My ISA Browns are going through their first moult and I've noticed that their new feathers are coming back in a much lighter brown and also tighter and smoother looking. They're in MUCH better condition than when I got them thougn so that's probably why...
So how old are your birds then? I was thinking of when birds get to 8+ years old but I know a lot of people don't keep birds once they slow down or stop laying. I just saw a pic of a ten year old rooster and it wasn't grey at all. It just got me wondering...
I always keep my hens long after they are done laying, I figure they fed me all those years, so i will feed them for the rest of theirs. I've never noticed the turning grey, but I have seen their colors fade somewhat.
And btw for those thinking a molt or two means your hens are getting old. . . 4 years old may be useless for a production layer, but truthfully, an OLD hen is over 10 years old.
Only age related post-maturation change of pigmentation I have seen involves some wing and tail feathers that turn white like with some dominiques and games. Change occurs before birds truely old so not like greying of hair in mammals.
I was just wondering because my dog has started to go grey around the muzzle and he's not quite four years old yet. He's a black lab X collie and I'd expect him to make fifteen years no problem. So I thought he was going grey very soon. And that just got me wondering about what happens when hens get old...