For the new folks that haven't experienced a molt yet.

[Bound to Sea]

Should I just reduce the time the light is on?

 

[aart]

Yes the light is on all year every day. They have been getting 16 hours light in coop every day. Even if they free ranging, it's on.

Should leave it on then.
Turning it off, or shortening the duration, will likely trigger a cessation of lay.
They'll get thru their molt then start to lay again.

 

[Bound to Sea]

Should leave it on then.
Turning it off, or shortening the duration, will likely trigger a cessation of lay.
They'll get thru their molt then start to lay again.

Thank you!

 

[Happy Chooks]

Thanks for showing. I too would have freaked out and thought mine had caught some horrible skin thing! lol Did not realize that it could get that bad. I do have a question about her comb..Do they start to look bad like that during a moult? Is that part of it too?

Their comb will get pale and shriveled looking during a molt. It will turn back to bright red before they resume laying.

 

[trudyg]

So now I"m wondering--I can tell an extreme molt but sometimes they seem to all 'molt' (I see a whole lot of feathers in the coop, like a pillow fight gone bad) but then it seems to stop and they don't seem to lose the big feathers. My roo lost all his tail feathers and no more, like something pulled just those feathers out. One hen lost shoulder and butt feathers (almost like over-breeding and/or feather picking) but not any head or breast feathers. Wing ones came out so-so, but strange enough to make me wonder if something else is going on. They do not have mites/lice or worms--I treated for tapes but wasn't sure everyone got the dose so did it again at 10 days and then again at 10 days. While I had them for the z-gold, I powdered them with permethrin dust and slathered legs with castor oil (had scaly legs some time ago, figured it wouldn't hurt). This all coincided with major coop clean as well as spreading 2" of sand over the run. Is this normal?

 

[tn_artist]

They say pictures are worth a thousand words, so I thought I'd share my picture for all those new to chicken raising on what it looks like when a chicken molts.

Now keep in mind, this hen is going through a very hard molt. (she didn't molt this badly last year) She's a 2 1/2 year old Sicilian Buttercup. You can also see that her comb is shriveled up.

Bless her little chicky heart! That looks so uncomfortable. I have two Buttercup girls. I don't look forward to this next year.

 

[Happy Chooks]

So now I"m wondering--I can tell an extreme molt but sometimes they seem to all 'molt' (I see a whole lot of feathers in the coop, like a pillow fight gone bad) but then it seems to stop and they don't seem to lose the big feathers. My roo lost all his tail feathers and no more, like something pulled just those feathers out. One hen lost shoulder and butt feathers (almost like over-breeding and/or feather picking) but not any head or breast feathers. Wing ones came out so-so, but strange enough to make me wonder if something else is going on. They do not have mites/lice or worms--I treated for tapes but wasn't sure everyone got the dose so did it again at 10 days and then again at 10 days. While I had them for the z-gold, I powdered them with permethrin dust and slathered legs with castor oil (had scaly legs some time ago, figured it wouldn't hurt). This all coincided with major coop clean as well as spreading 2" of sand over the run. Is this normal?

They can molt in stages. Definitely sounds like molting.

 

[casportpony]

Have you all seen this contest thread?
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...st-your-best-worst-chicken-molt-pics.1334957/

 

[Kubotabear]

Thanks for the photo. I almost got rid of our Roo thinking he was getting waaaaay too aggressive with one of our girls.

 

[Happy Chooks]

Thanks for the photo. I almost got rid of our Roo thinking he was getting waaaaay too aggressive with one of our girls.