A friend of mine asked for a run through of Shakira's moult. So I've put together photos of her before the moult started in August, through to yesterday.
Above is Shakira in her finery with the second one just showing a hint of downy things to come.
The shock of opening up the hen house to find almost a whole chicken in feathers alone can't quite be captured on film. On the droppings board, underneath where the hens sleep, is one night's feather loss.
And then suddenly she is almost 'oven ready' - the parson's nose!
As it grows back you see a hedgehog type appearance with little quills through which each feather will break through. The splinters of these sheaths can be found at the start of each day on the droppings board where they have broken off overnight.
The downy feathers, somewhat ungainly start to trumpet out.
Another view of our chicken's backside. If she only knew!
The moult is going on all over, in patches, giving her a dishevelled appearance.
Then suddenly, from an ugly duckling comes the very beginning of a beautiful swan.
Then just when you thought it was all over, Buck Bucky lifts a wing and hey, presto!
She's started too!
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