Chicken question

dewdropsinwv

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Most of you know I have chickens. They are about 18 months old and have not molted yet. If any one has ideas why, please let me know.
 

canesisters

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They are all individulas. Several of my first bunch didn't realy molt till they were almost 2yrs. I suspect that they had a mini molt somewhere around 1yr that I probably didn't notice.
 

dewdropsinwv

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Some of them have no feathers on their bellies and legs. I'm thinking that could be a protein issue, so I have been mixing their regular feed with a higher protein feed. I guess they will molt when the time is right for them... just hope it's not in the dead of winter.
 

Ridgerunner

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It's pretty normal for pullets to skip the molt their first fall and continue to lay until the following fall. Then when the days get short enough they will molt. What is short enough does depend on the individual. Yours just may not have started yet. Some of my older hens have started molting but some have not. They will when the days get short enough for them, especially if you don't add lights to stretch the laying season.

Some chickens are fast molters and some are slow molters. It's not about how fast the feathers grow back, it's about how fast they fall out. The fast molters will look obscenely naked while the only way you can tell the slow molters are molting is that you see a lot of feathers flying around. Then eventually they look sleek and shiny instead of kind of ragged. Are you seeing extra feathers flying around? Have they cut back laying? They'll quit laying or really cut back when they molt. They normally quit laying and use the nutrients that were making eggs to make feathers but increasing the protein some won't hurt.

Don't over worry about them getting cold if the weather is cold when they are molting. They can usually handle that really well even when missing most of their feathers. If you get some that look like Rudy, yeah it is a concern, but don't pay worry until it is due.
 

canesisters

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If I understand it right, they don't grow feathers like mammels do hair. It's not a constant process. At some point, something will trigger them to molt. Hours of light? Hormones? I don't have any idea. They will begin growing feathers and, depending on how 'bad' this particular molt is, they may end up nearly bald and covered with quills. Or they may just lose some feathers. I have a hen right now who lost all the feathers on her head and tail and got really ratty looking and thin everywhere else. She has almost finished growing in the new set. I had 2 last summer who had not molted (that I noticed) in over a year. They looked terrible with dull, damaged feathers all over. Then in a matter of a week or so, they went nearly bald. They were sleek and shiny for a while but are starting to look pretty rough again.
From what I've seen on BYC, alot of hens molt during the winter... maybe to get it over with before chick rearing season comes??
 

dewdropsinwv

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Thanks @Ridgerunner! I havent noticed feathers flying around, but I have seen a few here and there. My egg production has not slowed down at all actually! I still get on average 10 eggs a day. I have 12 hens (pullets) . I do have a few that look absolutely terrible, but they are healthy. I'm not sure if MontyJ will add lights to the coop when the days get shorter or not.
 

baymule

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I don't add lights right away, I let the short days trigger the molt. Their feathers fall out, some all at once, some slowly and I let nature do her work. Then when I see most are on the upswing, I start increasing the "daylight" with a timer.
 

Ridgerunner

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Cane, if a feather comes out, shaft and all, the feather will grow back at any time. But if any part of the shaft is left in there, the feather won't grow back until the shaft comes out. So feather growth is not a constant process but just when the feather falls out. Feathers get broken and worn out and need to be replaced. By instinct, chickens lay eggs and raise chicks in the spring and summer when food is available, then quit laying eggs and replace worn-out feathers when fall approaches. Then in the spring when the days get longer they start laying again. We've domesticated them so that instinct is somewhat messed up, some hens will start lay in the winter instead of waiting until spring after the molt, but that basic instinct to molt is still there.

What triggers the molt is that the days get shorter. Technically it's nights getting longer but as long as you don't mess with lights the effect is the same. Different hens have different tolerances for that change of length of light so they don't all molt at the same time.

I've had broody hens molt in late summer while they are raising their chicks and get back to laying just as most of the others start their molt. It was nice to get a large egg when the others quit.

Some hens will do mini-molts if they get stressed or even if they have ben laying for a long time, like a year straight. It's not always like a full molt but they will lose some feathers and quit laying for a while. That's why I'm not a huge fan of adding lights to keep them laying. They are likely to go through a mini-molt and slow laying anyway at some point. I prefer them to go through the molt and rejuvenate themselves, then return to laying. I think they tend to lose some small down-like feathers in the spring when the weather warms up. They are just shedding some of that heavy winter coat, somewhat like mammals shedding in the spring. But those don't grow back until fall.

I have no problem adding lights after they have molted to start them a little early, but I normally don't need to do that. Most of mine start when the molt is over, even if it is still winter. Eggs are not my huge priority either. I raise them mostly for meat with eggs just a nice addition. Lots of people add lights though. That's just my personal preference because of my goals. Other people have different goals.
 

canesisters

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Thanks Ridge! Most of my 'chicken knowledge' has come from BYC... which - although a WEALTH of info - can be confusing and contridicting. Always happy to learn more from the folks with actual 'real feather' experience.
 

AMKuska

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That's interesting. My eldest chickens (Red Jungle Fowl, the precursor to the chicken) Only just started their first noticeable molt. I'm sure they've molted before but I've just not noticed. They are over 3 years now.
 

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