There are feathers all over the coop! It looks like the plucking station at a chicken processing plant. We have 3 hens molting right now... both Buff Orpingtons and Hawk, the Brown Leghorn. Top hen, Ginger, is still laying, despite molting, but her egg has diminished in size. It used to be so big that it would produce a bulge in the egg carton, but now it is much smaller, though predictably there just about daily! The other two molting hens, Hawk and Buffy, are not laying any eggs. Minerva, Louise, and Doily are laying eggs still.
The other night, a loud "scream" emerged from the backyard. I had forgotten to close the coop that night and a raccoon must've gotten in and tried getting a hen. When she screamed, I turned on the light and ran out. The raccoon left but Louise was confused, clucking and walking towards the light. I picked her up and placed her back on the roost, counted to be sure all 6 hens were there, and then locked up the coop. The next morning, I saw a pile of Louise's feathers all in a clump. A patch of feathers were also missing from her neck, but upon further inspection, she had no bites or scratches. She and I were very lucky that the raccoon attack was unsuccessful!
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