Unusual feather loss

[Liz143]

Hello everyone,

I'm new to this forum however I know this is a powerful platform. I am naturally a worrier and would like to get some advice from you.

I have a 1.5 year old Welsummer chicken who is experiencing a huge amount of feather loss. Yesterday morning when I openned their coop, there are excessive feathers there where I can tell the feathers are from my welsummer chicken by the color. As of today, I have found a lot of the big ones, either from the wings or the tail, with blood at the end when I squeezed them. She has lost a lot of her neck feather on the back, looks like she is having a naked back neck if I flip the feather over. As far as I know she just molted a month ago and got her tail feather back not too long ago. Will she start molting again, or is she sick? She is eating fine, but seems to get frightened easily now. She is doing well on her pecking order...

Please help me! I'm so worried about her because she is one of my favorites. Thank you so much!

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

All chickens over a year will molt in the fall, it's quite normal.

 

[Liz143]

But she just molted 1-2 months ago, will they molt this often?

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Did you actually observe her with half her feathers missing and looking like a porcupine, some hens also molt slowly, taking months to lose and regrow them, you probably noticed just parts so far and now she's replacing the big feathers.

 

[Liz143]

Did you actually observe her with half her feathers missing and looking like a porcupine, some hens also molt slowly, taking months to lose and regrow them, you probably noticed just parts so far and now she's replacing the big feathers.

When I took a closer look at her neck, it looked like goose bumps on her skin...because I only have 6 chickens, I actually observed that when she started molting and lost her tail completely 1-2 months ago, and when her tail grown back probably 2weeks ago. This is my first time raising chickens, and now I'm bonded with them.

Why is she missing her feather again so soon and with blood

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

In some chickens molting can take a long time, I'm pretty sure yours is still molting and never stopped, I have a welsummer as well that started molting a month ago and is still working on it, they usually start on the neck and work their way back, those look like wing feathers, the part you are calling blood is where the feather was attached, you must have found them fairly soon after they came out. Molting is a long energy draining process, it takes time.

 

[Liz143]

In some chickens molting can take a long time, I'm pretty sure yours is still molting and never stopped, I have a welsummer as well that started molting a month ago and is still working on it, they usually start on the neck and work their way back, those look like wing feathers, the part you are calling blood is where the feather was attached, you must have found them fairly soon after they came out. Molting is a long energy draining process, it takes time.

Thank you so much! You eased my mind. So the blood at the end of the feather is normal to be seen?

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I don't see anything that looks abnormal, in a month or so your hen will be all fresh and new in her feathers and will be ready for winter.

 

[junebuggena]

Yep, the blood is normal. It's a very uncomfortable time for them. And it's very normal for individuals to take several months to molt. Some molt quickly and look terrible and almost bald. Others molt in bits and pieces. Some molt very slowly, and it's barely noticeable. All are completely normal.

 

[Liz143]

Thank you again