burst duvet running round the garden.

[clucking chicks]

Can anyone advise me please?
One of my warrens has just started to moult. Is this normal? I have read on the forum that they usually moult in the winter but Elsie is loosing feathers in the garden like a burst duvet! Do you think she is OK? Elsie will be 3 this spring and hasn't moulted before. Do I need to do anything to give her a bit of TLC?

 

[Marigold]

It's a bit unusual for a hen to moult at this time of year, but it can happen at any time, and if she is rising 3 this moult is long overdue. If she is moulting fast, she will be through it the sooner - some birds take weeks to complete their moult, a few feathers at a time, and don't lay whilst they're doing it. It's often said that a hen who moults like Elsie seems to be, is one that will return to lay faster, and as she's a Warren it looks as if she has this laying ability. Moult is a perfectly natural process, she may seem to want to be on her own more than usual, and won't like being handled as the emerging feather shafts are very tender. She may seem a bit under the weather because producing all that new plumage does take a lot of energy. Some people give moulting birds a poultry tonic, or make sure they have a few high- protein treats, but hens do come through moult OK without extras in most cases. It's a good idea to worm your flock with Flubenvet at this time of year anyway, and making sure you have dealt with any possible worm burden will help her, and the others, to go forward into a productive laying season.