I’ve seen the signs the past couple of weeks but it really didn’t register.  It’s molting season.

It all started when I noticed a couple of feathers on the ground when I went outdoors to do “Bedtime for Birdies.”  I really didn’t give it much thought.  It was just a passing…notice.

Over the past couple of days, however, the amount of feathers and the variation of color of feathers, well, the hens are molting.

One of the “Rovers,” my Black Australops, has a naked neck already, and the “Daryls,” my Rhode Island Reds,  have naked butts.  Things are getting serious, I’d say!

Egg production has been down a bit, too.

The only hens I have not seen a decrease in egg production and evidence of molting is in the EE’s, the Easter Eggers.  These are the babies I had in the house over the Winter.  They are young and I don’t know if they will molt in the Fall or in the Spring.  They have turned out to be very good layers and sweet hens.

Peter?  Nope.  No molting.  I don’t even know if Roosters molt.  I’ll have to Google that later on today.  He has been a real stinker, though.  So, maybe the changing of the seasons is having an affect on him, too?  Google is my friend.  I will find out today.

Loki, the bunny, is molting, too!  HA!  I bet you thought this was only about chickens!  Wrong!!!

I had noticed a LOT of bunny fur all over that back room.  I was concerned that there was something wrong with Loki, so, again, I turned to Google.  Turns out that rabbits molt twice a year.  I did not know that.

My back room now has a smelly “Chatty Cathy,” (the new baby chick), and a molting rabbit.  That back room may be beyond repair.  I dunno.  I’ll be sooooo glad when that baby chick is big enough to go outdoors.

It’s not too cold for her to go outdoors.  It’s just that she’s too small to be out there.  She can easily walk through all of the fencing I have out there for the big chickens.  That means my cats or the hawks could pick her off if she walked through the fencing…and believe you me, she would, too!

So, anyway, yes, it is molting season.  Bunny and chicken!  Fortunately, Paxton and the cats are greedily keeping their fur to themselves.  For these small things we will be grateful!   🙂