January Molt ??

[Mygirls615]

I know strange time of year and I wasn't sure and my pecking order recently changed cause I separated an injured hen. The people on this board helped in confirming mine was molting and I am grateful!

 

[Chicken Egg 17]

Ya she is my egg bound hen that still has an egg stuck inside her from a couple months ago she is the only one molting so far that I seen

 

[Mygirls615]

I have one that is separated right now due to an injury I went out today and feathers EVERYWHERE and she is alone in coop so I know no one is picking her......CRAZY it's SO cold I don't understand my girls~~time will tell if she is actually molting or not

 

[Chicken Egg 17]

Ok I have a Bard Rock that is aprox 10 months old I noticed a week or so ago it looks as though she was loosing feathers around her neck. Today when she went out to free range with the others at first glance she looked like a turkey to me ! She is not bald but when she "fluffs" out you can see some spaces but she looks as though partial feathers are there, some missing, more so on backside of neck...... I took the best pic I could, this shows from front, when she got near me...Is it possible she is soft molting in January?? We live in Rhode Island

My hen looks just like that but she is not that unfeathered there yet

 

[Mygirls615]

I can't believe this it's February coldest temps we have seen here in Rhode Island since 1994 and this morning was -12 wind chills over 31 below when I went out to coop.........I have ANOTHER hen molting she is loosing neck feathers, and some from sides of belly. I noticed a few days ago her comb was shrinking BIZARRE making sure she stays warm anything you can do to speed the process??

 

[Chicken Egg 17]

I can't believe this it's February coldest temps we have seen here in Rhode Island since 1994 and this morning was -12 wind chills over 31 below when I went out to coop.........I have ANOTHER hen molting she is loosing neck feathers, and some from sides of belly. I noticed a few days ago her comb was shrinking BIZARRE making sure she stays warm anything you can do to speed the process??

Yes u can u can speed up the process by adding additional protein like dryed cat food or something that is high in protein as since feathers are mostly made of protein then by adding the additional protein that should speed up the process

 

[Birdrain92]

I can't believe this it's February coldest temps we have seen here in Rhode Island since 1994 and this morning was -12 wind chills over 31 below when I went out to coop.........I have ANOTHER hen molting she is loosing neck feathers, and some from sides of belly. I noticed a few days ago her comb was shrinking BIZARRE making sure she stays warm anything you can do to speed the process??

Give her more protein. It takes lots of energy to grow those feathers in. Once her feathers are back in then lower her down.

 

[Bluechick2u]

My hens all started molting in December and January, I gave them extra meal worms and it seemed to do the trick, they are full feathered and laying at full speed now, I am wondering if maybe the crazy weather patterns confused them, since they ALL did it. I live in a warm climate though.

 

[Grimm]

I am also experiencing molting with young hens. The three at the top of the pecking order are molting. They will be a year in March and started laying at the end of July. Just like the OP nothing is different or changed except one of the younger hens went broody last month. It lasted a few weeks but the older girls were still laying and happy. I have noticed an increase in feathers in the run and coop. Mama, the top hen is showing the molt more than the other two. They look scruffy but Mama has new pin feathers on her neck (just the throat area not like the OP's girl). I have increased the protein level but can't change their food to a meat bird pellet since we have a mixed flock and the younger girls are still laying or just starting (10 week age difference). We are expecting some new flock members once the duck eggs hatch in the bator and chicks in April.

I am curious if this early molt is a result of the weather. I live in an area of California that gets a few days of snow in the winter mostly in January and the temps are in the 30s-40s this time of year. Lots of rain and frost warnings. We were to get an "El Nino" storm system this year but instead we have had temps in the 80s with little to no rain. Could the shortened winter daylight hours and the high temps be screwing with my girls' body clocks causing the molt?

 

[Grimm]

My hens all started molting in December and January, I gave them extra meal worms and it seemed to do the trick, they are full feathered and laying at full speed now, I am wondering if maybe the crazy weather patterns confused them, since they ALL did it. I live in a warm climate though.

The weather is not normally this warm in February in Southern California!