This Is Moulting

Poor Butter!

I always wondered what moulting would look like.

It isn't pretty.

Last tail feather.

The temp. has been dropping into the 40's at night

I hope Butter is cuddling up with the other girls.

Poor featherless baby.

Butter and Pixie

Poor Butter.

On Monday, when I visited the girls

I thought that something had attacked one of them.

There were feathers everywhere!

But I couldn't see any injuries,

so I though perhaps a neighbor chicken

had jumped the fence

and gotten the sharp end of Lavender's claws.

Tuesday there were even more feathers in the run.

It's official: Butter is molting.

And really hard too.

As of today, she has a solitary tail feather loosely hanging on.

She looks so rough - poor baby.

And she is really crabby.

She wants to be held,

but she doesn't want me to touch her.

I suppose the new feathers

growing in are strange feeling and poky.

Well, she ends up pecking

me on the head to get held

and then complaining when I hold her.

Very frustrating.

~

And Pixie is growing up into a pullet.

She squatted for me today. Twice!

It's the first time she's ever squatted.

I see silkie eggs in the future.

~

My friend, Carol, that took in my ladies, has a big barred rock rooster.

He is so gorgeous.

But he loves to chase me!

I have a cut on my ankle he gave me today.

He is so sneaky.

Bad rooster!

~

Another thing I'm worrying about right now:

Last year Carol lost more

than half of her chickens

and all of her ducks.

They disappeared

after some migrant workers were working

in the soybean fields next to her house.

They are back working in the fields right now.

Please don't take my ladies!

How Long Will Chickens Live?

The Guinness World Record for oldest chicken is/was held by Matilda. 16 years old!
Just like any other pet, chicken age will depend on their care.

How long will chickens lay eggs for?
Chickens molt at about 18 months of age.
Molting is where they lose all or some of their feathers and stop producing eggs for a few (2-4 months).
This is a natural shedding of feathers.
Factory farms usually cull their hens at this time, BUT if these are your pets you don't have to cull your hens.
They will continue to lay eggs after their molt, until they die (hopefully, like Matilda at 16+ years old!).
They may not lay as well as they did during their first year, however they will still be sweet and cuddly pets.