# Feather question



## Pix-Chix (Jun 7, 2013)

This is my Orpington rooster Roo Mann. He's about 19 weeks old now. I noticed a couple days ago the feathers on the back of his neck were thinning out. There is a portion of the feather shaft still present. Not sure what to make of it. He's housed in a run with a coop plus allowed to free range. He has 2 hens in his flock currently and 3 more being introduced. I use pine shavings inside the coop dusted with DE. Any thoughts on what might be causing this?? Oh, I'm a chicken newbie. These are my first.


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## Bee (Jun 20, 2013)

He is molting and the feathers in casings are his new feathers. The ones on the back of the rooster's head seem like the last in the flock to lose their sheaths...the back of my rooster's head is _white _with them!

Taking off summer drawers, growing winter long johns and fresh new feathers for the year...until next summer at the same time.

You don't need to do anything special but just wait..time takes care of it all.


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## kjohnstone (Mar 30, 2013)

As the bird grows, they don't automatically grow feathers along the way.. I read, I think here somewhere, that there is a growth of feathers (a sort of a molt, but with more coming in than coming out) and I saw something like this with my own this year, so it may be possible that these are pinfeathers(?) Just wait until next year, when they do a full molt and look absolutely pitiful.


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## Pix-Chix (Jun 7, 2013)

Thank you both for your replies. I wondered if it was a molt. I've just never seen one before. Now I know.


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## kjohnstone (Mar 30, 2013)

I failed to say that the growth molts are supposed to happen around 3 mo and 5 mo., so 4 1/2 mo not out of line. Imagine if all they had to cover themselves were the shorter feathers they have at 2 1/2 months. Soooo pitiful.


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