Summer came to a sudden stop here in the Pacific Northwest. The dramatic change in weather has shocked my garden, triggered trees to transform and drop their leaves and apparently has prompted the gals to drop their feather too.

So far, only Blackberry (one of our barred rocks) and Bluebell (our blue orpington) have started the annual molt. If I thought our girls looked funny before, this tops it all! Blackberry promptly lost all of her tail feathers and Bluebell has bare patches on her chest and bum. The coop and run looks like a feather mattress exploded.

Blackberry, whom normally maintains an elegant air and prides herself in her poise, is obviously embarrassed. I now find her hiding in the corner, looking forlorn. Sweetpea (our other barred rock) seems to know blackberry is off her game and has been strutting her stuff a little more blatantly.

Bluebell’s patches are even sillier looking. But being a bit dim on the intelligence side, she doesn’t seem to notice or care (good for her!).

During the molt, we’ve definitely seen a drop in egg production. Rather than 4-6 eggs a day, we’ve consistently seen 2. That still is enough to keep us stocked for weekend breakfast.

I’ll be sure to share an update as the other girls join the fun!