pullets in molt

[path.otto]

Glad I searched the forum for this as I noticed lots of feathers around the coop from my 8 month old BO and I was getting worried. I was checking her out today and it appears to be affecting mostly her neck and she has new pin feathers coming in. It's never boring with chickens!

 

[oakhavenmama]

Thanks for your post! I'm concerned too! I'm in North Texas, and Ginger, one of my four hens is moulting heavily. Lots of feathers (please see photo). Brownie, my bantam seemed to moult also, but I haven't seen as many of her feathers in the last few days. Neither have layed for about 1 1/2-2 weeks. This is my first real moult, I think! Is this all normal? We are expecting cold temps in the 20s at night and I am worried about her. I will use the low wattage heater at night, which will raise the temps into the 30s. Please somebody, just reassure me that this is normal and I don't need to worry! Or should I bring her into the garage in a crate? She is the meekest of my four, and I feel especially protective of her.

 

[aart]

Please somebody, just reassure me that this is normal and I don't need to worry! Or should I bring her into the garage in a crate?

She'll be fine....no need for heat...leave her with her flock.
Give them some extra animal protein to help grow the new feathers.
Browse thru this thread:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...ks-that-havent-experienced-a-molt-yet.580915/
This is a hard molt.

 

[HanBrand]

I haven't provided any heater for my flock over winter so far. It has been down to minus 5 degrees Celsius in the UK. I just figured the 7 of them would just huddle together for warmth. When I check on the they are cuddled up in 2 or 3 on different perches. When it's been really cold all 6 have been on one perch and and little silkie in a nest box. She seems to prefer her own space. I also have ducks in the same coop but sectioned off to exit to their own run. I read that ducks provide a lot of heat for chickens. They are very warm bodied creatures my ducks

 

[Nekatlla]

On this note I have a question, if a pullet goes through a molt (mine only lost the tail feathers) when will they start laying again? Do you always expect them to be done until spring? Mine layed daily until the molt then stopped, you can tell her comb went from bright red to light pink where all the others stayed bright red and still lay daily to every other day.

 

[SueT]

On this note I have a question, if a pullet goes through a molt (mine only lost the tail feathers) when will they start laying again? Do you always expect them to be done until spring? Mine layed daily until the molt then stopped, you can tell her comb went from bright red to light pink where all the others stayed bright red and still lay daily to every other day.

Who knows.......every time I think I've got it figured out, they surprise me...

 

[aart]

On this note I have a question, if a pullet goes through a molt (mine only lost the tail feathers) when will they start laying again? Do you always expect them to be done until spring? Mine layed daily until the molt then stopped, you can tell her comb went from bright red to light pink where all the others stayed bright red and still lay daily to every other day.

There's really no set time it will take them to start laying again.
Could be a few weeks to a few months.

 

[HanBrand]

I didn't think my Lavender Araucana would start laying until the spring as she hasn't laid any eggs yet and I thought the didn't lay much in the winter. But I got a lovely surprise for Christmas and got my first blue egg She doesn't have a comb so I didn't know how to tell when she would be ready to lay.

 

[Cindy in PA]

I find it odd that so many first year pullets are molting. I do have at least 2- 9 month olds that lost neck feathers & one lost tail feathers & appear to be molting. I don't remember ever having first year pullets molt in the times I have had them over 24 years, but maybe they did & I didn't notice or forgot?? It does explain why I have gone from 10 to 5-6 eggs a day from 13 since Thanksgiving. Glad the days are finally getting longer!

 

[path.otto]

I'm beginning to wonder if this is another example of climate change. We had a warm fall that then turned cold and then went back to unseasonably warm weather. Perhaps whatever governs molting determined the pullets had fast forwarded through their first year! It's now in the low single digits during the day and negative low double digits at night. I'm seeing PBR feathers in the coop now, too.