Russ was quite alarmed to discover feathers all over the pen and two white birds, Hazel and Scratch with no tail feathers one afternoon in October. He thought there was something seriously wrong with the ladies, as they had been attacked or severely frightened. It turns out, this is a normal thing for hens. It is not that different than a hairy animal shedding it's coat. The process just looks rather disconcerting on a chicken as they tend to have bald patches and exposed feather shafts. Molting is quite a natural and regular process for a bird. However, since they are spending all that energy to molt, the egg production ceases to exist. I broke down and bought eggs at the grocery store the other day; they don't taste the same at all!
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