One of the fun aspects of being a chickenkeeper is that of chicken educator. For instance, I have answered this question many times over the past 18 months: Will the hens lay eggs without a rooster being involved? (The answer: yes)
My own teacher in matters of chickenkeeping is the author of my excellent book, Gail Damerow. The book is Storey's Guide to Raising Chickens. It was when Vita, my Speckled Sussex hen, began to lose a lot of feathers that I consulted Gail's chapter on molting. I quickly determined that Vita was, indeed, molting. It's pretty dramatic what happens to hens when they molt. Below is a photo of one night's feather loss when Cinnamon, my Welsummer hen, began to molt about 10 days ago:
Shocking, isn't it? It looked like a fox slipped in and murdered a chicken. When Vita was at the height of her molt, she had no tail, and a fully bare bottom that looked like she was plucked for roasting. Other feathers were thin and she looked about half her usual size. I didn't have the heart to take a photo of her! She was quite miserable, embarrassed, and somewhat self-isolated. Very unlike the sassy Vita I know! And, there are no eggs laid when a hen is molting. It's not a great time for a hen.
In the second photo, you see Vita sporting her new plumage, which is beautiful. She's strutting her stuff, but still not laying.
In the third photo, you see Cinnamon with no tail, and Vita in the foreground. This photo was taken 3 days ago. So far, my faithful, plucky Bess, the best layer of the three, hasn't begun the molt yet. This is an annual event for chickens, and a matter of serious management for egg farmers, as one might imagine.
That's our chicken lesson du jour :-).
Jocelyn Curry 
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