have a distinctive buzz, I know it anywhere. They won't stink you if you are very careful, I've learned over the last 32years how to catch them without making them emit their stink (most of the time).

Tell us how you catch them!

And I have to ask, what is a GF? That breed abbreviation is escaping me.