Tail Molting Season And Battle Chickens

Fall is coming on, so some of the chickens marked the occassion by molting ALL of their tail feathers.  This makes them look weirdly stunted and about half their normal size, it's very disconcerting.

Skillet and Bruce, our two MilleFleur/Black Mottled Belgian d'Uccle sisters who do everything together anyway (including brood), started it.

They looked like little quail.

Chickens get grumpy when they molt and tempers can be short.  Also they feel kinda crappy and know they look funny, so while they want extra attention, the rule is 'Hands Off'--new feathers coming in hurt when handled by humans.  So sympathy and TLC, carefully administered, is the rule of the day.

BadMrFrosty has dropped his tail, but that doesn't stop him from climbing into the kid's lap.

When Frosty sits in your lap, you know it.  He's gettin' big.

But CM, our tiny porcelain d'Uccle hen, has issues with Frosty getting pets from one of HER humans and starts to posture, threaten and growl.

Despite her warnings, Frosty doesn't listen.  So CM picks a fight, growling loudly and starting to puff up as they circle each other...

And it's on!

I think that the thunderstorms that had just finished up had inspired her.  The other hens were a bit freaked, but clearly on her side against the icky, uppity rooboy.

BATTLE CHICKEN!

I love how her feet are braced with her little toes gripping the mud.  After this Frosty finally showed some smarts and wandered off.

Don't mess with banties, man.