As the moult continues I am picking up long, dark, banty tail feathers and I suddenly realised that Amber has lost her tail. Honey’s tail is getting thinner too.
Amber has lost her tail
What a scruffy little girl Amber is at the moment. She now has a short tail so I assume these are the new feathers and will gradually get longer.
Honey’s tail
Honey still has her tail but I am still picking up tail feathers so I don’t think it will be long before she loses hers too. I am amazed at the volume of banty feathers I have picked up and yet they have no bare patches, they just look dishevelled.
The little girls haven’t laid any eggs for a month now. What surprises me is that Pepper and Dotty are still laying every other day and Bluebell still lays every day with only one day off, on average every five days. She has never taken more than one day off and when she misses a day she always lays at first light the next day. Yesterday was only the second time that we had no eggs and Bluebell was back in the nest box at first light this morning.
Another change that has taken place is that Pepper has returned to laying in the nest box instead of the little coop. After laying only in the little coop and getting very agitated and vocal if someone else was in there when she wanted to go in, she has suddenly switched back to the nest box. I wonder if it is because it is colder now but who knows what goes on in their little chicken brains!
Click here to see the history of my flock.
Well they don’t need any chick to help them pull their feathers out they are big girls now and grown up they can shed them all by themselves 🙂
I have just been back in and picked up several more banty tail feathers. I then saw that Honey has only one remaining tail feather. I have just taken some more photos and will do another post to update. I can’t believe how quickly they are shedding feathers!
Oh, molting is so very sad. I tried to get the girls to learn how to use a treadle feeder and didn’t realize that Coco wasn’t having anything to do with it. Which has forced her to ugly molt. She literally has no feathers on her back or sides. The run looks like a down comforter blew up. I spend an hour out there Saturday and again last night hand picking up feathers.
I’m so worried about poor Coco that I ordered a saddle for her which should come in the mail today. I know she won’t like it but I’m hoping she’ll let me put it on her to give her some protection. Especially, on these foggy, chilly mornings.
Poor things. I just wish it wasn’t so hard on them. It’s so tough to watch.
This is my first time so I am completely new to this and didn’t know what to expect. I am putting out another post in the morning because I didn’t want to do three in one day but Honey now has no tail at all and looks a sorry sight. They seem to be coping with it okay though, thank goodness.
I am sorry to hear that poor Coco is having such a bad time, poor girl, and poor you. Mine all look shabby but seem happy and I am giving a bit of extra protein which they love. I just can’t believe the volume of feathers and the speed which the bantys tails fell out!