The Great Molt of 2011

We currently have eight hens.  Five have been laying well for a long while and three are our new Easter Eggers that are right on the cusp of laying eggs.  One of the "babies" started laying this week, and the other two should start any day now.  The other five hens have not laid a single eggs in over a week.  They are ALL molting right now!  There are feathers everywhere, and we are only getting one tiny blue egg a day. 

Chickens molt about once a year.  They lose a majority of their feathers and replace them with fresh feathers.  It is not a pretty process.  Our five hens look rather ratty right now.  Here are a few pictures we took today.

Our beautiful Maple.  She looks awful right now.

Poor girls

Even their necks look bad.

Layla.  She one of our originals.

Layla

Mavis (named by our two-year-old) and Hedwig.

Our (Hideous) Backyard Hens