There is a fair bit of moulting going on at the moment. Emerald and Speckles seem to have been having a long drawn out moult. They are both still losing some feathers and Emerald has pin feathers on her bottom.
Speckles now has a fluffy bottom and her white head has returned to black and white as the black spotted feathers have come back in.
The little girls are all dropping feathers and only Freckles is still laying, she is laying three or four eggs a week. Apricot has a mass of pin feathers on her head and is sporting the porcupine look. I remember Pebbles looking like this so I think it must be a feature of the silky feathered girls.
Apricot has a mass of pins on her head
She is looking like a porcupine
Freckles is the only girl laying and therefore the only one going to the grit
It is funny how they know that when they are laying they need the grit.
All the girls should be looking back to their beautiful best soon.
Click here to see the history of my flock.
Good job you have not got the girls that pull feathers now.Apricot would lose all thoes pins..
You are so right. Thank goodness we addressed that problem because that would absolutely awful.
I have been finding lots of Snowy’s feathers in the run and feared that she was having them plucked. I haven’t seen anyone plucking them yet though. I hoped she is moulting but she is still laying, so not sure?
Apparently silkies are like seramas in that they drop some feathers all year round but continue to lay all year round. They are also prone to going broody so I wonder if all these traits go hand in hand. Mine are moulting more at the moment than earlier in the year so I think the moult goes up a notch at this time of year. I am sure this means Snowy is moulting but will continue to lay. I only have Freckles laying at the moment but she is still laying every other day which is good for the seramas. I am surprised Snowy’s broodiness didn’t cause a break in laying though or did she just take a short beak?
She stopped laying throughout being broody and then for about 3 or 4 days afterwards. I want to try and keep track of who’s laying when but haven’t made a start yet! Before being broody she was laying everyday along with the others. She’s laid every other day at the moment!
That’s really good. She has got back into lay quicker than any of mine after being broody. Mine at best laid every day although only for short spells but every other day is good. Sometimes only three eggs a week each so I would say she is doing really well.