Flame seems to be having a moult in two halves. I am putting it down to Flame having a couple of broody spells late in the summer which kick started her moult.
In September she stopped laying and started dropping loads of feathers. Flame didn’t look as bad as she had some years despite feathers wafting from her with every movement.
Flame had a short tail rather than no tail as she usually had and I put this down to the long tail feathers dropping out and revealing the new shorter tail feathers growing in underneath.
However Flame is dropping feathers again and has now dropped her tail feathers leaving her with next to no tail. She has one short tail feather remaining.
The good thing about Flame having her moult in two halves is that she doesn’t look any thing like as tatty as she has in the past when having one heavy moult.
Apart from Flame’s lack of tail she is looking pretty good. It won’t be long before Flame’s tail feathers grow back in and she will be back to her beautiful self again.
Click here to see the history of my flock.
In terms of her tail feathers, it’s almost like a double moult – she seems to be replacing the replacements which didn’t quite fully materialise. You’re right that she does not look tatty and her full beauty will return soon. I love to see the tail feathers grow back in – you can really discern the progress of the moult.
It does almost feel like Flame has moulted twice. It’s as if her tail didn’t finish growing back before falling out again. Usually the tail feathers seem to grow back really quickly. This year it seems to have been a long moult. I feel as if the seramas have been dropping feathers for such a long time and although it’s slowing now there are still plenty of feathers to pick up every day. They are all looking fully feathered though so I think they are nearly there. Even Spot is dropping a few feathers.
She will soon be back to her lovely self.
I agree, she will.
She’s still a beautiful girl – with or without her tail xx
I think so too xx