If I were a chicken in Autumn....

I'd stay in the coop all day! Unless I was Henrietta, then I'd be okay. Here are photos of the poor girls strutting around with no tails and half naked. 

All lined up. Henrietta still has her tail feathers and hasn't molted much. Or she just hides it really well.

Lillie Mae spends a lot of time preening, pulling the old feathers out to make room for new ones.

Look at all the pin feathers coming in on Reba's neck! Looks really silly when she stretches it out.

And, poor Lillie Mae...

I think her coloring makes it look worse than it really is, but, no, it's not a pretty sight.

And, another shot of skinny neck, tailless Reba.

Just a few more weeks, girls, and it'll be over. You'll be full of new fluffy feathers and a warm pretty coop to call home! (Better get back to painting!) 

Molting time

Autumn has arrived! My favorite time of year with the cooler weather, changing colors, and the promise of spring to come. A crisp morning brought added fog off the pond providing a beautiful scene of my favorite view. Of course, I'm happy to share the photo!

Shedding dogs have always been a part of my life. Twice a year the dogs blow their coats and hair flies everywhere. There's ALWAYS hair but during those times they produce mounds not puffs.

After three years with chickens their annual molting still fascinates me. The girls are beautiful full and fluffy with feathers all summer. Then with the first cool night you wake up to this:

Feathers everywhere! New feathers come in causing the old ones to drop off. Sometimes you can't really tell they are going through molt unless they're missing their tails. Other times it is very apparent. The above pile was left by Lillie Mae. Poor girl loses more than the others. Last year she looked so pitiful. Here she is with Reba napping with their heads tucked under their wings. Lillie Mae, silly girl, is standing... I'll post another of her in a few weeks.... It'll be sad.

Molting can be a rather stressful time for the girls. I mean, wouldn't you be stressed if you were forced to run around naked? I provide more protein during this time and will continue to do so all winter. I give them extra black sunflower seeds with their treats and mealworms before bedtime. I always feel like they've got to be cold but they don't act like it.

As for the youngsters, their feathers are coming in nicely and they are growing like weeds!