She's the only chicken molting this Fall, and she is none too happy about it. Nutmeg, our little Cubalaya chicken-dog and pecking order enforcer, is cranky and uncomfortable. She does not want to socialize, be picked up or otherwise touched thankyouverymuch. I miss having her birdy company on my lap or shoulder, but heck, if my hair was falling out like that, I might not feel very sociable, either.
Sly Lady Grey has been trying to take advantage of Nutmeg's discomfort to upset the pecking order. Grey is over a third larger and twice heavier than Nutmeg, so you'd think it'd be an easy win. Don't count on it. Nutmeg is laying the holy smack-down on any attempts at usurpation. I've seen her go into the air with Grey, neck feathers (well, what's left of them) puffed out and claws extended. Spouse saw Nutmeg not only smack-down Grey, but chase her halfway across the yard to make sure Grey understood the lesson:Respect the Frau, and don't mess with the 'Meg.
[pic #1: Nutmeg. She's lost all her tailfeathers, too! Pic #2: Lady Grey. Pretty girl, determined, but ultimately doomed to failure.]
Don't mess with the Zohan! Chances are, your other chickens may follow suit. Not many eggs during molt unfortunately. But they really look nice when all of their feathers come in. Never fear, Meg will be pretty again.
ReplyDeleteOh, you so have to get a a "Beware the Molting Chicken" sign. Poor gal. It's like an extended bad hair day, huh?
ReplyDelete@S_Vandemore: I need to put that movie on our Netflix queue! Already seeing dove grey tailfeathers sprouting, plus she hopped onto my lap this afternoon, so am hoping it won't be too much longer until she's feeling back to her old self.
ReplyDelete@P.Price: *lol*! What a great idea! If I can rustle up a piece of old wood, that'd be a fun project.