A few of my readers can't see the whole "molt" thing. I thought I would post a few before and after photos of the girls... The above photo is of Annabelle in all her before- molt -glory. She is a very pretty hen, with shiny green highlights when the sun hits her just right. Kind of like one of those shiny green beetles. Her personality is for the bugs. she's the mean hen.
Here is Annabelle in all her molting glory. You just look at her and feel bad, KWIM? Sometimes we snicker...but mostly we feel bad, specially as the nights get colder.
Here is our Little Wing, who is a gentle soul. She's a lover, not a fighter- and she spends much of her time genuinely perplexed. If I throw a snack out for them, it takes her a minute to register that she might like to taste one..and by then the other hens have zoomed in and finished it off. She then walks around looking confused, complaining loudly about her lot.
Here is Little Wing in molt. She does have something to complain about, now.
"Girls, I feel a big draft, did I lose something?"
"Oh, it's my spots, I lost my spots..."