Chickens Losing a lot of Feathers & Nest box problem?

I have 8 chickens that are 18-19 weeks old. All female, various breeds. I've noticed that since about 8-9 weeks old they've been losing a lot of feathers. None of them have bald spots or fight with each other. I just cleaned the coop out last week but before I cleaned it out the top had like a layer of feathers on it. They are all white and grey but I only have 3 white chickens (2 white marans and 1 splash blue andalusian). The part of the run directly out side the door is also covered with feathers and there are quite a few feathers over by one of their roosts and their outdoor watering station. The rest of the run has feathers here and there. They all appear healthy so I'm not sure if I should be worried? When it first started happening I just figured it was because they were young and were just getting their adult feathers but now they are almost laying age and it's still happening.


Also about a week ago I set up their nest boxes by adding hay and bedding and stuff but they refuse to keep it in the boxes. They keep pulling all the bedding out of them and leaving the boxes bare. Any suggestions to stop this behavior?

Good afternoon... I have a four inch lip on my bedding boxes to help keep the filling in but my girls don't go in them unless they are making a nest... Make sure that the boxes are off the ground but below the stoops they sleep on. My girls always lose feathers... Not sure why, they are healthy and happy.. Someone once told me they lose them when they get scared... I think it's because they preen a lot. Good luck

Chickens change their plumage 3-4 times before one year of age,
at about 18 months old they will have their first annual full adult molt.

Ditto on the high fronts for the nests.